Comments for Avoid Airport Delays With Free Online Tools

Avoid Airport Delays With Free Online Tools

2007-02-20T00:05:05Z

What with the crazy weather and JetBlue's recent mortification, it becomes more important for the jet-setting consumer to stay informed of possible airport delays. Here's a suite of tools to keep your travels free of travail.

• Worst offenders list of airlines/airports to avoid, based on last year's data. "Since air traffic activity follows cyclical patterns, the same month last year is often a better predictor of performance than using last months data."

• Online Javascript weather map of airport delays across the country.

• TSA Security Checkpoint Times by airport.

• Realtime flight-status check. It's not tied in with Airline computer systems but actually in with air traffic controllers.

• Common-sense tips for avoiding delays, i.e. try to schedule connecting flights further apart, fly direct when possible.

— BEN POPKEN

[Photo: JohnKit]

Comment from MoCo on 2007-02-20

2007-02-20T20:31:16Z

http://www.flightstats.com displays the FAA and airline status records for each flight. It's very useful for finding out about delays long before the airline announces them in the airport.

Comment from orielbean on 2007-02-20

2007-02-20T18:57:26Z

Remember Moogle, TSA and HSA are only security theater. They exist to give you warm fuzzy feelings about being safe. We are just as safe / vulnerable as we used to be. The improvements that make sense to actually possibly prevent a hijacking - pilots and air marshalls carrying guns on the plane.

Everything else is just for show my friend. It is like the Border Fence resolution - even if they build the thing it would only be for show to make you feel warm about stopping illegal immigration.

Sorry, didn't mean to drag a political flame war into this thread.

Comment from MoogleLally on 2007-02-20

2007-02-20T06:25:49Z

I have heard things about the TSA Checkpoint Times.

Basically, the leads/supervisors will tell everyone working to hurry up right before the end of the hour, to make their times seem faster.

That means skipped bag checks and sending things through the x-ray with hardly time to glance. A lot safer, huh?

Anyway, they have everyone speed up so they look better. So you're better to add an extra 10-15 minutes on to whatever your checkpoint's time is reading.

Comment from Todd A. on 2007-02-19

2007-02-20T01:02:37Z

If you fly on a semi-regular basis, I highly suggest joining one of the airline clubs. For example, in Charlotte, I joined the US Air Club ($300/yr). The clubs are fairly nice inside, and certainly beat the craziness of the jammed terminals. The most valuable part of a club membership is when you have flight delays or cancellations. You can run back into the club and they have VERY NICE ticket agents that will bend over backwards to rebook you. May seem expensive, but it is cheap insurance.