The unfortunate thing about business travel is that, unless
you are able to fly by private jet, you will have to use public transportation
to travel any significant distance at all.
That means you are going to have to deal with airports, security
procedures, crowds of “non business” travelers around you at all times and the inevitable delay or
canceled flight.
As a business traveler, you have a mission to complete. This is not necessarily an adventure nor is
it something you are doing for fun. Its
business and you handle it as business.
If you travel frequently on business, you have a standard process you go
through to handle waiting for flights and how to store and retrieve travel
documents when they are needed.
Most of time we had handle the presence of large crowds
around us. After all those families on
vacation, groups of teenagers on spring break or young couples on honeymoon
have as much right to the airways and the airports as you do. But everything changes when flights begin to
get canceled, especially if you are in a situation where so many flights are
canceled and large amounts of people are going to be stranded in that airport
overnight.
When such a situation begins to loom, it is easy to sense
that feeling of panic rise up as you sense it happening in those around
you. Inexperienced travelers may have no
idea how to handle this situation. But
as a business traveler, you are there doing the bidding of your company. You probably are on an expense account of some
sort and you should have good credit that you can use to navigate this
situation. So if you see an airport
shutdown situation happening around you, you may ask yourself that question,
“Is this a good time to panic?” The
answer is no. But it is a good time to
act fast so your needs are met.
It is always a good idea to keep your wits about yourself in
an airport situation so you can take action early if you see an airport
shutdown situation beginning to happen around you. The thing to remember is that you are the one
in control here and you do not have to let yourself be put at the whim of the
airlines or the airport. But detecting
the crisis coming early is the key and taking quick action.
Often as flights begin to get canceled, you may find yourself
in long lines to try to rebook flights or find a solution to the problem. Realize that if the airport is stopping all
flights due to weather or other reasons, there is no resolution waiting for you
when you get to the front of the line.
And staying in line will only add to your sense of crisis and panic.
So get out of that line!
You have resources to make accommodations for yourself. The last thing you want is to have to pass
the night in that airport. If you can
get another form of transportation, you can still get to your destination
albeit a little late. But rental car
agencies are going to be flooded with people who, like you, are looking for a
solution. So the earlier you can
diagnose the situation as not acceptable and get a car, the faster you can
leave the airport and head for a hotel or for your destination.
Use the same strategy in booking a room at a nearby motel or
hotel. If you can get to private
accommodations for the night, you can work, make your phone calls and preserve
your energies so you are able to conduct business well once the crisis is
passed. But the key is don’t panic,
devise a solution quickly and put your plan into action efficiently so you can
redeem as much of the day as you can because of your wise use of resources.
