Travel Disruptions in 2024: How To Navigate Increasingly Frequent Flight Delays

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 10:25 AM ET, Fri August 23, 2024

Beyond simply being frustrating, a delayed flight can have a variety of repercussions.

It may cause you to miss a connection, or you may end up having to spend a night in an airport or perhaps a hotel if there are no other flights available. And then there’s the cost of food and other necessities related to an upended travel schedule.

Data from the Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that about 21 percent of all flights this year arrived at their destination at least 15 minutes later than expected. The data, unfortunately, does not show exactly how much later flights arrived. The actual delays could be well more than 15 minutes in many cases, perhaps hours-long — but the DOT doesn’t report that level of detail.

Travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth says those delays can result in “significant financial losses” if the passenger's flight itinerary is upended.

Squaremouth's data also shows that historically, airline delays are one of the most common reasons travelers file a travel insurance claim, and this year has been no exception. More than 25 percent of all paid claims in 2024 were the result of flight delays and missed connections, per Squaremouth. Data also shows that the average claim was about $435.

With this in mind, TravelPulse asked industry insiders to share insights about how best to avoid travel disruptions, such as delayed flights and missed connections. And in cases when delays occur, how can travelers make the most of an insurance claim? Here’s what the experts had to say.

Select an early morning flight

If there’s one thing the experts agree on, it’s the importance of booking the first flight of the morning — that is, if your primary goal is a disruption-free flight experience.

“Flights departing after 3 p.m. have a statistically higher chance of being cancelled than earlier flights,” says Daniel Durazo, director of external communications for traveler insurer Allianz Partners, USA.

In addition to the likelihood of having an on-time flight, there’s another reason why early morning departures are a better bet.

“If you can catch an earlier flight, say 8 a.m. and the flight gets delayed or canceled, you have a better chance of finding more rerouting options, as opposed to booking a later or the last flight of the day,” continues Durazo. “If your evening flight gets cancelled, you could get stuck at the airport overnight.”

Choose an airline with a record of on-time performance

Yet another valuable step to take if you hope to have a smoother travel experience is researching the airline’s on-time performance history. A great deal of this type of information is available online.

“Choosing an airline with a reputation for timeliness is a good proactive strategy,” says Jeremy Murchland, president of travel insurance company Seven Corners.

According to Bureau of Transportation statistics, Delta flights were on time nearly 84 percent of the time from May 2023 to May 2024.

“That’s more than any other major U.S. carrier,” says Murchland.

Hawaiian, Alaska, and United airlines also arrived at their destinations as scheduled more than 78 percent of the time. On the other hand, budget airlines tend to have some of the poorest track records for delays. Jet Blue and Frontier only arrived at their destinations on time 68 percent of the time between 2023 and 2024.

Delayed flights were an all too common problem in 2024.

Use an app that predicts flight delays

Here’s a newsflash. There’s an app that actually predicts flight delays. The name of the app is Flighty and it promises to help users “Travel stress-free.” and “Predict delays.”

How exactly does Flighty know when flight delays will happen, you ask?

Here’s what the app’s website has to say on that front: “The #1 cause of delays is a late inbound aircraft, so we automatically monitor that for 25-hrs prior to departure. The #2 cause of delays is airspace mandates, so we got direct FAA access to alert you – you could know before the pilot!”

Julian Kheel, founder and CEO of Points Path, says Flighty is able to “predict delays with surprising accuracy.”

And Kheel offers this helpful tip: “While you typically have to pay for these tools, Flighty offers a free trial that covers your entire first flight using the app.”

How travel insurance can be helpful

If you’re purchasing travel insurance with the specific goal of covering any expenses related to missed or delayed flights, it’s important to choose your policy wisely, says Squaremouth’s Jenna Hummer.

Travel insurance policies will cover out-of-pocket expenses related to flight delays of anywhere from 3 to 12 hours, including meals, accommodations, and transportation expenses.

If a delay meets these requirements, the travel delay benefit can reimburse between $100 to $5,000, depending on the policy.

But here’s catch. When policy shopping, take note that policies will specify exactly how long a flight must be delayed before the coverage kicks in. For instance, some offer coverage for flight delays of just three-hours, while others will only provide coverage for delays of at least four hours, and still others will require delays be even longer before they provide coverage.

The point is, every policy spells out when its missed flight coverage kicks in and if you want the best protection possible, it’s a good idea to spring for policies that kick in sooner rather than later.

“You can usually get a policy that covers a flight delay of three hours that won’t be much more expensive,” explains Hummer.

The pros and cons of travel insurance

When considering the expense associated with a travel policy, it’s a good idea to evaluate the pros of cons of such a purchase. There are indeed benefits, but you’ll want to understand what those are ahead of time.

“I’d put the pros for flight coverage as peace of mind, financial protection, and potential for significant savings if you run into a long delay or cancelation,” says Scott Faust, owner of the travel agency Destinations 24/7 Travel Services.

As for the cons, Faust says they include “the cost of the insurance, limited coverage with waiting periods and caps on the dollar amount of coverage.”

Most travelers can expect to pay 5-10 percent of an insured trip’s cost for an insurance policy, according to Squaremouth. The average cost of policy in 2024 is about $308. But this price can vary depending on trip details and the level of coverage you’re seeking.

There’s also one last con to consider: The potential for unused coverage if your flight goes as planned. But a smooth flight is really the goal in the first place, isn’t it?

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