Rochester, N.Y. - Whether you're traveling on the roads or in the sky, chances are the wintry weather has made it a little more difficult.
When Abby Simmons booked her trip down south, she thought she would be leaving the snow behind.
"I just packed my normal clothes that I'm wearing in NY, and my snow boots and everything," explains Abby, who is flyng down to North Carolina to visit a friend.
Thanks to a massive coastal storm earlier this week, she's bringing a little bit of the north down south with her.
On days like today someone has to make sure passengers like Abby make it there safely.
Jose Santiago, Vice President of Flight Support for USAirports, says, "we make sure that the airport runs on time, and the aircraft leave on a safe manner."
Whether travelers notice it or not, that means de-icing aircraft about 98 percent of the time the temperature drops below freezing.
"They go out there and like chip it off with a stick or something?" says Abby, laughing.
Not quite. First, they spray down the plane with propylene glycol - a sweet tasting orangy liquid that is heated to 180 degrees to melt the ice.
"We also spray another fluid thats called a type 4 fluid," says Santiago. "It's almost like a jelly consistency, which sits on the airplane and when it's ready to take off, it kind of slides all the ice and snow off the aircraft."
Most people would hate being perched up high, in the snow and cold, but not all.
"I get seasonal employees that come up every year at this time just to work de-icing the aircraft," says Santiago. "So they love what they do."
"Winter Warriors" who keep planes flying when the weather gets rough.
"They don't look at it like working outside. They look at it like I enjoy doing the job, and its a lot of fun," Santiago says. "They have an important job here in Rochester."
