Last summer it was security delays, airport staff shortages and lost luggage. Thankfully, Apple Air tags saved my stranded bag at Heathrow and I was fortunate to only have one flight delayed out of six flights to/within Europe.

This summer it’s about extreme weather events (storms, heat, rain, hail, wildfires, smoke and air quality control) and air traffic control staff shortages which are delaying and canceling flights in the U.S. and parts of Europe.  You really need to expect and prepare for flight delays when traveling for vacation (holiday).

On my recent European summer vacation, I had five flights in the past month and each flight was delayed.  Reading social media posts from friends, family and other travel folks, many were experiencing their own travel calamities due to weather.

• One friend was delayed out of JFK and missed her connection in San Francisco (SFO) – the airline rebooked her two days later, so she had an unexpected visit to San Francisco for two days at her own cost (she is checking her credit card travel insurance for some relief in her expenses).
• Another friend parked at the airport parking garage and the deluge of rain, hail and winds caused so much runoff water to spill in the parking lot that it damaged the paint on her car.

July has not been a good month for air travel and the forecast for August doesn’t quite seem like sunny skies as the demand for air travel continues to be high, patience is low and the tolerance for “things outside my control” is also low.  As for me, these were my flight experiences and I had prepared for flight delays:

• Philadelphia to Heathrow on a clear sunny Saturday – we left the gate on time only to sit on the runway for nearly three hours as the sun set, and the night sky appeared. The apparent cause was Canadian Air Traffic control shortages that weekend as well as congested traffic due to the weather in the flight path from the US to Europe.
• London City Airport to Barcelona – passengers were squeezed into the small gate at London City Airport ready to go but the inbound plane was nowhere to be found. When the plane did land nearly thirty minutes late, we had a front row seat to watch passengers deplane from both the front and back of the plane and walk to the terminal.  We then watched the baggage be unloaded, the fuel be refilled, catering trucks arriving, and new baggage get loaded.  This was nearly an hour delay before we could scan our boarding passes and walk to the plane to board.
• Rome to Malta – flying ITA Airways (formerly Alitalia) I had a long walk to the last gate in Terminal 1 (gate A70). The plane wasn’t there as the incoming flight was delayed. Again, similar to my flight to Barcelona, we had to wait for everyone to deplane and the plane to turn around baggage, catering and fuel.  The flight departure time changed twice before we slowly boarded the plane.  The delay was bit over an hour or equal to the flying time between Rome and Malta.
• Malta to London Gatwick – Flying BA Club Europe (business class with access to lounge), the flight was ready to go on time. Malta airport is tiny yet uses buses to the plane. After four busses stopped to unload passengers, we were ready to go and then the pilot announced a traffic delay in the skies of at least 20 mins per Air Traffic Control.  Then he came back on with another 30 mins.  All in all, it was nearly 1.5 hours sitting on the plane on the tarmac.  I watched planes land and park next to us and then reload and takeoff to other destinations.
• London Heathrow to Philadelphia – I woke up to multiple alerts (British Airways and TripIt) on my phone that the flight was delayed by an hour and asked to adjust my arrival time to the airport accordingly. Boarding was further delayed and slow, which set our course even later as our takeoff slot was far behind – I think we were 10^th in line on the runway to the chagrin of my seatmate who complained the entire time that he would miss his connection to Florida (no idea why he didn’t fly BA direct on the many flights to Miami and/or Orlando and connect there).

How to Prepare for Flight Delays

1. Know your rights regarding delays. In the EU, subject to rule EU 261/2004, you could be entitled compensation up to 600 euro.  Many airlines make it easy to file claims online. In the US, look at credit card travel insurance protections as the airlines are not required to do anything extra for you.
2. Have a Plan B, Plan C and Plan D in case of delayed flight, canceled or rerouted flights.

• • Do you have a list of alternative flight options?
  • Did you use a travel agent to assist you to rebook?
  • Can you use social media twitter team to help rebook you?
  • Do you know the airline’s toll free 800 number to call (don’t look at google for this due to recent scams – use info in the airline apps)

3. Hotel Tonight App – if you need to book a hotel on the fly – what’s nearby – use the app to quickly see what’s available to book rather than sleep at the airport.
4. Snacks and Refillable water bottle – I always travel with snacks, fruit and sometimes a sandwich in case of delays as airlines can’t serve food until up in the air. That 3.5-hour delay on the ground? I was hungry and was happy I could eat while waiting.  The refillable water bottle is good in airports (and lounges that no longer offer plastic bottles).  I also buy a bottle of water as backup and put in my backpack.
5. Download movies, tv, etc. – don’t rely on Wi-Fi if not available on plane during delay.
6. Power bank – you’ll need to charge your device, and this is helpful if not option on plane or in airport as everyone searches for an outlet/charging station.
7. Hoodie or Scarf – cold planes require additional layers and having these could be helpful if you need to sleep in airport without access to checked bags.
8. Bring a book (or kindle) – if you have time to kill, read a good book to escape the current nightmare travel journey.
9. Games – I play Scrabble on my phone (against the computer) and you may see me exclaiming “how is that a word and mine isn’t.”
10. Carry On Only – last summer given the luggage debacles happening in Heathrow and other airports, I traveled carry on only (a bit of a struggle if I’m honest).  Carry On Only gives you flexibility to do stand by on a flight or change airlines and flights easily.  Once you check a bag your options are limited.  So, if you are anticipating delayed/canceled/etc. flights you might want to consider carry on (sorry cute shoes you need to stay home)

So, if you are traveling this summer, make sure to pack your patience as everyone is frustrated with delays and unexpected cancellations. If you plan in advance for the disruptions, you can relive a bit of the stress of the journey.  Once you reach your destination, I hope you can quickly forget about all the stresses along the way and enjoy your vacation (holiday).