Aug
29
12 Ways To Avoid Airport Delays – Part 2
Filed Under Travel
As promised, here are the last 6 tips from from Forbes Traveler on 12 Ways To Avoid Airport Delays… have a great long weekend!
7. Book the first flight of the day
Since early-morning departures usually mean that the aircraft was there overnight, both aircraft and crew are likely to be there, ready to take off. Delays start from that point on, multiplying exponentially, so your odds of getting airborne on-time are much better.
8. Don’t let airlines give you the minimum “legal” connection time
That’s what regulations allow for connecting flights—which is what many airlines try to foist on you. Since so many flights are late, you can assume you won’t make the connection if you have less than two hours’ connection time. And since every flight is packed these days, your chances of getting on a later flight are that much less.
9. Don’t just check the departure board to find your flight
In my experience, departure boards haven’t told the truth since 1957. To find the truth, look immediately at the arrivals board and see what’s arriving at your gate. If nothing is arriving for hours, then you don’t need to go to the gate to receive the bad news.
10. Flightstats.com
Check out Flightstats.com before you leave to see how air traffic in general is doing—and how late your own flight will be. There are other online services springing up every day to provide this information—keep checking.
11. Ask the airlines the right questions
Never ask if your flight is simply on time. That will be interpreted to mean: Is your flight “scheduled” to leave or arrive on time? Of COURSE it’s scheduled to leave on time. So was the Titanic. Instead, ask for the aircraft number assigned to your flight and then ask where that aircraft number is. If you’re in Chicago trying to fly to San Francisco but your aircraft is in Belize heading to Miami, you’re stuck.
12. Take the bus or train
In a worst case scenario—your flight is cancelled, or the airline has grounded so many planes that you have no other flight options, consider taking the “dog.” Suddenly, jumping on Greyhound has become a viable alternative on trips under 400 miles. Other low-fare bus services like Mega Bus have also become good choices. The same holds true for Amtrak. Considering what you have to go through at airports in normal times (whatever that means), you can often save time and frustration by taking the train on short trips.
