Do you avoid high-delay airports?
May 7, 2007 | 7:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: California
Programs: various
Posts: 4,240
Do you avoid high-delay airports?
Do you avoid high-delay airports like ORD? For example, by choosing connections elsewhere (even if a different airline choice is required), or by choosing an alternate local airport (e.g. MDW instead of ORD).
Or is being delayed frequently not much of a problem for your travel that you accept the risk of delay at high-delay airports?
Or is being delayed frequently not much of a problem for your travel that you accept the risk of delay at high-delay airports?
May 7, 2007 | 9:40 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 237
I try not to connect in the North during the winter, and the South during the summer.
May 7, 2007 | 10:37 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,246
I'm a gambler...I don't book super long connections and I don't avoid certain airports. Airlines operate on schedule 90%+ of the time so that small percent of flights that do get delayed are just part of the joys of air travel. Of course I tend to leave early enough to factor in a potential delay when there is a time definite meeting or such that I need to attend.
May 8, 2007 | 5:53 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA LT Gold; BA Silver; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,103
Same here- my husband and I have stuck with our "never connect through LHR again" vow. Our last 2 and our next planned European vacations will not involve LHR. I also try to avoid ORD in favor of DFW during the winter but that's not always an option. When you fly in and out of MCI you almost always have to transfer somewhere and sometimes you can't be picky.
May 8, 2007 | 7:00 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: OKC/DFW
Programs: AA EXP/2 MM
Posts: 9,999
May 8, 2007 | 7:10 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: KRK
Programs: UA Premiere Platinum
Posts: 492
I try to avoid LHR like the plague....but I'm stuck flying back and forth b/w ORD & BOS which both are AWFUL in the winter, and then ORD is usually a mess with T-Storms at least once a week in the summer. Moving out to SFO next year, which should (I hope?) be better?
-W
-W
I try to fly out on the first flight of the day. As for my return flight, I have my books and my poetry to protect me.
May 8, 2007 | 9:01 am
#13
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Programs: DL, AA, UA, B6, WN
Posts: 434
I don't live in Manhattan but all three NYC area airports are equidistant from where I am in Brooklyn - I opt for JFK when I can because it seems more resilient against weather and traffic. Other than that I don't really try to avoid airports except to try to avoid connecting north in winter and south (and ORD late afternoon/early evening) in summer. Also try to fly earlier in the day in the summer months overall.
May 8, 2007 | 9:09 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Laying over at a hub near you
Programs: WorldPerks Gold, Priority Club Platinum
Posts: 74
Absolutely. I stopped flying US Air a few years ago to avoid PHL. I've only flown through ORD three times this year and was cancelled due to weather (or the threat thereof) each time. I've come to the conclusion that the problem isn't necessarily UA or AA, but ORD in general. I started flying NW simply to avoid ORD and PHL. DTW has issues every once in a while as well, but seems to recover a lot more quickly than ORD.