Summer Family Travel Advice: Book an Early Flight Home

A couple of years ago, I got stuck in the Charlotte airport for hours because of weather delays in New York stemming from thunderstorms. I was with my two year old, and it was a miserable experience as Continental delayed the flight over and over again and there was the threat of cancellation if the pilot's work time expired. I don't know the industry lingo, but once a pilot or flight crew puts in a set amount of continuous hours, they must be relieved.

Last night I was flying back from Miami to New York without my family. Again, there were weather related cancellations and delays due to thunderstorms in New York. American Airlines did a better job of communicating to customers on the source of delays, and flights that were not canceled did take off roughly on the 'new time' schedule.

Vacationers often choose to take afternoon and evening flights back from their travel destinations. Why leave early in the morning when you can squeeze another half or full day of activities? Unfortunately, afternoon and evening thunderstorms make traveling by schedule more risky during the summer months. So if you're traveling with kids, you should think twice about booking these later flights during the summer. If you're on a lengthy vacation, it just might be worth booking the early morning flights home and avoid the summer weather delays.

Comments

[Posted on Jul 15, 2009 8:10:45 PM by Jackie]

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[Posted on Nov 30, 2010 4:24:07 AM by Thailand Hotels]

I think early morning flights are good because once you got back home, you can have a good rest, and also the kids will have more time to rest also.