O'Hare travelers adjust plans to avoid blizzard
Chris Hecker wasn't supposed to arrive in California until today.
But the Lake in the Hills man had the choice of going a day early or missing out on the warmer climate altogether because of the predicted blizzard set to strike Chicago.
“In this day and age they're usually pretty good about their predictions,” Hecker said of weather forecasters as he waited for his flight out on Monday. “I know it's definitely going to be something, but I don't know if it's going as big a deal as everyone thinks.”
ABC television executives apparently think it's going to be a big deal because they sent “Good Morning America” weatherman Sam Champion to ride out the storm in Chicago.
“Don't paint it as see Sam, see doom,” Champion said while loading his bags into a waiting taxi outside O'Hare International Airport Monday. “We're obviously here because of the storm. Any time you whip out the B word — blizzard — you know it's going to be bad.”
Champion is scheduled to be in Chicago for only two days, but he admitted, “I don't expect to get out by Wednesday.”
The storm has forced airlines to pre-emptively cancel more than 650 flights at Chicago airports and American Airlines has decided to shut down at 4 p.m. today.
The Chicago Department of Aviation says Tuesday morning that more than 600 flights are canceled at O'Hare International Airport with no delays. The department says airlines have canceled more than 50 flights at Midway International Airport with no delays.
Forecasters predicted a hodge-podge of brutal winter weather over a third of the country — 2 feet of snow in some places, up to an inch of ice plus snow in others.
Air travelers aren't the only ones making adjustments. Just about every government and transportation agency in the state had ramped up operations ahead of a weather system that some meteorologists believe could dump close to 2 feet on some parts of the Chicago area in less than 48 hours
“We are planning a normal rush hour for Tuesday,” said Meg Reile, a Metra spokeswoman. “But we have started our emergency snow plan.”
That plan includes increased personnel at certain key points along Metra's system, Reile said, directing riders to metrarail.com for updates. Pace officials also said users could access pacebus.com to check expected suburban bus arrival times, but they urged riders to stay home if they don't need to travel.
Chicago Aviation Department officials said travelers should monitor arrival and departure times through individual airlines, some of which were allowing passengers to change their travel plans without incurring fees.
Musician Patrick Condo of Chicago was trying to ease travelers' tensions at O'Hare Monday by playing tropical-themed music on his flute in the walkway corridor outside the entrance to Terminal 1.
“I definitely picked music today to make it sound warm,” he said. “I don't feel like being antagonistic because I'm going to have to deal with it too, so I stayed away from ‘Let it Snow.'”
Angele Arene is a visiting Parisian who was leaving Chicago a day early to get to New York City before the storm.
“When you're a foreigner it's kind of interesting to see what happens when something like a blizzard happens to a city,” she said. “I'd just rather see it in New York.”
Rick Knight was leaving town for Washington, D.C., with plans to spend the week there on business. He was happy to be avoiding the storm. However, Knight's wife was not happy to be left without him at their Brookfield home.
“My wife is kind of freaked out because she has to deal with all the shoveling,” Knight said.
While some made their escape, others were flying into O'Hare Monday knowing they were arriving ahead of a storm.
Los Angeles resident Tracy Putnam packed as well as he could for a Southern Californian heading into a blizzard.
The U.S. Postal Service auditor said that the whole bad-weather credo about rain, sleet, hail and snow apparently applies to the postal service's financial division as well.
“It wasn't a blizzard when we scheduled this trip last week,” he said. “I'm as prepared as I can be.”
Pennsylvania native Carl Shaver is a little more used to inclement weather. But by Monday evening, a potential blizzard was the least of his problems.
“This is the second blizzard I've flown into for training,” said the Siemens employee, who was headed to Buffalo Grove. “And a couple years ago I flew into Boston during a Nor'easter, so no more winter training anywhere for me. Oh, and now, I think my bag's lost.”
Daily Herald staff writer Burt Constable contributed to this report.