The two kinds of flights you should book to avoid travel delays

A TRAVEL expert has revealed two simple tips to increase your chances of avoiding travel delays.

Chaos at airports last year showed how easy it is for passengers to get delayed, or miss flights completely.

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However, there are a couple of tactical decisions travellers can make when booking flights to minimise their chances of disruption.

That includes booking flights at a certain time, and booking certain routes.

Scott Keyes, the founder of Going.com revealed which flights people should book to increase your chances of taking off on time.

He told Travel + Leisure: “While there’s no way to control thunderstorms or predict meltdowns, that doesn’t mean travelers are completely helpless.

“There are two types of flights that have the best on-time performance: early morning flights and/or nonstop flights.”

Booking early morning flights increases the chances of a plane taking off on time by 20 per cent, according to Keyes.

Data published by Going claims that 86 percent of 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. flights arrived on-time.

Meanwhile, only 66 percent of 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. flights landed as scheduled.

Flying early is advice that is backed up by other experts as well.

Gordon Smith, who has built extensive knowledge around commercial aviation as editor of Airliner World, revealed why you should always fly earlier in the day in you want to avoid any unexpected flight drama.

He told the Daily Mail: “While late-evening departures can be convenient, they’re also risky. 

“Budget firms typically assign just 30 minutes between landing and take-off all day long, so it doesn’t take much for schedules to go awry. 

“Problems can be compounded, with later services more likely to experience knock-on delays.”

Scott previously gave another reason why earlier flights are the best to book.

He said: “The earlier your flight, the better your odds.

“That’s because weather is generally better in the morning, and also because the plane is usually already at the airport, rather than arriving from elsewhere, and thus at risk if that inbound flight were to get cancelled.”

Meanwhile, booking direct flights will also cut the risk of delays or cancellations too.

Keyes revealed that this was because any problems with the first flight can’t impact any other travel plans further down the line.

He said: “A 2-hour delay just means arriving 2 hours late, whereas a 2-hour delay on a connecting flight could mean a missed connection and a long wait to get to your final destination.”

Meanwhile, we’ve rounded up some other ways to avoid travel chaos this summer.

Here is how to claim compensation if your flight is cancelled.

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