When your flight is delayed this summer, do these travel tips to help!
Here are 4 tips to do at home just in case your flight is delayed or canceled with many other travel tips to help you.
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Chapters:
00:00 Tips be prepared for delayed flights
00:35 Before flight pack snacks
1:05 Check flight departure before leave home
1:17 Pack extra clothing
1:51 Download shows to your phone
2:38 Tip I learned from delayed flights
3:27 Update kindle for airplane
3:44 Pack important phone numbers and documents
4:10 Pack medicine in personal item bag
5:04 Before you arrive at airport
7:00 Pack a portable charger
7:42 Consider travel insurance
8:50 Long lines at restaurants may delay you
10:17 Airline crew shortage this summer
11:07 Crowds in airplanes cause delays
11:22 Airplane maintenance causes delays
11:51 TSA line numbers of passengers
POP over and say hi:
Instagram: @TravelTipsByLaurie (My former channel name was LauriePOP Ideas That POP, but now I produce travel tip videos only)
Occasionally I use affiliate links, and all opinions that POP into my head are my honest ones.
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Tap here for more travel tip videos and here is Amazon Specials for Prime Day: https://bit.ly/TravelAmazonPrimeDay
Tips for an ultimate packing list: https://bit.ly/VideoPackingList
2. https://bit.ly/OutfitsNOTWearinPlane
3. Do not get pickpocketed by following these tips: https://bit.ly/AntiTheftGadgets
4.Get more space for your carry-on: https://bit.ly/AirplaneOverheadBinSpace
Hotel Room Freebie ~ download from my blog: https://traveltipsbylaurie.com/?page_id=31
My vacation shirt: https://bit.ly/2YJUo4i
My black suitcase: https://bit.ly/3Uidera
My pink suitcase: https://bit.ly/442yZRl
Blue suitcase: https://bit.ly/3yuNqz4
Light gray backpack version 15.6: https://bit.ly/3gddd9o
Compression packing cubes: https://bit.ly/3EdPzBv
Sandals: old Steve Madden
Electronic cord case: https://bit.ly/3NGbOop
Pink FLY pouch: https://bit.ly/3LfDaAJ
Stamp collector shirt: https://bit.ly/MyTravelShirts
Charger for phone: https://bit.ly/3hqoYKu (check if fits your phone)
Blue white striped shirt: https://bit.ly/3NnIYe6
Coral jeans: old Loft
I still cannot believe all 4 of your flights were delayed 😭 Geez!
Another reason to pack snacks. If your flight is canceled late at night. The restaurants may not be open. I was stuck at the Charlotte airport last year. Absolutely nothing was open.
Wonderful as always!
1. The gate person is NOT responsible for the flight being delayed, so don't snap at them. I got on a StandBy only flight, at Chicago O'Hara, because I sympathized with the agent, told her I was so sorry her day was sucking SO badly and I offered her a hug. Everyone's job is to prevent your plane from hitting the ground at 600 miles per hour due to things like bad weather. 2. Don't be the jerk who starts dropping multiple bags in the overhead bins, as they make their way to their seat. Only TWO bags folks – One under the seat and ONLY one in the overhead. If you can sneak on a fanny pack, be my guest. 3. Sit in the seat you were assigned and don't make me physically remove you or your carry-on from the seat I paid for. This will cause not only tension on the whole plane, possible delaying takeoff and you being removed from the plane. Civility Starts with YOU
I traveled this May for an overseas land tour. My first flight from IAH was delayed for four hours which made me miss my connecting flight, they booked me on the next flight, which was delayed by 5 hours, needless to say I missed the first 1/2day of my trip . I thought that was pretty bad, but on my return flight from Amsterdam to IAH the plane needed a part before we could leave, we were loaded on the plane and stayed on the plane for the full time. Flight was supposed to take off around 10am, we didn’t leave until 6 pm, then they informed us that they had to stop in DC to change crew. I was scheduled to arrive at IAH at 2:20 pm and we finally arrived after 11pm.
We learned the hard way that just because your flight has posted a 2-hr delay before you got to the airport, you still need to go at your regular time! We went back and stayed longer with my daughter which a mom always loves, but then when we were in a super-long security line in SLC, the airline texted that our flight was departing 20 min from that time! Even after running, which I don’t usually do, we missed the flight! It’s also the one time we checked bags! Southwest was very accommodating, maybe because I was still bawling my eyes out from leaving my daughter as well as the stress of being so late and running through their huge airport, and they got us on the next/last flight out of the night.
Our bags came in waves. 2 got on the new flight but 1 was left behind and came in almost 2 hours later. They ended up giving me a travel voucher for my patience and being nice! I guess many people are rude! All in all, lesson learned!
You mentioned the TSA count of flights per day. Can you isolate that by airport?
In 3 weeks I'm flying for our local airport to O'Hare before connecting to international flight to London. I'm even more anxious now that delays may play havoc with my plans. I always book my flights through AAA getting travel insurance but that won't help if I miss my connection due to delays. Thanks, though, for giving us all this useful information.
Lots of great tips as usual! We always make our way to our gate first and then look for food and whatever else.
Thanks for all the useful advice
My daughter’s flight from Detroit, Mi to Kansas City last weekend was delayed due to the head pilot getting sick, they had to fly a pilot from Savannah,GA . Three hours.
Great video Laurie! I appreciate all your tips.
Re travelling in Europe. Our flight from London to Oslo was delayed by 4 hours last summer. We claimed over £200 in compensation from the airline (flight only cost £90) but they didn't tell us we were entitled to this. We landed at 3am. My dad picked us up but several people were stranded at the airport as no public transport at that time of day. Someone knocked on my dad's car door while he waited for us to ask for a lift into Oslo City centre.
What airport was that gate E7 pic at? Almost looks like MSP. And were those night shots the Budapest parliament building, or am I way off? Looks like it could also be somewhere like London.
As for tips:
-Decide on a minimum (i.e. not go shorter than) amount of time to allow for layovers (if any), transition time (to/from airport, getting through security and to the gate, etc.), etc. (length of each might vary from one airport to the next, depending), and stick to it when booking flights (particularly to/from the airport and any layovers). I always fly through DEN, and in my experience, I know myself well enough that I always allow a minimum of 90 minutes for layovers there, no matter what, even if there is a significantly cheaper flight available with a layover shorter than that, because if I don't, I risk missing my second flight due to potential weather, mechanical, or traffic (runway traffic) delays – I've had all 3, though not all on the same flight, and one of the either traffic or weather delays meant we had to circle around and land at a different airport to refuel – so I know better than to try to cut it close. If I miss my flight because I either knowingly booked too short of a layover, or didn't allow enough transition time (that "arrive 2 hours before boarding" tip is extra important if there end up being delays at security), that's my own fault and the airline isn't under any obligation to help me.
-If it's an airport I'm not familiar with, I ask people I know who have flown through there how long I should allow for a minimum layover length, and I also study the airport map to get at least some idea of where I might be coming in and going out (though I've discovered that DEN is a gamble – I've flown both in and out of both A and B on United) – some airlines give an estimated gate number in the flight info, so that can give you a rough idea.
-Always pack some food, as well as a waterbottle – we had turbulence on at least 2 of my flights last month that kept the flight attendants from doing the regular drink and snack service, and if I hadn't packed something to eat and drink, it wouldn't have gone so well. Allow yourself enough time after security to fill your waterbottle, as well as on any layovers (more and more airports are installing waterbottle filling stations, so you can still get nice cold water without having to buy overpriced bottled water). If you want to get food in the airport, make sure you plan in the time for it, taking into account the fact that lines might be really long (though, even though the Chick-Fil-A line in B in DEN can be super long, it still moves really quickly).
-Make a backup plan for in case you miss a flight, or your flight gets canceled, and you end up stuck overnight – United has always been more than happy to help the times when that happened to me because it happened through no fault of mine: I've missed flights due to delays, and the last time I was stuck overnight on a layover, I got a hotel voucher and meal vouchers, as well as a complimentary toiletry kit, in addition to getting my flight rebooked (I've never had a smartphone, and I don't think rebooking through the app was even a thing back then anyway), at customer service. In the future, since there is only one flight a day into my home airport, if I get stuck overnight on a layover (b/c of flight schedules, I could only get stuck on the way home, not on the way out), I will be stuck for about 25-27 hours, so I'll rebook my flight, then call my relatives who live in the Denver area to see if I can stay the night with one of them (my aunt and uncle, as well as all of their kids and grandkids, live there, so plenty of options for places to stay). I also bring an extra day's worth of meds and anything else additional I might need another day's worth of if stuck an extra day.
Always great advice! 💕 I do screen shots of all my important documents (plane ticket, hotel info, etc) then make a new album folder in photos (iphone) just for that trip. Then you can delete the whole folder after the trip is over. Recently, we paid in advance for our Disneyland hotel reservations, direct thru Disney, then hours later wanted the insurance and were told it was too late. So if you want insurance be sure and ask about it beforehand.
Hey, Laurie, thanks again for so many great tips. So critical since they are specific to the travel mess right now. My husband and daughter are headed out on our first flight since COVID started. Direct 2 hr flight to Seattle, so fingers crossed. Sent them both this video so if anything happens we’ll be a team instead of me having to play anxious den mother. Europe in September. Ahhhh!!!
We arrive two hours early for domestic flights (MCO). We have lunch or breakie at a restaurant. Our luggage has always made it. We include the important stuff in a pouch in our carryOn.
another great vid from your 'YouTube' channel. (I'm now up to date🤣)
All of these tips are so good – as usual! Once again , the anxiety that all of these scenarios cause is making me long for the days when air travel was exciting and special (way before your time!). I'm feeling more and more that travel is becoming such a nightmare – wish we could all be transported magically to where we want to go!
Great tips. I was on a train that got delayed and the food truck was closed. I was STARVING. Good tips about the book too.
Yes, to travel insurance, 💯! I bought it for New Zealand this past February, when the weather in the states and in NZ was iffy at best. Had heard horror stories about cancellations due to airport flooding (there) and travelers being re-routed. I decided I better get the insurance. I made it to my destination without issues, but purchasing the insurance gave me peace of mind. It’s not that expensive.
BTW, my hubby is also a pilot in the USAF. The term they use for the pilots and staff’s legal duty and rest time is “duty hours” and “crew rest”. 😊
❤❤❤❤❤
I'd like to offer a few suggestions for high food value snacks that will sustain you if there is a lengthy unplanned delay – there's nothing like trying to cope with flagging blood sugar as well as delays and you can't always count on being able to access food on the plane or in the airport. (And for the love of everything cute and cuddly, do NOT try to force your better prepared seat mate to share the food they packed, they packed their own because they needed it and did NOT bring enough for the whole class!! Yes, I am speaking from experience, someone once accused me loudly of "trying to murder her child" because I would not give the girl my own lunch!) The gold standard, IMHO, is New Millenium bars, which are essentially lifeboat rations in a more convenient form factor. Any other lifeboat ration type of bars work too, as do RX bars. Freeze dried cheese is a great snack with the mouth feel of a cracker, but with high protein that sustains you for a long time. IMHO, Moon Cheese is the most delicious, but Trader Joes Cheddar Bites are good too, especially when paired with dried nori seaweed. Any type of jerky is also a good protein source. You can get shelf stable cheese and summer sausage sticks (I always buy a couple of Hickory Farms gift baskets when they are marked down at those holiday popup stores in malls after Christmas, they make great travel snacks and power outage meals.) These can be nice paired with "oloves", which are tiny packets of maybe half a dozen or so olives packed without any liquid, specifically for air travel. Whole grain crackers are good with pate, and if you want to treat yourself, you can usually find delis that sell tiny tins of pate that fall within the airline's liquid restrictions (pack it in your liquids bag prior to going through security). Just make sure you bring a dull wood or plastic knife to spread it, if you bring a metal one, airport security will confiscate it. Something I recently became aware of is "Flocks" chicken skins – about the size of a single serving bag of chips, it is deep fried dry chicken skins that taste like richer chips (like those pork rinds chips, but chicken). While I don't normally shop there, for longer flights I will sometimes treat myself to a box of "protein bites" at Whole Foods. They are costly, as each bag only has 6 and they are small, about standard marble size. Delicious and sustaining though. Also, please be mindful of other passengers and avoid stinky food! While I enjoy nut mixes, I never bring nuts on a plane, you don't know if someone else has an allergy and, from what I understand, nut allergies can be almost instantly fatal. You wouldn't want to be responsible for that!
After boarding a flight from Montgomery, Alabama to Atlanta, we were told our plane had a bird strike, and they were trying to fix the nose cone. 45 minutes later they had us get off the plane because they needed to get a replacement part and it had to be flown in from Atlanta. They anticipated a three hour additional delay. My tip is to stay in the gate area or close by and keep tabs on your airline app. After an hour, they started boarding the plane again because they were able to fix it before the part arrived. So many people were not available to get on the plane because they left the area. Some people even rented a car to drive to Atlanta.
Thanks for all the great tips and advice on your videos. I really enjoy them and learn a few things.
Very good tips.
Hi Laurie I LOVE your clips !!! So helpful and great to the point information… topped off with some humour !!! … We are off to Europe for 2 MONTHS in Sep/Oct and trying to figure out how to travel light for 2 months !!!!…. What are the rules for packing in your carry on or checked ????… eg Batteries in carry on ….. what about aerosols ???? Thanks so much Laurie and keep up the super work ….. Meg from New Zealand.
We always try to eat at our favorite restaurant on the way to the airport and eat a full meal. We bring snacks as well. We save money and have food in case we are delayed and feel we have started the trip when we get to the restaurant
At my recent trip I packed a Perfume Refill Mini Spray Pump. When I got to my destination it was empty!! Thank God that I put it in a zip lock bag. Why did this happen????
Wow! How could someone not know to carry medications in your under the seat bag. They need to watch your videos more. I always travel with peanut M&M’s. Yummy. TFS these tips.
Laurie your hair looks great in this video ‘
Thanks for this video! OMG this has been the summer of DELAYS for me. I had a flight that was 9 HOURS DELAYED…was supposed to leave at 3:20pm. The flight took off at 1am THE NEXT DAY!!!!!!! Then when returning from DC, there was a ground stop, flight was 3 hours delayed.
With so many flights being canceled, car rentals have been awful. One time there were no cars left and they won't give refunds. It's near impossible to call car rental companies too.
Great video, Laurie! I'd like to add that if you take meds, pack at least 4 days extra of each med. And check with your pharmacy or fulfillment mail order pharmacy how you can get extra emergency meds if you were to run out due to delays.
I was stuck in the weather madness too. Took two extra days to get home. I never check a bag unless I have to. I use all your tips.
Laurie … what is your favorite carryon luggage?
Laurie, would it be OK if I ask your followers if any of them have flown Flair Airlines from Toronto to Victoria (or any other major longer routes within Canada on Flair)? It's the only nonstop flight from Toronto to Victoria in September, but many people say it is the worst airline to fly on, and I really need some advice (older woman, not neccesarily in the best condition or health). Many thanks!
Hi Laurie! I've been a subscriber of yours for awhile now, and have appreciated many of your tips. This video is the best! Thank you!
I usually look up alternative flights ahead of time. Then if a flight gets canceled or delayed, I can make change suggestions that work with my plans rather than be at the airline’s mercy for changes. Prior to going to Australia, my flight was cancelled and the airline tried to put me on a flight two days later which would make me lose 3 precious days with family in Australia! I was able to call the airline and explain what choices I saw from their site and get on a different flight the same day but with a connection and only losing a few hours rather than days in Australia. Knowledge is power. When you fly to Australia you lose a day in flight so leaving 2 days later would have ruined my trip. I had flight insurance through IMG and it had an easy to navigate web site in case I needed to file a claim and numbers to call. I also was able to locate a covered provider in the area I was going to prior to my trip. I have friends that have used other travel insurance companies but some won’t cover you if you are older. It is good to shop around for travel insurance and know just what is and is not covered. I also discovered calling during the airlines busy times has long waits on the phone but calling during their off hours got me through to a person quickly.
You are such a gem! Thank you for your helpful videos!
Oh my gosh what a great video! I remember those awful storm delays & cancellations when I worked in Res and as a crew scheduler 😭😭😭😭 thanks for explaining things that most travelers don’t understand about airlines !!!! Please don’t take out your anger on airline employees or crew!😞crazy busy year for air travel! 😳
Hi Laurie, I love watching your videos! thank you so much. My daughter wants to be a pilot. She has a 7-month-old daughter. Do you have any advice you can give regarding family time? Right now she just has me for child care and I'm not retired just yet:o)
As always, great advice. 👍
I love your videos and your personality! God bless you and your Husband always 😊
I thought pouting and feeling sorry for myself were the only options. That's what I did on my last trip when a domestic flight was delayed and I missed the train to get to my hotel's neighborhood, and I had to take a commuter instead of the plush, airport train I had booked. Thanks for this video. haha
Thanks so much for the video
We were on the tarmac for 4 hours because after waiting out a storm, the pilots were at the hours limit then we had to wait longer
Great tips as always❤
Hundreds, if not thousands of flights are being cancelled due to air traffic control strikes in Europe at the moment. Sometimes not until the flight has already boarded!