What To Do To Minimize Your Risk of a Cancelled or Delayed Flight

It’s that time of year again when the weather is just unpredictable and flights are cancelled left and right. Just last weekend when the big storm hit the east coast, there were thousands of delayed and cancelled flights ruining travel plans in the United States alone. What that means is that thousands of passengers are left stranded and unsure what to do. Instead of standing around wondering what to do or panicking, we can tell you that there are a few things you can do to avoid cancelled flights or at least increase your chances of not being cancelled.

Fly Early

I have always said that flying early is the best idea. Your flight is not delayed because your plane was not able to take off from another city on time. There is a better chance that there is no maintenance issue with a flight and everything is fresh and tip top for your flight. I have never had an early morning flight cancellation or delay. However, I have had several afternoon and evening cancellations and delays, and it’s irritating.

Check Flight Performance

I’m happy to pay more for a flight performance that is high. You can, when booking, see how often that flight is on time and how often it does what it says it’s going to do. When you choose a flight with a good performance, you minimize your risk of being left behind, stranded and unable to get where you need to go.

Carry On Your Bags

This really is not going to change your chances of being delayed or cancelled, but it will make it easier for you. When we were flying home from California once with our then only 1-year-old daughter and our flight was delayed more than three hours, we missed our connection in Houston. We ended up staying the night there, and we spent hours waiting for them to retrieve our luggage, which had everything we needed for our baby. We had a diaper bag on us, but not for an overnight trip. Carry on; it’s far less stressful.

Call the Airline

If you are stuck in a situation where your flight is cancelled, don’t stand there in line waiting for help. Call the airline and rebook and make other arrangements. That line is not long and obnoxious, so you’re going to get better service, not to mention faster service.

Photo Credit – Getty Images