How to avoid flight cancellations and delays

Delays and cancellations are an inevitable reality for air travelers, whether they’re caused by staffing shortages, weather events or other unusual disruptions. (Weston Wei/The New York Times)

By Nia Decaille

Delays and cancellations are an inevitable reality for air travelers, whether they’re caused by staffing shortages, weather events or other unusual disruptions. You can do everything right — triple-check your travel insurance, bring your Real ID and expedite your passage through security — and still be affected, particularly during the busy summer travel season.

But there are tricks to minimizing the risk. Here are a handful of tips to avoid the hassle of a delayed flight or cancellation.

Fly earlier in the day.

Booking the earliest flight possible can help you avoid delays, skip the crowds and save money, said Hope Williams, 41, a former flight attendant for 15 years. And don’t be discouraged by a predawn trek to the airport: “The earlier the better,” she said.

Flight delays can ripple through the system; a single delayed flight can affect later flights that use the same plane, crew or airport resources. (The phenomenon is known as “delay propagation.”) “I always advise the early departure because typically earlier in the day you don’t have those delays,” Williams said.

Another factor that helps keep earlier flights on time is the weather, since thunderstorms are more common in the afternoon and evening.

You’ll also have more recourse if and when things go wrong: In cases where an early flight is canceled or delayed, travelers may also have more options to reschedule their flight.

Fly direct, or with a longer layover.

One of the best ways to avoid delays and cancellations is to book a direct flight. The reason is simple: Direct flights eliminate the possibility of missed connections.

If booking a direct flight isn’t an option, you can still help mitigate the risk by choosing a flight with a layover of two or three hours. Anything less — especially anything less than an hour — may add to your stress and lead to a missed connecting flight. Sticking with the same carrier on multistop flights may also help ease the stress of rebooking in the event of a delay or cancellation.

Consider a midweek flight.

Flying midweek can save you money. But it can also help you avoid delays associated with higher passenger volume.

Williams recommends flying on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday to avoid the weekend travel crowds. On those midweek flights, she said she tended to see fewer families and more experienced passengers traveling solo, which made for calmer flights.

Download your airline’s app and check the weather.

Before traveling, download your airline’s app or have the webpage handy for your carrier’s travel advisories, which can include up-to-date information about delays. Spotting potential snags in advance can help you be proactive about making alternative arrangements. (In some cases, airlines will issue waivers to allow you to modify your trip in advance of foreseeable disruptions.)

As an extra layer of caution, check the weather before and after booking, particularly during peak seasons for hurricanes, heavy rain and wildfires. Weather-related travel disruptions are not always predictable, but sometimes passengers can get ahead of storms.

Look for updates from your airports.

Check both your arrival and departure airports for news of delays. This is especially important during busy travel seasons, including summer months and holidays.

Larger international airports can be susceptible to delays during peak travel season, according to Williams, who said she avoids flying in July.

Last summer, from June to September, several airports consistently ranked among the largest U.S. airports with the lowest percentage of on-time departures, according to data provided by the Department of Transportation, including Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Miami International Airport (MIA).

While Williams doesn’t advise avoiding these airports, she said that summer travelers can avoid complications by ensuring that they bring the appropriate documents and get to the airport early.