As Hurricane Florence gets closer to the North Carolina coast, I am having flashbacks to 10 years ago when I wrote my boards to become certified in small animal emergency and critical care. I was living in Raleigh, NC after completing my residency at North Carolina State University and I was traveling to Phoenix, AZ where I was supposed to write my exam. You may recall that in September 2008 Hurricane Ike hit the coast of Texas and of course I was supposed to connect through Houston on my way to Phoenix. As if studying for boards was not stressful enough, I had to reschedule my flight (this time connecting through Chicago) and hope that the rest of my travel plans would go off without a hitch. Thankfully, all went well, I arrived safe and sound, and I passed my boards (hooray!).

Fast forward 10 years and I now travel extensively for work that includes locum (relief) shifts, speaking engagements, workshop facilitation, and staff training. During that time, I have learned that hurricanes are not the only thing that can derail your travel plans! Here are the top 10 excuses I have heard while traveling that have resulted in a delayed departure (or arrival):

1. Lightning: If there are thunderstorms nearby, the ground crew are not permitted to be outside (I suspect due to the risk of being struck by lightning). Even though the storm might be miles away, this can lead to delays in terms of loading and unloading luggage and getting the airplane ready to go.
2. Flight crew: I’ve heard many times that a flight cannot board passengers because the crew has yet to arrive. Sometimes this is because they were on a different inbound plane that was delayed and sometimes someone does not show up for their shift. In the latter instance, they will have someone on standby, but I can recall a significant delay because the person on standby had already been used for someone else who had skipped her shift.
3. Technical problems: This has become my most dreaded cause of flight delays. I remember traveling with my sister once and getting delayed > 8 hours because a flight had a “technical problem” and ultimately needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, airports do not just have other planes sitting around “just in case” so depending on the issue this debacle can take many hours to resolve.
4. Limit for work hours: Pilots have a limit with regards to how many hours they are permitted to work, and sometimes previous delays can put them over that limit. This requires calling in a back-up, which of course causes delays.
5. De-icing: In cold climates it is common for planes to require de-icing (application of antifreeze to the plane) prior to departure during sub-zero temperatures. This can add create delays as planes often need to wait in line for the de-icing machine and it needs to happen just prior to take-off.
6. Frozen components: Speaking of cold weather, I have also been on planes when the door was frozen or it was so cold that machinery to unload passengers or baggage was not working. Cold weather can also lead to food and beverages getting frozen or other non-delaying mishaps.
7. Strike: It is not uncommon for those working in the air travel industry to go on strike. Pilots, ground crew, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers can all wreak havoc on departure times when they are involved in a work-labor dispute.
8. Domino effect: At times there has been nothing wrong with my flight crew or airport, but rather, the incoming flight was delayed and that sets off further delays. It seems that airlines keep very tight turnarounds to maximize their flights (and profits), but this can quickly derail subsequent flight times if delays occur.
9. Removal of luggage: In recent years, airports have employed much stricture rules when it comes to security and luggage. As such, bags are not permitted on airplanes when the person who checked the bag is not on-board. I can recall several flights when we have been delayed because a person did not make the gate closure time and their bag (inevitably buried at the back of the cargo hold) had to be removed prior to take-off.
10. Waiting your turn: Often the passengers are boarded and the pilots are ready to go, but we end up waiting in line for take-off (especially busy runways like LaGuardia and O’Hare) or upon arrival we have to wait for a gate to open. At least during these times, I take comfort in knowing I am on board, we are leaving, and there are no technical difficulties (at least none that have revealed themselves yet!).

I fly to New Orleans this Friday for the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society annual meeting (where I wrote my boards 10 years ago) and I am hopeful that I won’t be experiencing any of the above travel delays!