Ask the Captain: What happens if international flights are canceled while I'm abroad?

We are traveling from the U.S. to Ixtapa, Mexico, where we plan to stay for a month. If they decide to cancel all international flights, will we be notified in time to get home before they cancel?

– P.A.L., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

It is extremely unlikely that the airlines will cancel all international flights. Plus, Mexico is not one of the countries with a serious outbreak of the virus. (According to Johns Hopkins University data, that country had fewer than 10 cases as of Wednesday.)

You would be notified as soon as your flight was changed or canceled, but it is impossible to tell when that would be as each airline is different.

I suggest you check with your airline regularly just before you fly and while you are in Mexico.

Up-to-date airline info: Delta, United, American broaden change fee waivers amid coronavirus concerns

I was wondering if today’s airliners such as the popular 737 or A320 with the horizontal stabilizer mounted near the bottom of the tail take off at a lower angle than those like the MD-88 or similar, where the horizontal stabilizers are at the top? I always felt with the MD-88, old 727, etc., that takeoff would occur at a very steep angle.

– Mike, Connecticut

There is little difference between the climb angle for airliners. The angle is more dependent on the weight of the airplane and the temperature.

When airplanes are more lightly loaded (fewer passengers, less cargo, less fuel) and/or when the temperature is cold, the climb angle will be higher.

Regional jets without leading-edge slats climb at a lower angle initially but the difference decreases as the speeds are increased.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ask the Captain: What if my return flight is canceled while I'm abroad?