I am a flight attendant. Here’s how to avoid travel delays on flights during the holidays

A flight attendant shared her top tips for making holiday travel easier – from avoiding delays to the packing essentials you should always take with you.

It’s no secret that flying on Thanksgiving and the holidays can be stressful. As everyone tries to get home to celebrate with their loved ones, airports are crowded, there are long lines at security, and flights are often overbooked or delayed.

This often leads to travel mishaps — but luckily, a flight attendant named Cici recently revealed the simple steps you can take to make the experience of chatting with Insider a little less stressful.

According to the flight attendant – who has worked for a major airline for five years, but does not want to reveal which airline for privacy reasons – being prepared for the worst helps ease the stress if something goes wrong. Therefore, it is important to be prepared and follow these steps.

It’s no secret that flying on Thanksgiving and the holidays can be stressful. As everyone tries to get home, flights are often behind schedule (stock photo)

Luckily, a flight attendant named Cici recently revealed the simple steps you can take to make the experience of chatting with Insider a little less stressful.

Her first advice was to check the status of your flight a day before departure.

She recommended using the FlightAware app or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to see the most accurate information about your upcoming flight.

Cici also said it’s important to keep an eye on the weather for the cities you’re flying to, as well as the area the plane visited before it traveled.

She explained that if the plane was delayed in the city it was in before yours, it would probably result in your own flight leaving late.

“If you have that extra knowledge, you have the right mindset,” she explained. “For me, 90 percent of success is understanding what you’re getting into before you get to the airport.”

It’s also a good idea to download the app of the airline you’re flying with, as they’re said to be the quickest to notify you of delays and gate changes, and they also usually have customer service representatives available to chat.

“You can communicate much more effectively through the app than standing on the phone or standing in line,” said the flight attendant.

Cici then recommended booking flights first thing in the morning so there were plenty of other rebooking options available in case of delays.

The flight attendant said delays are so common this time of year that you should make sure you have chargers, headphones and extra snacks in your carry-on (stock photo).

She added that if the flight was very early, the plane would probably have sat at the airport all night rather than just arriving from another city, making it less likely to be delayed.

She said preparing for the worst will ease stress if something goes wrong. Therefore, it is important to prepare for it with these steps

As for what to bring, she suggested packing for vacation differently than you normally would when flying.

Since delays are so common this time of year, the flight attendant said, make sure you have your chargers, headphones, some extra snacks or anything else you need for entertainment in your carry-on in case a delay occurs.

Last but not least, Cici encouraged everyone to keep a positive attitude no matter what and to never take out their frustration on other travelers or airline employees.

“Remember, you don’t know what anyone else is going through,” she concluded.

Cici has recently become an online sensation as she shares some of the things she’s learned during her years in the aviation industry with over 253,000 followers on Instagram and 386,000 on TikTok.

In September, she posted a video detailing the five things she would never do as a passenger, and it quickly went viral.

Cici has recently become an online sensation as she shares some of the things she has learned during her years in the aviation industry and has over 386,000 followers on TikTok.

At first, she said she would never fly on the day of an important event such as a wedding, a cruise, a birth or a graduation.

In September, she posted a video detailing the five things she would never do as a passenger, and it quickly went viral

“I can’t tell you how many people on my flights have missed important appointments because of delays and it’s just not worth it,” she said in the TikTok. “Always fly the day before.”

She also urged her followers not to put things in the pockets on the back seat, saying it was “dirty” and that she had seen people “put all sorts of things in there”.

She also advised against putting jackets or loose items in the overhead compartments as they would be very dirty.

“I mean, I’ve never seen them cleaned and I’ve seen people’s stuff spill out of their pockets and spread out on their coats or dresses or whatever, just don’t do that,” Cici said. shared.

Her other major was not arguing with a flight attendant — instead, she said, reporting your problems directly to the airline’s customer service line — or relying on cabin crew for food and water.

She explained that the rough air and turbulence sometimes prevented flight crews from serving passengers. So always make sure to have some snacks or drinks before boarding.