Check-in on time

There is a reason why airlines recommend their passengers check in up to three or more hours before the flight takes off – it’s simply a matter of making sure to pick up on any issues well before the boarding gate closes so that they can be rectified in time and not spill over into the time allocated to take-off. So be sure to always check in on time and in so doing, you’re doing your bit to ensure there are no delays.

Adhere to all passenger regulations

Something else which may seem like a no-brainer is that of making sure you adhere to all the passenger regulations put in place by the airline you’re flying with. Things don’t seem so obvious after all when you consider that many delays are indeed caused by passengers themselves, in that they get pulled aside for things like trying to board with prohibited items or for just not following the proper procedures in line with the customs laws. If you and 50 other passengers cause a minor delay of about a mere two minutes each, that can add up really fast and contribute to an overall delay which as you know can lead to a knock-on effect.

Use an online booking platform or travel agency to search for tickets

I guess this brings us into the real meat of the matter in that if you use online booking platforms or other travel agencies to check for the flight paths you’ll be taking and subsequently to book your tickets, you’ll be presented with the best of these. Booking agencies scan their extensive database of listed airlines to come up with a travel plan and flight path that minimises possible delays by allocating enough time between the boarding of different aircraft/ airlines, while at the same time allowing for enough time to make the required switches. So you won’t find yourself in a situation where a slight delay in your first leg causes you to miss out on your next flight or anything like that – well at least that’s the plan which often works out well.

Additionally, you’ll also be in for some mega discounts while you’re at it, so too some perks like accumulating voyager miles and other points which form part of the loyalty rewards programmes of airlines, hotels and even service providers of holiday activities.

Following the advice above on how to avoid getting hit by flight delays is about the best that you can do to make sure the flight delays that do inevitably hit you aren’t through any fault of your own, but that’s exactly it – sometimes no matter what you do to avoid them, they somehow manage to creep up on you, especially if you’re a frequent traveller. So, if they do indeed catch up to you and it’s by no fault of your own, you could very well be eligible for some flight delay compensation.

Flight compensation experts, Flight Delay Claims 4U could get you up to £540 in flight delay compensation if you’ve had to endure a delay of a mere three hours. Check them out here to start your claims process. If you still can’t solve the problem, you can contact a local lawyer for legal advice.