Some airlines will actually reschedule your flight in advance of a major weather front at no extra charge. Monitor the weather at both your departure and arrival airports. Start checking the weather in both places a few days before your flight. As soon as you hear your flight has been cut, find out if you've been transferred to another flight. Opt into flight notifications and start manually checking the status of your flight regularly, at least 24 hours in advance. But if you booked the last flight of the day to your destination, that may mean having to wait until morning - and either pacing through the airport for hours or booking a night in a nearby hotel.ĭownload the airline's app on your phone. If you miss a connection, most airlines will work diligently to get you on the next available flight. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Denver International Airport (DEN) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) top the list of busiest hubs over the Labor Day holiday, according to Hopper.ĭon't book a late-night flight. And with most airlines closing the plane doors about 15 minutes prior to departure, you could easily miss your connection. But if the first leg of your journey is delayed, that hour can narrow down to 30 minutes. Leave extra time for layovers. You might think an hour is plenty of time to get from one gate to another, especially if you don't have to change terminals. But there are some common-sense steps that will give you a better shot at making it to your destination - or at least relaxing at home or in a hotel room, rather than stewing in the airport.ĭownload your airline's mobile app to keep on top of changes to your flight schedule. There isn't much you can do to prevent a delay or cancellation. #Book of travels delayed how to#How to avoid having your flight delayed or canceled Aircraft can fly at lower altitudes to try to avoid storm systems, but that burns more fuel - a dicey proposition given the high cost of jet fuel. "Most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren't enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a quarterly earnings call back in April, NBC News reported.Įxtreme weather has also added to the problem: Severe thunderstorms have caused multiple delays and flight cancellations, and that's aside from hurricane and wildfire season. It's particularly acute with pilots because it can take up to five years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to train someone to fly a commercial airplane. It's a remarkable growth period and they're just back-footed." "They did a lot of buyouts during the pandemic. The shortages extend to ground staff, baggage handlers, gate personnel and other workers, FlightAware spokesperson Kathleen Bangs told CNET. Now carriers are clamoring to staff back up, but they're finding it hard to fill trained positions. From December 2019 to December 2020, the airline industry workforce shrank by at least 114,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When the pandemic slowed air travel to a trickle, many carriers bought out employees' contracts and encouraged older pilots to take early retirement. The biggest factor has been that airlines are incredibly short-staffed. Southwest Airlines nixed almost 20,000 summer flights. Delta said it canceled 100 scheduled daily flights in the US and Latin America between July 1 and Aug. Since Memorial Day, US-based airlines canceled more than 50,000 flights and delayed over a half-million, according to NPR. Layoffs and contract buyouts during the pandemic have left many airlines short-staffed, fueling ongoing delays and cancellations. Why have there been so many delays and cancellations? American Airlines alone was hit with 900 delays, or 23% of all scheduled flights. On Thursday, more than 5,100 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed, according to the website FlightAware, and almost 300 were canceled outright. And cancellation rates last month were more than double their pre-pandemic rates, as airlines continue to grapple with staff shortages, picket lines, weather disruptions and other issues. Many of those passengers will face delays and cancellations: On average, 23% of flights departing from US airports in August were delayed, an increase of nearly 30% compared to 2019. American Airlines alone estimates 2.5 million customers will board 26,400 scheduled flights through Monday. While air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, many airlines are still plagued by significant delays and cancellations.ĭespite ongoing flight disruptions and high ticket prices, an estimated 12.6 million Americans will be flying over the three-day Labor Day holiday weekend, according to travel site Hopper. An estimated 12.8 million Americans will fly over Labor Day weekend.
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