TAMPA, Fla. — With the busiest travel days of the year coming up there's really no way to guarantee a smooth and on-time flight. But there are ways to make things a little easier during your journey.
According to the travel website The Vacationer, select the earliest flight possible and try to find a direct flight. Try flying to and from flight hubs and find a layover that is less than 90 minutes. Skipping the connecting flights altogether and opting for a direct flight, if possible, will help with any potential delays.
If you can, fly on the least busy day surrounding the holiday. The Vacationer says typically the best days of the week to fly are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In addition to potentially saving on airfare, finding the slowest travel day should help mitigate delays.
Another way you could potentially avoid delays is by not booking with airlines that struggle with frequent delays and cancellations.
The Vacationer reports more than 174 million Americans plan to travel for Thanksgiving, Christmas or both holidays. That's up 6 percent from last year.
A majority of people surveyed say they have little to no confidence they'll be able to avoid delays or cancellations.
After last year's baggage issue, if you'd like to keep tabs on your bag, many people are using tracking devices like Apple Air Tags.
You might have a little more success driving. While you obviously can't control traffic, more people are expected to hit the roads instead of the skies this upcoming holiday season.