Summer 2022 has been a, shall we say, chaotic time for air travel. “Traveling in summer 2022 is certainly being met with challenges, however, that is not to say that you will not get the opportunity to relax on the beach you have been dreaming about, or be able to tick off a city tour from your bucket list,” Martin Jones, CEO of Airport Parking Reservations, told HuffPost. “Preparation for every turn of events is key.”AdvertisementMany of the worst aspects of the flying experience are out of the passengers’ control, but there are still steps travelers can take to ease some of stress. Below, Jones and other experts share their tips for making air travel suck less right now. Arrive at the airport extra early.“Give yourself plenty of time at the airport,” advised Omar Kaywan, co-founder and chief growth officer at Goose Insurance. “Arrive at least three hours before your flight.”Security lines that stretch out the airport doors are not an uncommon sight lately. Building in extra buffer time will make you feel less stressed if you encounter a particularly long or slow queue.“Prepare for the security screening,” Kaywan added. “Don’t wear belts, heavy shoes or jewelry, or carry any liquids more than 100ml. This will speed up the process for you and other travelers.”AdvertisementConsider investing in expedited airport security programs like TSA PreCheck or Clear. Members get to wait in shorter lines and skip certain steps of the screening process. Download the airline’s app.“Download your airline’s app and make sure you have your notifications on so that you can be the first to know about any changes to your flight,” advised Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy. “If your flight does get canceled or delayed, you can rebook your flights right on the app and avoid hours of waiting in long lines at customer service desks or being on hold with the airline.”You can also check the app throughout the 24 hours leading up to your departure to see where your plane is coming from and if its previous flights have been on time. Websites like FlightAware and Flightradar also allow you to keep tabs on it.Book a morning flight if you can.Be strategic when you’re choosing flights during a busy season. Most experts agree that morning departures are your best bet for avoiding delays and cancellations. “The earlier your flight is in the day, the better your odds of it not getting disrupted,” said Scott Keyes, author of “Take More Vacations” and founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights. “Flight cancellations and delays are often the result of earlier flight cancellations and delays. There’s a domino effect with planes and crews and schedules, but if you’re on one of the first flights, you’re less exposed to that domino effect. Also, bad weather tends to happen in the afternoon more than the morning.”AdvertisementIf you’re on one of the earliest flights of the day, your plane likely arrived at the airport the previous night, so there’s more of a buffer for that incoming flight to be delayed without impacting your trip. You might even be able to track that it’s en route or has landed at your airport before you go to bed.Morning flights aren’t magically immune from disruptions, of course. But when you’re flying early in the day, you also tend to have more options for rebooking a same-day itinerary even if your flight does get canceled. Erlon Silv …
Flying Is A Nightmare Right Now. These 12 Tips Can Help Make It Easier.
