Trips that start off promising with the purchase of cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages can quickly turn frustrating when flights are delayed or canceled.
Historically airlines are considered to perform well if only a fifth of their flights are delayed. Factors contributing to delays include bad weather, mechanical issues, airspace congestion, and crew scheduling.
If you want to get on one of the 80 percent of flights that depart on time, try to reserve a morning flight. Statistics show that morning flights have a greater likelihood of departing on time.
In May on time arrivals at the largest U.S. airports peaked between 7 am and 7:59 am, with almost 90 percent of the flights arriving on time. By 2 pm that rate fell below 80 percent. By 6 pm it dipped under 70 percent.
Specific airports have earned justified reputations for suffering the greatest delays: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. Depending on where you live and where you want to go, travelers in the greater New York metropolitan area would be wise to check on flights out of White Plains or Islip (Long Island).
San Francisco is another airport that often suffers delays because of its foggy weather. Excellent alternatives are Oakland and San Jose.
Seasonal issues impact other airport delays. Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta sometimes suffer from bad spring and summer storms that snarl operations.
Usually as bad weather begins to develop airlines start looking to cancel and delay flights to thin out their schedules. Flights from smaller towns tend to get canceled more often, while international flights are given priority. www.cheapfares.com