Why are flight delays so common now?

Unrealistic scheduling practices Airlines often blame the weather for delays. But staffing shortages can make those worse.



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Allegiant had the worst on-time record, 63.4 percent, followed by JetBlue (64.6 percent) and Frontier (66.1 percent), the analysis says. Travelers can get up-to-date information about the on-time performance of airlines by going directly to the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

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BTS data from July 2021 to June 2022 shows Hawaiian performed best of all U.S. airlines with just a 0.81% cancellation rate. Delta took second place again — with a cancellation rate of 1.63%. Meanwhile, merger partners JetBlue (3.81%) and Spirit Airlines (4.11%) canceled the highest percentage of all flights.

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Perhaps even more significant is the stark drop over the past year. August 2023 U.S. airfares averaged 13% lower than what they were in August 2022. Things get especially interesting when compared to pre-pandemic prices.

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August 22, 2023 A twin-engine Beechcraft BE99 crashed in a field in Litchfield, Maine, around 5:45 p.m. local time Tuesday, Aug. 22. Two people were on board. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.

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Flying Is Only Getting Safer Over Time Global flight accident rates have been steadily declining over the years for a number of reasons, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

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Ryanair has never had a fatal crash In its 37 years of existence, there have been zero passenger or crew member fatalities.

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On average, there are 1,662 plane crashes per year. There are roughly 938 small plane crashes per year (planes under 12,500 lbs). Taxiing planes leads to 54 accidents, 4 deaths, and 24 accidents per year. There are up to 90,000,000 flight hours logged per year globally.

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Time your booking right
“For domestic flights, if you're talking peak season, it's about three to seven months in advance,” he says. “For international flights — [it's] four to 10 months.”

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Now, the day of the week you choose to travel does make a difference in the best time to buy flights. In 2023, the cheapest day of the week to fly is Wednesday. Flying on Wednesday will save you almost $100 versus Sunday – the most expensive day to fly.

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World's Longest Flights by Distance In 2023
  1. Singapore (SIN) to New York-JFK (JFK) [SQ23/24] ...
  2. Singapore (SIN) to Newark-Liberty (EWR) [SQ22/21] ...
  3. Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to Doha, Qatar (DOH) [QR921/920] ...
  4. Perth, Australia (PER) to London-Heathrow, United Kingdom (LHR) [QF9/10] ...
  5. Dallas/Ft.


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2023: Fall from the Peak As we left the highs of 2022 behind, a trend began emerging in flight prices. Airline tickets, especially for domestic routes, started witnessing a downward trajectory. This culminated in June 2023, with a marked drop in domestic ticket prices, offering some relief to travelers.

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Factors such as fuel costs, staffing shortages, aging IT infrastructure and hidden fees all contribute to expensive flights in 2023.

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Welcome to Skift Research's State of Travel 2023 Report. Travel is back! While 2022 was all about bumper performances in some countries and sectors, and lagging performances in others, we can truly say that 2023 is the year that travel fully recovered.

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The cheapest months to travel are:
  • November – early December.
  • Late January – March.


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The general rule is that for domestic flights, travelers should start searching for flight tickets one to three months in advance. For international flights, the best prices are typically available from two to eight months in advance. Prices can also vary widely among airlines.

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In response, on May 8, 2023, the Biden administration proposed new rules that would require airlines to compensate passengers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed because of causes – unlike bad weather – that are under the control of the airlines.

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Is there a cheapest month to fly? If you're looking for a bargain month to travel, February is your best bet. Flights in January closely follow February for being most affordable. At the other end of the spectrum, December and July are the first and second most expensive months to travel, on average.

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Beginning May 3, 2023, your driver's license will need to be REAL ID-compliant if you want to use it to fly within the U.S. It's part of a law passed by Congress. If your license is not compliant, and you don't have another acceptable form of ID, you'll have trouble getting through airport security.

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KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, March 27, 1977 This crash remains the deadliest ever, claiming the lives of 583 people when two 747s collided on a foggy runway on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

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