We're off to a pretty decent start when it comes to flight delays and cancellations — unlike last summer, when we saw many meltdowns. Still, while summer thunderstorms have already caused havoc this year (both in the U.S. and Europe), it's been nothing like summer 2023, when airlines couldn't seem to recover after weather incidents.
Full planes, strikes, severe storms, a shortage of air traffic controllers and overburdened airports contributed to major travel snafus last summer; thankfully, though, the worst of the staffing issues seem to be behind us, at least when it comes to pilot and crew shortages. And while the air traffic controller shortage is ongoing, it hasn't yet led to massive disruptions.
Still, it's not uncommon to see flights canceled or delayed for hours (sometimes even overnight) due to weather.
We have plenty of tips to guide you through delays and cancellations so you get the help you need before your flight.
However, it can't hurt to seek additional guidance, so we turned to Lisa Kulpa, co-founder of the Basic Travel Couple blog and flight attendant for a major airline.
She gave us her best advice on avoiding delays, what to do if you're stuck this summer and how to make travel a better experience for everyone. (Spoiler alert: Being nice to crew members goes a long way.)
Related:Unsung heroes: A flight attendant talks grueling schedules, 'commuting' by plane to work and being an AvGeek
This conversation has been edited for length.
The first flight of the day will always be your best bet for a few reasons.
For starters, you have the least chance of flight delays on the first departure of the day. The plane arrived the night prior, so it will be there waiting for you. This means you won't have to wait for the plane to arrive from another destination.
Flights later in the day also have a greater chance of delays due to weather, maintenance and delays getting in and out of gates, which pushes back the entire flight schedule day.
If you live in a smaller city and not a hub, taking the first plane is also important because it means the crew members likely overnighted in that city and will be available for your flight. (The only time this could backfire is if a crew member became ill, then they would be short and have to fly in another crew member.)
Another benefit of taking the first flight is that the plane will be thoroughly cleaned overnight, which means you will receive a fresh, clean aircraft.
There are plenty of reasons for delays, but the biggest one in the summer is definitely thunderstorms. We cannot fly through them because it is unsafe to do so.
Staffing issues have also caused major delays. Not only is there a pilot shortage, but there have been shortages of flight
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
For nearly as long as commercial air travel has been possible, flight attendants have pushed back on policies surrounding their appearance and what they have to wear. It used to be about miniskirts and hot pants; today it’s about tattoos, comfort, and gender-neutral clothing. No matter the specifics, the shifts in airline uniforms reflect shifts in culture, and if you look to the skies, you can see that change happening yet again. In recent years—and even this past month—airlines worldwide have increasingly been loosening once-strict appearance guidelines and dress code policies to become more inclusive.
While Southwest just announced changes to its seating program (gone are the days of seat free-for-alls), one thing that hasn’t changed is its beverage program. The jostle of the cart, the “what would you like?” and the “ice or no ice?” But while you wait for your drink, you might be interested to know that the service starts in certain rows, and those rows are well-known before a flight. So yes, you can get your drink first.
As we were preparing to land at Orlando International Airport (MCO) during a recent Delta Air Lines flight, a friendly attendant handed me and a few other passengers a card with a handwritten thank-you note on the back. I had never received such a note, nor had I known they existed. I immediately texted my trusted co-worker and fellow frequent flyer Clint Henderson for some insight.
Most frequent fliers—especially flight attendants—are all too familiar with feeling bloated, sniffly, and fatigued after a long-haul flight. It comes at no surprise that traveling at 37,000 feet at 575 miles per hour inside a pressurized bullet filled with dozens of other people can take a toll on our bodies and immune system. To help you feel at-least semi-refreshed upon landing, here are tips and tricks on how to stay healthy while traveling, according to flight attendants (including yours truly).
This summer, MARTINI is bringing the spice to Sicily with Emmy-nominated actress and fashion muse, Simona Tabasco. Following her captivating performance in hit TV show ‘The White Lotus’, Simona is returning to the island that stole the world’s heart, and she’s bringing MARTINI along to celebrate the unmatched charm of an Italian summer.
Visitors to the upcoming Paris Olympics will soon have an easy way to save money on transportation. Uber, the popular rideshare app, will be offering an automatic 10 percent discount on rides for passengers from Paris airports between July 22 through Sept. 8. The discount applies to arrivals from both Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Orly Airport Aéroport de Paris (ORY). Passengers can also save 30 percent if they use UberX Share within the city, as long as they are matched with another rider during the trip.
Next time you think about getting a gift card from the display rack as a last-minute gift, you might want to think again. According to the Federal Trade Commission, gift card scams accounted for $217 million of the more than $10 billion U.S. consumers lost to financial scams in 2023.