Air travel is not what it used to be. Flight delays and cancellations are, unfortunately, the new norms. As passenger numbers continue to rise at airports worldwide during summer 2022, the situation is unlikely to improve. Projections say this will only get worse before it gets better in the next three months.
With that in mind, we wanted to offer our top five suggestions to help you prepare and make your air travel as enjoyable as it can be this summer.
- Book your departure flights as early in the morning as possible. Flight crews have limits on the number of hours they work each day. Once they hit that limit, they cannot fly anymore. It’s the law. So, get on that early flight to ensure your travels start as planned. You also have a chance to get a later same-day flight if your original flight is canceled.
- Fly to your destination much earlier than you need to – at least one day before if you can! Some workshops have embarkations on ships on the first day of the workshop. Others may travel far from your arrival airport on the first day. Get in early, do some sightseeing, or get acclimated to the weather and time zone. Eliminate the stress of missing your workshop.
- Download your airline’s smartphone app. I do this all the time, and it saved me on a few occasions. You can do everything on these apps: get your boarding pass, track your bags, see your incoming plane arrivals, and quickly change a flight using that app. It sure beats waiting in a long line to talk to an agent to find out what’s going on! Trust me – These apps usually tell you a flight is canceled or a gate has changed long before the crew knows!
- Schedule long layovers when connecting. That 1-hour layover you were used to in the past is not enough anymore. We suggest 3 hours minimum. In February, when I was traveling to Namibia to lead a workshop, I chose an extended layover overnight in Frankfurt. My second flight to Namibia left at 6:00 AM the next day, which goes back to my first point – fly early in the day.
- Finally, and perhaps most importantly, expect things to go wrong and be pleasantly surprised when they don’t. Be sure to pack a whole bunch of extra patience, kindness, and consideration in your carry-on. You will need it :)
I hope this advice helps you on your travels. We understand that travel hassles like this can be stressful. We are experiencing it right along with you. The tips above have helped me make almost every flight this year, and I have flown over 40,000 miles in the first six months of 2022.
Happy travels, and I look forward to seeing on a workshop with us soon!
