How Canadians should handle weather-related travel delays

American meteorologists may be apologizing for over-hyping the harsh winter storm that hit the eastern United States overnight, but the system’s impact on Canada has been no laughing matter.

Environment Canada has leveled storm warnings across Atlantic provinces and Quebec, where wind is reportedly reaching as high as 100 kilometres per hour, more than 30 centimetres of snow is expected to dump on some locations and visibility is nearly at zero.

We could see a full day of this fierce winter storm, and those living or attempting to travel through the area should prepare for the worst.

The weather warnings and storm advisories leveled across the region are prompting local concern, wider flight cancellations and inevitable chaos.

Toronto’s Pearson Airport was inundated with cancelled flights once destined for New York, Boston and Halifax, among other locations. Airports in Montreal and Atlantic Canada were no better off, meaning there will be scores of Canadians stuck in chaos rather than on vacation.

Anne Marie Thomas, a travel expert with InsuranceHotline.com, says the best way to deal with weather-related travel headaches is by being proactive and knowing how you are protected.

“If you can imagine Pearson or Boston airport – there must be a million people running around not knowing what they are covered for,” Thomas told Yahoo Canada News on Tuesday.

“How awful would it be to not know if you have any protection at all, or what to do now.”

There is currently no legislation in Canada that protects travellers from additional costs brought on by weather delays. But in many cases the airlines will offer their own reprieve.

WestJet has announced that it would waive any rebooking fees for Monday and Tuesday flights to or from New York, as well as any flights through Halifax and Moncton, N.B., between Monday and Thursday.

Air Canada, in the meantime, has posted an extensive list of blizzard-beset destinations, for which rebooking penalties have been waived. The list includes New York and Boston, but also local airports in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.

Thomas says travellers who anticipate problems should also check what their travel insurance covers, and make special note of anything excluded from the coverage.

"With travel insurance you have to be really careful and know what you’re buying. Because not all policies are the same,” she said. “I always want to know what I’m not covered for. Because in a lot of cases if it’s not specifically stated that it is excluded, it is likely included.”

Beyond that travellers should check with their credit cards, which sometimes offer compensation for travel delays or cancellations. And the more elaborate the trip, or more extensive the weather delay, the more proactive travellers should get.

If you are concerned about missing a connecting flight, reach out to the airline and let them know. Some airlines have been known to offer meal vouchers and even hotel rooms to passengers trapped in an unexpected city.

And if you have a car rental booked at your destination, contacting the agency to let them know your arrival will be delayed could save you some fees. Thomas adds that rebooking the rental for your later arrival time could save you a great deal of hassle in the future.

“If you are flying into Boston and you know you are going to arrive tomorrow, so are a million other people. Call now and change your car reservation, because when you get there you may not have one,” Thomas said.

Environment Canada has warned travellers not to fly if they don’t have to. And with swaths of outgoing flights cancelled across eastern and central Canada, many won’t have the option.

But for those caught up in the melee, perhaps stranded in another city, there is one simple thing that can brighten an otherwise bitter experience: Perspective.

“If you are stuck in Toronto, and a lot of flights aren’t leaving until tomorrow, you might as well make the best of it,” Thomas said. “Toronto is a great city, go out and have a look. Depending on where you land, it could be a pleasant surprise.”