During the peak of the global Covid-19 pandemic, air travel was pretty much grounded to a halt - leading to an abundance of airline staff being laid off and losing their jobs.
But now with rules restrictions regarding the virus abolished, holidaying is pretty much back to normal, with a huge demand in flights coming with it.
The ease of travel, hand in hand with the immense desire to get away after two and a bit years stuck on home soil has lead to a huge influx in bookings, and while rules may have subsided, airports and airlines are still struggling to meet increased levels of demand with regards to staffing.
Read more: Are the Spain airport strikes still going ahead and who could be affected?
The Express reports that this has led to flight cancellations becoming a recurring theme, but did you know that there's a way to lessen the chances of your air experience staying fully in tact and on schedule? Kristie Koerbel, a flight attendant, has recently chatted with the New York Times about her best travel hacks for those planning stints on foreign soil, including life-saving tips on preventing chaotic journey disruptions.
Kristie advised solely travelling at certain times of the day in order to avoid Covid and non-Covid-related cancellations. The flight attendant explained: “The first flights of the day rarely cancel. Thunderstorms build as the day gets warmer, flight crews reach their duty limits later in the day and traffic builds at busy airports.
“Yes, that might mean a 3 a.m. alarm, but if your early flight does happen to cancel, there will be more options to rebook a different flight.”
Kristie also noted that punters should plan to fly direct instead of via connecting flights to avoid further disruption, with the potential of missing a secondary flight altogether should your first being delayed highly possible. If flying direct isn't possible, she also told flying parties to avoid booking connections with short layovers.
She continued: “A one-hour layover is not enough anymore. Thirty minutes, not a chance. In most cases, three hours is safe.”
To keep on top of any delays, cancellations - or any other important info - Kristie advised flyers to download the airline’s app. She described airline apps as a 'valuable' resource: “They will keep you from having to wait in impossibly long lines or to try and get someone on the phone if things go wrong.”
Mobile apps allow passengers to track their luggage, flights and even be warned about cancellations way ahead of time. In the worst case scenario, this could save a passenger a long and pointless journey to the airport.
If needed, passengers are also able to book replacement flights using the app - while also avoiding long queues of people trying to do the same in person at the terminals.
For those lucky few who do in fact make it onto the plane, Kirstie shared another top tip which will help make their lives easier. She warned passengers away from bringing a particular item of clothing with them on each flight, regardless of the destination they are heading to being warm or cold.
While you may not be too eager to bring a fluffy jumper to sunny Spain, it will serve you well on the journey there according to the insider. She revealed that flight attendants often keep the plane cold on purpose, as heat makes those with air sickness feel worse - "we don’t want anyone to use those sick sacks."
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