Preparing for Your Summer Air Travel

Last summer’s busy travel season saw various airports experiencing difficulty in handling the number of travelers, with many experiencing delays and cancellations due to staffing shortages and capacity issues. While plans are being put in place by some of the worst affected airports, travelers are advised to plan ahead and be prepared for potential disruptions.

According to FlightAware, some of the U.S. airports with the highest number of delays and cancellations last summer were Newark Liberty International, La Guardia, Kennedy, Reagan National, Miami International, Orlando International, Boston Logan International, and Charlotte Douglas International. Nearly 35 percent of flights were delayed from Newark and Orlando airports, which were also hit the hardest with cancellations, with 9 percent of flights being scratched entirely.

Globally, Toronto Pearson had the worst percentage of delays and cancellations, followed by the international airports in Sydney, Jakarta, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Munich. More than half of departing flights were delayed from Toronto Pearson and 7 percent of its departures were canceled.

Many of these airports are putting measures in place to prevent a repeat of last summer’s chaos. Toronto Pearson is limiting the number of flights arriving and departing from the airport and investing in improvements. Amsterdam Schiphol and Heathrow are not planning to set capacity caps for the summer, but the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. has noted that there will likely be increased delays in the Northeast and has loosened flight restrictions in Washington, D.C., and New York to try to mitigate disruptions.

To lessen the chance of travel disruptions, passengers can consider not travelling to the airports with the highest levels of delays and cancellations, as well as flying nonstop, which eliminates the risk of missing a connection. However, since many of these airports are also major hubs for various airlines, it may not always be practical to avoid them altogether. Additionally, passengers can avoid traveling at peak times and consider booking the first flight of the day to maximize their chance of getting on another flight the same day if there is a cancellation.

Another tip is to build in some connection cushion time for connecting flights. Furthermore, it is advisable to stay informed about potential weather-related disruptions, such as smoke from wildfires in the Western United States, hurricanes in the Gulf Coast and Atlantic airports, and extremely hot temperatures, which can lead to runway damage and aircraft groundings.