It's been a summer to remember (or forget) for airlines and travelers. With record cancellations and delays, travelers have been inconvenienced at a record rate this summer. And with everyone trying to make up for lost travel time over the past few years, we expect these issues to last well into the fall and the holiday travel season. So here are our 10 tips to help you avoid and deal with the travel chaos...

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1. Book an early flight:  When possible, book a flight earlier in the morning. The reason may be obvious, but if you haven't figured it out yet, you want to give yourself options if your flight is cancelled or delayed to still reach your destination in a reasonable time frame. It will also give you options to rebook another flight later in the day...hopefully...

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2. Book a flight on an airline where your route is flown several times a day: This one requires a little more research when first booking your flight but it's definitely worth it. Let's say you're trying to fly from New York to LA. If you book a flight with an airline that only flies to LA from New York non-stop once a day, and that flight is cancelled...well you know where I'm going with this. You're spending another night in the big apple or trying to find a way to squeeze onto connecting flights. The same strategy goes for choosing your departure airport. Sure, American Airlines may fly non stop to LA from both LaGuardia and JFK, but if they only fly that route once a day from LaGuardia, but fly that same route six times a day from JFK, I'm flying out of JFK, even if it costs a little more. Using this strategy with Tip #1 will give you plenty of backup options if your flight is cancelled.

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3. Book Early: Booking far in advance gives you options and allows you to use Tip 1 and 2

to it's fullest effect and will probably save you money as well. If you're planning on

travelling during Thanksgiving or Christmas this year and you haven't booked your flights

yet, you're already way behind. I've got people reaching out to me to plan travel for the

Summer and Holidays in 2023! Many airlines have also introduced more flexible refund

policies where they at least give you travel credit if you want to cancel your reservation,

another reason to book your flight ASAP. So what are you waiting for?

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4. You get what you pay for: Look, we all love to save money, and when travelling there are

plenty of appropriate places to do that. There are plenty of budget hotels that I'll stay at

because they have stellar reviews and are in a great location, but remember, your vacation doesn't begin until you arrive at your destination. So flights is one area where I never recommend the cheapest option. If the airfare seems more like a bus fare, that might be a red flag. Southwest is the "cheapest" airline I'm willing to fly or recommend as they boast a commendable 74% on time rate. Compare that to Frontier at 64%. And when it comes to cancellation rate Delta is one of the best at only 1.85% with Spirit Airlines cancelling a whopping 4.28% of their flights!*

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5. Check the status of your flight early and often: It still astonishes me when I hear that some people don't check the status of their flight until they get to the airport. Check the status of your flight as soon as you wake up. Although airlines are supposed to text or email you if your flight is cancelled, those lines of communication often break down. If you are checking the status of your flight and notice it's cancelled before that email or text goes out, you'll have a jump on everyone else that is trying to rebook on the same route.

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6. Know where your plane is coming from and check the status of that flight too: If you use a site like FlightAware to track the status of your flight, right under your flight number at the top of the page, you'll see a link that says "Where is my plane now?". Click on that link and it will show you the status of the flight that will be bringing your plane to your departure airport. This is a great way to spot early warning signs of delays and cancellations. In rare instances, the airline might be able to provide a different plane if the original plane was not able to reach your airport, but that doesn't happen too often. So if you see that arriving flight is cancelled, there's a good chance your flight will be cancelled too, so get on the phone with customer support ASAP!

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7. Reach out to customer support through multiple avenues: Ok, your flight has been cancelled. Now what? Well, go get in line with everyone else to try and get rebooked, but as soon as you get word of your flight being cancelled, you should be calling the customer service line for that airline as well. Also try to open a live chat window on their website or app at the same time. Then it's just a matter of who is going to help you first. 

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8. Try to avoid checking bags: Lost luggage hit record highs this summer, so if you can avoid it, don't check any bags. If you must, make sure your checked bag has your contact information on it, and pack all valuables, medication, and some essentials in your carry on. 

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9. Remember, some things are out of your control: I know this is easier said than done, but no matter what happens, take a deep breath and do your best to make lemonade out of lemons. And this is also your friendly reminder that the customer service rep at the airport or on the phone is not the one responsible for cancelling your flight, so please don't take it out on them. Besides, you're more likely to get what you want from them if you treat them kindly.

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10. Use a travel agent like Monorail Adventures: You knew it was coming and here it is! A little bit of shameless self promotion. But in all sincerity, this is an extremely valuable tip. Travel agents like myself eat, sleep, and breathe all things travel, so we're already taking into account all of these tips when we book your trip. Monorail Adventures is also a certified CLIA travel agent, Disney Travel Agent, and Expedia TAAP member. In addition to getting you the best prices and providing expert advice at no additional cost, we also become that inside connection when you run into challenges on your trip. Your flight got cancelled? Let us know and we'll contact the airline for you to get you to your destination. Not to mention, most airlines and resorts have dedicated phone lines for travel agents. So while you might be waiting on hold for hours, I can usually get someone on the phone within a few minutes! 

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We specialize in Disney, Cruising, Flight and Hotel Packages, European travel, and so much more! Travelling anytime in the next decade? Request your free quote today!

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*Flight stats are 2022 YTD according to https://www.transtats.bts.gov

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