The One Flight You Should Never Book, According to a Meteorologist
This vital scientific insight will help you avoid travel chaos.
Chris Bianchi, a meteorologist known as @WeatherChris on TikTok, is probably one of the most well-versed people on how weather patterns affect travel. Yet, Chris still found himself at the airport at 1:40 am, waiting for his delayed flight.
"My flight has been delayed at least three hours, maybe five hours now and it is actually all my fault," Chris says. He looks the sort of exhausted that can only happen when you've been toiling at the airport into the late hours of the night.
So, how is this flight delay all Chris's fault and not the fault of the airlines? Chris said it was because he mistakenly booked the worst kind of summer flight—a night flight.
"I broke the one rule you should never, ever break. Never book a flight in the afternoon, or especially at night during the summertime months in the United States," he continues.
So, why should you be avoiding nighttime flights like the plague?
"You know that if you're in the United States, you get summertime thunderstorms. You get a thunderstorm—it doesn't even have to be in the city you are traveling to or from," Chris said. "If it's a thunderstorm in Chicago, and you are flying from New York to Miami, that flight that you're taking from New York to Miami might be coming from Chicago." This means that even if you are in the path of clear skies, a storm elsewhere in the country could affect your flight.
"The chances of there being a thunderstorm somewhere in the United States in the afternoon or the evening are pretty high," Chris says. "You should not book a night flight during the summertime, because there's a pretty good chance you're going to have a delay because of a backlog of flights."
Basically, afternoon and evening flights are more likely to be affected by summer weather patterns—namely storms, than flights earlier in the day. This advice also mirrors tips from the travel experts at Going.
Better to set that early morning alarm than try to find a comfy sleeping position in an airport chair.
Looking for more travel tips?
Whether you need help sneaking weed onto a plane, finding an airport where you can sign up for PreCheck without an appointment, or making sure you’re getting everything you’re entitled to when your flight is canceled, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for up-to-date travel hacks and all the travel news you need to help you plan your next big adventure.