Alright, so here’s the deal: I’ve got this international trip planned for next week. I’m all set to fly out from the US, but with the government shutdown messing things up, it seems like the air travel scene might go downhill. They’re talking about more cancellations rather than just delays and even the possibility of certain airspaces being shut down by the DOT. I’m really hoping to make this trip happen because I’m due to visit a family member I haven’t seen in ages, and my PTO options are pretty limited.
I’ve already booked a flight with one airline to take me from the US to France. But to dodge any potential airport chaos caused by the shutdown, I’m thinking of taking a train up to Montreal and catching my flight from there instead. The thing is, I don’t want to jump the gun and cancel my original flight right away in case the government gets its act together soon. Plus, flying out from the US is way more convenient and budget-friendly than going through Montreal.
So, here’s my game plan: I’ll hold onto both bookings for now and make a call on which one to cancel closer to my departure date when I have a clearer picture of what’s going on with the shutdown. Luckily, both flights are refundable, so that gives me a bit of flexibility. But here’s the thing that’s been bugging me: since the airlines I’ve booked with are in different alliances (one’s in Oneworld, the other’s in Star Alliance) and they don’t share codes, I’m wondering if there’s a chance they might catch on to me having overlapping itineraries and automatically scrap my flights.
I want this trip to go off without a hitch, so I’m trying to cover all my bases here. Has anyone been in a similar situation or have any advice on how to handle this dilemma? I’m all ears and open to suggestions. Just hoping I can reunite with my family member without any last-minute surprises from the airlines!