In years past, airlines had numerous flights, but they have been slowly discontuning flight. Now there is much less choice to rebook passengers onto other flights, especially with many of the flights now 80-90% full! I suppose if you're an elite flyer, you go to the head of the line. But if you're a peon with no status (grandma flies one time a year to see the grand kids), you're at the back of the line.
During one such cancellation at IIRC JFK in the last year or two, there was a news report where they interviewed a stranded passenger (and family I think), who said they could not get "the next available seat" until "next week"! And they had to stay in the terminal because they did not plan for an extra week of "vacation" and had no extra money!
I remember that interview, it was big talk on another travel forum. They were in Salt Lake CIty- Turns out, they were on a Space A ticket. A family member gave them a pass, to be used on a Space Available basis. No Space, no availability. Turns out, not buying a ticket, going on a trip with no cash reserve, or backup plan if the pass wasn't able to be used due to flights full of paying passengers turned out to not be a great idea. Go figure. You can read about it here:
http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1142831
I travel nearly every other week by plane, and only a few times a year by train.....In all that travel, I have had 3 trains cancel on me in the last 4 years leaving me stuck, or with an option to go the next day....in coach (Not happening on an overnight trip....). In contrast, I only got stuck in Chicago overnight, once when flying. My ratio of blown trips, especially if you use a milage factor, highly favors air travel over rail during periods of significant weather. Spent the night at the airport hotel, and got out the next morning. As is sometimes the case, the OP would probably have been better of if she DID have a plane ticket. Chances are good she could have made the trip as planned. (though, as for most of us here, the travel IS the reason for the trip a lot of the time....)
The familiar phrase "when everyone else is stuck, the trains will be moving" has definetely NOT been the case for me, and, apparently many others too. It probably was true in the 50s-70's, when air travel was still in it's relative infancy, but now they can land with near 0 visibility, ground radar allows movements on the ground in near whiteout conditions, airports are generally more prepared, and railroads are definetely NOT as prepared as they had been in years past, when they had a vested interest in ensuring their crack passenger trains made the schedule. Just my opinion, but rail is, in my experience, much more susceptible to weather problems than air travel is, in this age. If I NEED to be somewhere, I fly. If I don't really care when I get there, or if it cancels, I'll take the train.
