Travel Tip 127
How to prevent flight delays.
Thousands of flights were delayed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year.
How to protect yourself from flight delays?
Today I have to share some not-so-great travel news but also have some solutions for you.
Earlier this month, the Department of Transportation rolled back one of the key consumer protectors championed by former DOT Secretary Buttigieg. After the 2022 summer chaos of cancelled flights and technological problems, the DOT passed a major package of consumer protections, including automatic cash payments to travelers when a delay was the airline’s fault.
With that protection gone, travelers will again go through lengthy forms and calls to customer service, which each airline can set for themselves. There is no standard that travelers can expect to be the same for every airline. Read more about this change here.
It’s better to avoid delays.
If some of our protections for flying in and to/from the US are gone, the best thing is to do what we can to avoid getting delayed in the first place.
Here’s my top seven tips for how to reduce your risk of delays and cancelations.
1. Buy direct flights.
You have zero chance of missing your connection if you don’t have a connection. Just saying. I always take a direct flight if there’s one available. Even if it costs more, I think it’s worth it. Having to get off a plane and either run to catch another or sit around in an airport for a few hours is a big cost in my opinion. I’d rather shell out a bit more money though I often find that direct flights cost the same or even less.
If you have to have a layover, choose an airport with few weather disruptions, like Los Angeles over Chicago.
2. Consider which airports you could connect in.
Some airports fare better than others in terms of how often travelers get stranded there. This can be either due to geography or to poor management. If it’s geography, consider if there’s somewhere else you could connect through. Dallas has the third most delayed flights in the US but Houston doesn’t even rank in the top ten.
The first year I lived in Istanbul I bought flights through Chicago to get back to Seattle or Boise. Then I got caught in a snowstorm and started buying my flights through Los Angeles. Yes, a direct Istanbul to Los Angeles flight is long (16 hours) but it’s so worth it. I’m much less likely to get stuck in LAX for bad weather delaying or canceling flights. If we’re looking at geography, look at weather maps while you’re at it. The worst airports in the US for weather delaying or canceling flights includes Houston, Chicago, New York and Boston.
3. Buy the earliest flight you can.
I hate getting up at 4am too. It’s horrible but if I think it can save me from a horrible day of delayed flights, I’ll do it. As the day wears on, one flight delay bumps several others which each bump several others. You get the picture. The later in the day, the more likely your flight will be delayed or cancelled.
4. Buy your flight directly from the airline.
I used to try to play the game of cheap fares with various websites and apps, but the extra $10 or $20 you save buying a cheaper fare is only worth it sometimes. The times it’s not worth it, it’s really not worth it. Third party websites and apps may save you a little up front, but they can’t save you like the airline can when the snow hits the fan.
I have more nightmare stories here than I could possibly fit in a newsletter. Here are three of them. Take my word for it. Buy your flights directly from the airline.
5. Download the airline’s app.
Regardless of how you bought the flight, download the airline’s app and upload your flight information. Most airline apps give you notifications if your boarding gate changes, if there are delays, and other essential information. They also have ways to report delayed or lost luggage directly to the airline and ways to contact them directly to reschedule or rebook flights. Using apps are now safer than calling the customer service number that google feeds you because that has been hacked by scammers. Never give your credit card number or any personal information to somebody whose number you got online. Scammers get sneakier all the time. Here’s more of my tips for airline apps.
6. Buy flights with a credit card that has travel benefits.
I’m not in the credit card recommendation racket, so I won’t tell you which card to get. However, you should be buying flights with a credit card that has travel benefits like insurance for lost or delayed luggage, automatic refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed flights, and other kinds of travel insurance. Always check the fine print on your credit card benefits.
Arrive a day early and work remotely or take a day for yourself.
7. If you’re flying to an important event, like a job interview or a wedding, go a day or two early.
No matter where you’re flying, there’s sure to be something interesting to do or see before the big event. Go be a tourist or book yourself some time at your hotel spa. If your flight does get cancelled or delayed, you’ll need that cushion to make it to the interview or wedding on time.
Two new hotel reviews
Luxury Latin America published these two hotel reviews from my recent trip to Arequipa. Even if you’re not a luxury hotel regular in North America or Europe, take a look at prices for luxury hotels in South America. There are luxury suites going for prices similar to a basic motel I stayed at in Idaho last June.
