Travellers bear the weather

Although the "Storm of 1994" has slowed travel conditions along the east coast this week, many students bound for even the most snow-struck states this spring break should not have much to worry about, according to airline and Amtrak officials. Philadelphia International Airport Spokesperson Mark Pesce said last night that although there were delayed and cancelled flights yesterday morning, "things should be back to normal" on the runway today. He added that the airport has "extended its de-icing procedures" to combat dropping temperatures. De-icing crews worked 24 hours yesterday, Pesce said. The recent weather has made some take-offs dangerous in other cities. At La Guardia Airport in New York City earlier this week, a Denver-bound Continental MD-80 jet ran off the end of the runway and nosed down at a breakwater a few feet from Flushing Bay, after the pilot tried to abort the takeoff. Thirty-five people were injured in the incident. No such accidents have happened in Philadelphia, however. And Pesce said safety is always a top concern on the runway. If there are delays in the flights today, American Airlines spokesperson Steve Garrett said the airline calls passengers to warn them if their flights are delayed by more than 15 minutes. He said that, in Philadelphia, most flights have not been delayed by more than one hour. And for those students traveling by train, Amtrak officials said things should be running on a normal schedule today. Amtrak spokesperson Jim Divine said last night that there were "no major delays" yesterday except for one Chicago-bound train which ran one hour late. He added that he does not anticipate that trains will run behind schedule today. In spite of the bad weather, Divine said Amtrak "still tries to keep all the trains running." "Even in 75 degree weather, [trains do not run] 100 percent nationwide," Divine said. Many students say they are not worried about the weather affecting their travel plans. College freshman Kendra Hayden is taking on snow and ice ridden northbound expressways to drive to her home in Boston. She said she is only "a little bit" worried about the road conditions. After having been inconvenienced by flight delays during the "Blizzard of 1993," College sophomore Mike Nadel said he is "used" to travelling in treacherous conditions and is not worried about flying to Steamboat, Colo. on Monday. Engineering junior Derrick Flick, who is flying to the Bahamas for spring break, also said he is not concerned about the weather interfering with his travel plans.