airline travel tips

When we experienced 3 flight cancellations in 3 days during last October’s Southwest debacle, I wrote about our experiences and offered some thoughts about what to do if your flight gets cancelled. While that situation seemed unique, cancellations *can* occur for all kinds of reasons – severe weather conditions, technical glitches being the most common reasons.

However, as we’ve come to see over the past several months – as the number of passengers increase with pandemic-weary travelers setting out on those long-awaited vacations – the aviation industry has just not been able to keep up with the volume of travelers that are now headed to the airports. Airline and airport staffing, drastically cut during the pandemic, has not recovered enough to handle the crowds of air travelers.

And so, long wait times, lengthy lines, flight delays and cancellations – and frustrated travelers – have become more common over the past few months and are likely to get a lot worse as the busy summer travel season begins.

So, what’s an eager – but concerned – air traveler to do? Here are the top ways to survive a crazy air travel season.

Stay in Contact with Your Airline – Make sure you are getting your airline’s text messages and you have your airline’s app downloaded on your phone. Keep checking the status there, especially in the last 24 hours before your trip. Even if you have text alerts, check the app. Know the phone number for your airline (or where to get it).

Fly From Major Cities – As a number of airlines are still facing pandemic staffing challenges, chances are that service at the smaller regional airports are likely to face more operational challenges than the major urban hub airports will. Which means, among other things, that if your airline has to reduce flight schedules, these smaller airports will be hit first – and if your flight gets cancelled, there may be fewer alternate flights. If you have the option to fly from a major city, you’ll have more choices, and less chance of being cancelled without any options.

Go. Early. – Travel professionals have always recommended arriving to the airport at least 2 hours before domestic flights (and 3 for international), but now it’s critical that travelers allow more than that in order to make it onto your flight. Lines for security, bag check, and pretty much everything are long – and more than a few people have found themselves missing flights because the security line was short-staffed and it took longer to get through than they were expecting. Don’t cut it too close and give yourself plenty of time – no one wants to be the “Home Alone” family racing through the airport to catch their flight (or worse, miss the flight completely). And if you can avoid checking a bag, that’s one less line to worry about!

Get Travel Insurance – If you haven’t already done so, purchase travel insurance. Having protection for your trip is not a luxury but is now really an essential. Things can change in a minute and the right insurance policy can protect your vacation investment, as well as potentially cover any losses if your flight gets delayed or cancelled.

Have a Back-Up Plan – You know how the motto of the Boy Scouts is “be prepared”? Make that your motto as well and have at least a rough idea of what your options are if your flight is cancelled, delayed, or you miss a connection. While you don’t need an elaborate spreadsheet of options you can still quickly check if there are any other flights that could get you to your destination in time. Look at nearby airports as well as other airlines and also see if driving or the train might be reasonable options. You may not need any of this information, but if your flight is cancelled, you’ll be less likely to panic if you know what your Plan B (or C or D) is!

Bonus Tip – Whatever happens, keep your sense of humor, practice patience, stay calm, and enjoy the fact that – despite the challenges – you’re traveling again!

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