You can’t control the weather, but you can improve your odds of getting to your destination on time.

In 2022,2.8 % of flights were cancel , and roughly 19 % were delayed . While that number might seem small , it ’s almost double the amount ofcancellationscompared to the historical norm . And while there were sure as shooting some notable mass cancellations ( look at you , Southwest ) it was also just the nature of flying last twelvemonth . airline business were a mess — understaffed and underpaid worker were fighting an acclivitous battle . While I do n’t have a quartz glass orb to recite us if cancellations will be better or worse in 2023 , I can impart sometravel wisdomfrom the expert over atGoing.com(fka Scott ’s Cheap Flights ) .

There is no way to totally ascertain whether or not flights get set off or hold up , of course , but there are ways to lose weight the likelihood of being affect by those cancellations . Specifically , there are two booking hacks that could mean the difference between everything going according to plan and laying on the floor of the Denver airdrome question how the weather feel in Miami , where you were actually supposed to be six hour ago .

give-up the ghost ’s traveling experts sharedDepartment of Transportation datawith Thrillist that 86 % of morning flights between 6 and 7 am arrive on time , while only 66 % of flight between 10 and 11 pm arrive on time . That means book a morning flight gives you a serious reward over late change of location .

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" There are two reasonableness why morning flight execute better . First , the conditions tends to be better in the dayspring ( fewer thunderstorms ) . But more importantly , the planer has been parked at the airdrome overnight ; it ’s ready to go , " an expert from go excuse to Thrillist . " Afternoon flights almost always use a plane that has to fell in from elsewhere , and if that flight gets disrupted , well , then your flight is at risk . "

The second way to shrink the betting odds of being on a delete flight ? assay to skip the layover . If the idea of wandering one of this country ’s many decaying airports does not appeal to you , endeavor to book a nonstop escape . While delays can still disrupt your schedule on a nonstop flight , they can completely jump connecting flight . There is not an athlete on this planet that could prevail from one remnant of the Atlanta aerodrome to the other fast enough if they land with 10 second left of embarkation for their connect flight .

Reading these tips after you ’ve already booked your next flight ? Do n’t vex . flying change at full - military service US - based airlines are now free — you’ll only be charged if the novel fare is more expensive .