Anonymous wrote:I'm on a flight right now that is 75% full going from Dallas to sba. Spirits are high amongst passengers. Will report what it's like when we get there.

Thanks - would love to hear. As of now we are almost certainly going.

I'm on a flight right now that is 75% full going from Dallas to sba. Spirits are high amongst passengers. Will report what it's like when we get there.

We aren’t flying until Friday but still very unsure what to do. Dh doesn’t want us all stuck inside the whole time at my parents house (neither do I but I’d deal with it), winds are calmer now but it could pick up again.

My family is in SB-- parents and sibling have both had to evacuate. We were planning to fly there on Tues (with three kids) and stay through New Year's. United Airlines is changing flights without penalty. Yesterday we called and we pushed our flights back to Friday with no problem, and can change again between now and then (12/22 is the deadline for making changes). Right now our plan is to fly into LA, stay at a friend's house there (air quality is fine there) and my family may come down from SB to join us for Christmas. But my dad told me this morning (Sun) that the skies were blue for the first time in two weeks, helicopters were making great progress on dropping water and retardant on the hot spots, and since winds aren't supposed to pick up again until Wednesday, the worst hot spots areas should be taken care of before the worst winds return. We are cautiously optimistic that my family could be back in their homes by the weekend and we could come up from LA by 12/26.

Op - I think because I booked with award miles I can move our tickets but not sure.

Just talking with my mom and she seems a lot more optimistic about our coming now.

Anonymous wrote:Op - a lot of over reacting here.

As I said, my parents aren’t actually anywhere near the fire (for those who know the area, they live in Santa Ynez) so their home isn’t in any danger at this point. The air is bad, that’s the main issue, plus there really isn’t anything to do if we can’t be outside (a big issue with 3 young kids). I didn’t “start another thread because I didn’t like the answers”, that’s was someone else I think.


My father is in his 90s and while reasonably healthy he decided last year he doesn’t want to travel anymore. He also (reasonably) doesn’t want to stay home alone which means my mom can’t really leave him unless she arranges for someone to come stay with him. If we don’t go she’ll try to find a way to come visit us for a few days but he is firm that he won’t travel. I have of course encouraged him to reconsider but he is sticking to his decision and I can’t change his mind.

The air is bad.

Full stop.

OP, I started the other thread. My family is in Goleta.

I just got off the phone with my dad who said today-Tuesday should be gorgeous. Wednesday the winds are supposed to pick up, and we will have to hunker down or escape north depending how it goes. The airlines are offering no leeway in changing flights at this point, so we are going to fly out tomorrow. We will be bowling, heading to the trampoline park, making cookies, and visiting with family indoors. It sucks, but I'm not willing to give up on seeing them.

Local friends I've talked to say it's obnoxious, but for the most part just an inconvenience in Goleta.

Op - a lot of over reacting here.

As I said, my parents aren’t actually anywhere near the fire (for those who know the area, they live in Santa Ynez) so their home isn’t in any danger at this point. The air is bad, that’s the main issue, plus there really isn’t anything to do if we can’t be outside (a big issue with 3 young kids). I didn’t “start another thread because I didn’t like the answers”, that’s was someone else I think.


My father is in his 90s and while reasonably healthy he decided last year he doesn’t want to travel anymore. He also (reasonably) doesn’t want to stay home alone which means my mom can’t really leave him unless she arranges for someone to come stay with him. If we don’t go she’ll try to find a way to come visit us for a few days but he is firm that he won’t travel. I have of course encouraged him to reconsider but he is sticking to his decision and I can’t change his mind.