In January there were 19,000 flights in the U.S that were cancelled due to winter storms, according to the government and various news reports. In December the amount was slightly higher at 19,700. Those were domestic departures, and don’t include all of the European flights that were cancelled due to a snow storm that hit the other side of the Atlantic. There were a lot of people stuck in airports far from home or who had to cancel their trips altogether.

Severe flight interruptions such as these are especially hard on volunteer teams traveling for ministry or humanitarian purposes. Typically these teams have planned their trips many, many months in advance. They have trained, raised money, taken off from work and so forth. Plus there are the international workers who have prepared to receive these teams. Flight delays of even a couple days can force these outreaches to cancel. So what can you do if your trip is faced with inclement weather? Here are some tips.

First, remember that severe weather can happen just about any time in most any place and it is not something that the airlines can control. Numerous airports were shut down for hours, even days, over the past few months, which meant the airlines had no choice but to cancel flights. Getting upset about the situation doesn’t help anything.

While the weather may be out of everyone’s control, that doesn’t mean that you are helpless. Instead you should be proactive and flexible when you hear that severe weather may strike your travel cities. Don’t wait until the time of departure to discover that your flight has been cancelled. At that point your travel options may be very limited.

Instead, explore departing early or re-routing around the weather. We noticed after the huge weather problems in December that many airlines were quicker to relax their change policies. They actually encouraged people to fly earlier or explore different routings, something that typically is not allowed under normal conditions. Remember that every airline is different, so you will need to check with your particular airline to see what they will allow in your situation.

One of our clients had a 27 member medical team traveling to West Africa which was scheduled to leave the day a massive snow storm shut down their airport. The client contacted us a few days prior to the scheduled departure when it looked like their flight would be cancelled. We worked with the client and multiple airlines to re-route the team, but the only way it would work was if the team could be flexible and leave early.

Most of the team members had just a few hours notice about the chance in plans before they would have to pack and head to the airport. They all had a great attitude and demonstrated enormous flexibility. Sure enough–all 27 made it out. If they hadn’t left when they did, they would not have been able to depart for several days which would have forced them to cancel the trip.

The bottom line is to keep a close eye on the weather at cities through which you will travel. The sooner you can anticipate problems the better chances you will have to find a solution that will keep you from being grounded.

The travel industry is all abuzz over the new A380 airplane by Airbus which industry insiders say takes international travel to a whole new level. The massive “veritable floating cruise ship,” as one travel blogger called it, seats 525 passengers in three classes of service.

On Monday, German airliner Lufthansa inaugurated its A380 service to New York’s JFK Airport.  While the airplane boasts of the most impressive first class cabin imaginable (complete with 6’9” long beds and large lavatories), the real question for those of us unlikely to see the luxury section is “What are the coach seats like?”

Thinking of putting that many people on one aircraft brings up images of cattle cars. Not so, says blogger Matt Long who traveled on Lufthansa’s A380 initial JFK flight. He writes that the airplane has a slimmer seat back that provides an extra two inches of legroom—something that is very much appreciated on long haul flights. “In addition to the extra legroom, the seats themselves seem to be wider, and in general are a much more comfortable experience than most other aircraft,” Long writes on his blog, Landlopers.com

Airbus has received 240 orders for the A380 from just about every airline imaginable, but to date only 43 have been delivered and are in operation. The airline manufacturer says the A380 could actually seat 853 passengers if the plane only had economy class. The plane has two full-length passenger levels and a range of 8,300 nautical miles.

Airbus touts the A380 as the quietest long haul aircraft flying today with 50% less noise on departure than the nearest competitor. A study by the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) confirmed the Airbus claim.

While 525 seats may be the standard configuration for the A380, each airline that buys the mega-jet can configure they plane however it wants. Korean Air said that its first A380, which is set for delivery in May, will only have between 400 and 450 seats, making it “the most spacious A380 anywhere.”

Singapore Airlines was the first carrier to launch A380 service in October 2007. “We take…pride in being the first to operate the Airbus A380, the cleanest and greenest aircraft in operation today…The A380 is also quieter, both inside and outside the cabin,” says the airline on its website.

The massive size of the A380 has posed challenges for airports. According to a Los Angeles Times article, LAX has to give the plane priority landing and take-off. “Service roads, taxiways and runways must be closed to airfield trucks, cars and other commercial aircraft,” said the Times because the A380’s wings are almost as long as a football field.

With so many A380s on order, you can expect the newest generation airplane to eventually become a staple of international travel.

American Airlines recently unveiled new ways for members of its frequent flyer program, AAdvantage, to use their accumulated miles. AAdvantage points can now be used to directly purchase car and hotel rentals.

While all the major airlines offer various ways to accumulate miles—everything from buying flowers to turning on a light switch—they tend to be pretty stingy in how they allow passengers to spend those miles. Typically miles can only be used for flights, and then only under tight inventory controls that make it difficult to actually use the miles.

American, however, has bucked that trend by offering rooms at 10,000 hotels in 320 destinations worldwide that can be purchased with miles. In the past, American would allow you to transfer points to the points program of selected hotel chains. You could not book hotels or cars directly. Travelers are now given the option of using all miles or a combination of miles and cash to pay for hotel and car rentals through American. Points redemption, however, can only be done through the airline’s website and not by phone.

American also offers what it calls “exclusive deals” with certain hotels, which cost fewer miles. This means that there is not a direct correlation between the price of the room and the number of points needed.

The InterContinental Los Angeles hotel, for example, is available for 17,200 points per night. A room booked through the hotel’s website is $259. The Omni Los Angeles charges $10 more per night ($269) but is 4,500 AAdvantage points cheaper. AAdvantage Elite members get greater discounts.

A compact car rented from LAX, for example, cost a minimum of 2,450 points per day. Car renters are still responsible for any taxes or fees, which are paid at the time of rental.

These new AAdvantage options are also good news for Ministry Travel passengers who fly internationally on partner airlines and prefer to accumulate American miles.

More than 1,600 Americans were evacuated from Egypt by the U.S. government in the past two days, and at least 1,400 more are awaiting evacuation. The current Egyptian crisis provides some important lessons for anyone who travels internationally.

First, notice how quickly political and social situations can change around the world. We saw this recently in Tunisia and now in Egypt. What was a seemingly stable country just a couple weeks ago is now in turmoil. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets and Egypt is facing the possible collapse of its government.

Second, anytime you travel abroad, you should register with the U.S. State Department’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (formerly known as “Travel Registration”) at http://travelregistration.state.gov. This will provide you with updated information about your destination country and enable consular officers to reach you in case of an emergency.

Third, if you are abroad and find yourself in a fluid situation like Egypt, it is important to stay abreast of the news and to monitor U.S. State Department announcements as well as the foreign affairs departments of other nations. The easiest way to follow the State Department is on Twitter: @TravelGov.

If you decide that you should leave the country earlier than originally planned, contact the airline or your travel agent about switching to an earlier flight. In crisis situations like Egypt, airlines often will waive the change fees. You will want to stay in contact with the airlines as flight schedules may change with little advance notice. That happened this week with many Cairo flights.

If you can get back home on a commercial flight, that may be better than a government evacuation flight. American evacuees from Egypt are being flown to “safe havens” in Europe—primarily Athens and Istanbul—where they will then be responsible to find their own way back to the States. Plus they have to reimburse the government for the flights. So sticking with a commercial carrier, if possible, may be the simplest and cheapest way to go.

When you are confirmed to leave, get to the airport as early as possible just in case there are delays en route. Also try to bring some food and water with you as these may not be available at the airport during a crisis.

Hopefully you will never find yourself in the middle of a crisis situation like we see today in Egypt. If you do, these lessons will prove invaluable.