Flying out of Newark Airport this holiday? Maybe not!
Flying is hectic and even more hectic during the holiday season.
During the holidays, just getting to Newark Airport is tough. There are traffic delays, then after arriving at the airport, there are long lines at the airline counter and very long lines at the TSA security check-in.
So, after you’ve gone through that massive stress test, you get settled and ready to board your flight only to find that it’s cancelled. Just writing this has caused me stress.
Newark Airport ranks number one in the country in flight cancellations.
That’s according to InsureMyTrip, which analyzed data from the Department of Transportation.
Congratulations Newark Airport!
The numbers are reflective of 2023 to date and they do not include the heavily travelled Thanksgiving and Christmas travel.
If you’re thinking you’d leave out of LaGuardia or JFK airport to increase your chances of not getting a cancelled flight, forget about it, they rank number 2 and 3.
According to some airline policies, there is no guarantee of reimbursement if your flight is cancelled or because of a delay, you miss a connection in another hub somewhere in the middle of this great country.
You literally are gambling on the trip going as planned and 94% of the time your flight will not be cancelled. There are weather delays, air traffic controller strike delays, gate problems, equipment problems, personnel problems and lately the removal and cancellation of a flight because of unruly or ill-behaved passengers.
The numbers so far for 2023 are moving in the wrong direction for Newark Airport.
In 2022, Newark finished the year ranked 4th in the country with the most cancellations, and now going into the holidays with traffic increasing, Newark Airport ranks number 1.
What can you do to prevent a cancellation? The actual cancellation will be out of your hands, but taking an extra day to fly helps to prevent the stress.
If you need to be in Iowa by Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, leave early Tuesday or better yet, Monday.
If you must be back at work on Monday, leave Saturday or better yet, late Friday.
Insure your trip so that if it does get cancelled you have the insurance money to cover your losses in case the airline won’t pay.
I used to travel frequently, many years ago. The times have changed, the technology has changed and so has the volume of people travelling by air.
Leave extra early for the airport before your flight, leave a day or two early if you absolutely must be somewhere by a day or certain time.
I hope your travel this holiday season is stress-free.
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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.
