I'm prepping my family for holiday flight cancellations even though the government shutdown has ended

• Leticia Barr received a notice that her American Airlines flight home was canceled on November 7. • She immediately booked a Southwest flight to one of the other airports near her home. • The experience led her to create a backup travel plan for her and her children this holiday season.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Leticia Barr, a 51-year-old education consultant and founder of Tech Savvy Mama, in Silver Spring, Maryland. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was in Indianapolis on November 7 when I received a phone notification that my American Airlines flight home was canceled.

It was early in the afternoon, and I was representing a client at a conference. I immediately Googled flights from Indianapolis to any of the Washington, DC, air