How to avoid flight delays at the airport?

In most of Europa, we are entitled a holiday for four weeks a year, which means that you need to enjoy it while it's there.

So, what can you do to avoid wasting precious holidays? 

It is very different what you want out of your holiday; some like the heart rate down, while others want it up. It can, therefore, be challenging to say what to do to avoid wasting holidays.

But one thing which is never positive for your holiday: Waiting time at the airport.

What can you do to avoid extra waiting time at the airport?

There are generally three things, which has an impact on how punctual your flight is:

• The airline 
• When you travel
• Which airport you are departing or arrival in.

Avoid delay and cancellation due to the airline.

There are many different airlines to choose from for most routes, and the decision about which airlines you should choose can be tough to pick.

For example, you can choose from price, flight time, comfort, how the staff is treated, etc. As if that's not enough, this is another thing to think about - How often is the airline delayed?

On this page, we do not go into much detail about which airlines are least exposed to delays or cancellations. If you want to know more about which airlines you should choose, you can read about the most delayed airlines right here on Refundmore's blog.

Which time is the best to travel? 

There is a clear link between the number of passengers and the number of delays, so here are three pieces of advice to hit the times when the least people travel.

Fly outside of school holidays

When the schools are on holiday, a lot of families go out and travel.

This means the airports are crammed with families, which results in delayed flights.

While not all families go out to travel, it is enough that it is significantly busier when they are on holiday.

If you want to avoid delayed flights, you should travel outside the school holidays and combine the other factors included here; you can reduce the chance of being delayed a lot.

Fly Tuesday and Wednesday 

Some days are generally busier than others. For example, Fridays and Sundays tend to be busy, as many people go on weekend trips. 

But it is not only Friday and Sunday that are busy; other days like Saturday, Thursday, and Monday are also hectic days for air traffic. All this leaves only the middle of the week when fewer people are flying, and thus the lowest chance of being delayed.

Fly at the right time

While airports are typically open 24/7, there are times when it is busier than others. In particular, the morning is generally hectic, and already at 8 o'clock, you hit the generally busiest time for airports, which then slowly fall into the late evening. 

If you want to hit the best possible time to fly, then you should fly early in the day - very early. If you have the opportunity to fly before 8 o'clock, then there is a good chance that you will beat most of the traffic and that it will not be so busy at the airport.

Ultimately, it can be challenging to avoid delay by flying at the right time, as you are is typically bound by many other things and cannot control when the plane should depart.

Which airports should I choose to avoid delay?

There are many airports in Europe, and not all of them can you avoid having to fly from, to, or over. Once in a while, you have a choice. 

So, it is essential to think about which airports are busiest and where most people travel from

If you fly to London, you have as many as six airports to choose from. It certainly matters which airport you fly to, as there is up to a 15% greater chance of being delayed if you fly to Gatwick Airport rather than Heathrow Airport.

 In the end, it is impossible to avoid being delayed at the airport, and accordingly, it may be better to know about your rights and know exactly what to do when the accident is out, and you get delayed.

You can read much more about your rights when the flight is delayed or canceled on Refundmore's page.

If you have been exposed to a delayed or canceled flight, you can claim your compensation through Refundmore, right here.