You cannot stop a flight being delayed, but you can decide in advance how much it costs you. Almost everything on this list takes a few minutes and is done before you leave home.
When you book
- Fly earlier in the day. Delays accumulate as the day goes on, because each late aircraft and crew makes the next flight late. Morning flights are less exposed, and if one is cancelled there are more flights left that day to move to. See the best time of day to fly.
- Avoid the last flight of the day. If it is cancelled, you are staying overnight.
- Choose nonstop when the price is close. A connection doubles the number of things that can go wrong.
- Take a longer layover than the minimum. Airlines will sell you a connection at the airport's minimum connection time. That is the shortest legal layover, not a comfortable one. See how long a layover should be.
- Keep connecting flights on one ticket. If the first leg is late, the airline has to get you to your destination. On separate tickets, the second airline can treat you as a no-show. See one ticket or separate tickets.
- Check the airport. Some airports are delayed for predictable reasons at predictable times. Look yours up in flight delays by airport.
The week before
- Read what your airline has committed to. The DOT's Airline Customer Service Dashboard shows, airline by airline, who provides meals, hotels and rebooking on other carriers when a delay is within the airline's control. Our guide to checking your airline's delay policy explains what to look for.
- Check what cover you already have. Some credit cards and travel insurance policies include trip delay cover. Check the conditions and what receipts you would need before you rely on it. See trip delay cover.
- Install your airline's app and sign in. It is usually the fastest way to rebook yourself, and you do not want to be resetting a password at the gate.
- Find your backups. Note the next two or three flights on your route, on your airline and on others, and any other airport you could realistically drive to. See flying from a nearby airport.
The day before
- Look at the forecast at both ends. When a big storm is expected, airlines often issue a travel waiver that lets you move your flight for free. Moving early beats rebooking late.
- Pack for a night you did not plan. Keep medication, chargers, a change of clothes and anything you cannot replace in your carry-on, not your checked bag. Here is what to pack.
- Save your confirmation numbers offline. Booking reference, ticket number and frequent flyer number, somewhere you can reach without a signal.
- Start monitoring your flight. You want to hear about a change when it happens, not when you get to the airport.
On the day
- Check where your aircraft is. If the inbound flight is running late, yours will too, whatever the board says.
- Charge everything. Your phone is your rebooking desk.
- Know your numbers. A delay of three hours or more on a domestic flight, or six on an international one, means you can choose a refund if you no longer want to travel.
If it happens anyway
You will already know your backup flights, what your airline has promised and where your threshold for giving up and taking a refund is. From there, follow what to do when your flight is delayed or what to do when your flight is cancelled.
This guide is general information for US travelers, not legal advice. Rules and airline commitments change; check with your airline or the US Department of Transportation for your specific situation.