What should you do when your flight is delayed?

A delayed flight can instantly turn a seemingly good trip into a hassle and something not everyone wants. So in the meantime, what should we do to keep calm before boarding the plane and leaving for our desired destination? Let's join HoaBinh Airlines and learn about what you should do when your flight is delayed right now.

1. What is a flight delay?

A flight delay is a situation where a flight is delayed and cannot depart at the scheduled time of the airline, prolonging passengers' waiting time. Airplane delays can be minutes, hours, or even days. The longer the delay, the more it will affect the passenger's travel or business plans.

Delay is when a flight is delayed and cannot depart at the scheduled time of the airlines

Normally, airlines will notify passengers in advance about flight delays via email or text message. But there are also many cases where passengers arrive at the airport and receive a notice of flight delay for some reason.

Why was the flight delayed?

The reasons for plane delays are divided by airlines into two groups - technical errors and other reasons.

1. Technical reasons

Airlines' aircraft are periodically maintained, refueled, loaded with luggage or cleaned after each flight. If, during maintenance, the plane discovers an error that needs to be repaired, sometimes the plane only has a very small technical error, but they still have to delay the departure time to check the safety of all passengers. At that time, the airline will lack planes, leading to many flights being delayed.

The airline regularly maintains and inspects after each flight

2. Other reasons

Weather and natural disasters: Weather issues are often mentioned by airlines. Unfavorable weather will make takeoff and landing difficult. This is beyond the control of the airlines. However, this is not the main reason for the delay. Because weather conditions rarely change enough to change flight schedules,. Mainly, when there is a storm or heavy rain, the plane cannot take off.

Air traffic control and airport conditions: Air traffic is also extremely complex; with large passenger traffic, the frequency of flights will increase. Takeoff or landing requires time and enough space. time to fly. work can be done. Airports in Vietnam, especially Tan Son Nhat Airport, are often overloaded.

Overcrowding when planes have to queue to take off

Even during rush hours, airlines have to wait in long lines to take off; sometimes planes have to hover in the air for 15 to 30 minutes before it's their turn to land.

• Security issue: Before taking a flight, airport staff must always check luggage and passengers to make the flight safe. Therefore, when some passengers do not comply with the airline's regulations or there is a problem with security equipment at the airport, the plane can be delayed.
• Plane delays: One of the most common reasons for plane delays is jet lag. This situation usually only occurs on low-cost airlines with a small number of aircraft but a large number of passengers. Flight delays can be chained. The previous flight landed late, and the next flight took off later than expected.

Airport staff must always check luggage and passengers for a safe flight

What should I do to "kill time" when the flight is delayed?

Flight delays happen often, so when this happens, what should you do to avoid wasting time?

1. Doing your job

If you bring a laptop, tablet or simply a phone, take advantage of it because most airports, both domestic and international, have free wifi, free electronic device charging sockets, and multiple exit doors. enter. Food and drink reserves. Besides, the cool air conditioning system and comfortable seats will help you have working hours, and you will realize that waiting is more comfortable than ever.

Take advantage of work while the plane is delayed

2. Read a book

Another way to save time is to go to a bookstore or bring books to read. Getting used to plane delays with books not only helps you improve your knowledge and recharge your positive energy, but it is also a useful habit in life.

Read books to "kill time" while waiting for your upcoming flight

3. Shopping

This is a familiar way to handle when a flight is delayed. Most goods at the airport are duty-free, so buying gifts at the airport occasionally is not a bad idea. Reasonable price, guaranteed quality, but also a great time killer. But be careful; avoid spending on unnecessary things.

Shopping at duty-free shops to the kill time

4. Surface Facebook, Youtube, read newspapers, play games...

Along with mobile phone use, social media has now become one of the most popular options for use during flight delays. Whether it is Instagram, Facebook, Youtube or any other application, people can easily "burn" a lot of time with these applications.

While waiting for your plane to be delayed, why don't you share some pictures of the start of your trip with your friends? Interacting on social networks can make you forget about time and make you feel like time passes much faster.

Interaction on social networks makes time pass faster

5. Explore and take photos at the airport

Another way you can make the most of your waiting time is to explore the airport. Airports are often designed in a polite style, typical of each region. Therefore, taking advantage of the plane delay to take a few photos is not a bad idea.

Another way travelers can make the most of their wait time is to explore the airport. This is definitely a wise tactic and can consume a lot of time. At the airport, there are many souvenir shops, bookstores, and restaurants for tourists to stop and explore. However, it's best not to spend any money on the items you see at the airport because they are quite expensive.

Take virtual photos at the beautiful airport

6. Expand relations

The airport is a miniature world where there are many people from many different lands and of many different classes. So, take advantage of this opportunity to get acquainted with the person sitting next to you in the waiting line, or practice your foreign language skills when communicating with foreign guests if you are at the international airport.  

Chat together at the airport lounge to kill time

7. Don't sleep!

When a flight is delayed, the first thing travelers can think of to kill time is to close their eyes and go to sleep. However, this can lead to you not being able to sleep any longer during a long flight. And when you wake up, you'll definitely feel even more irritable because you're "sleepy." So instead, it's best to choose to rest on the plane and, while delayed, stay alert and continue doing other useful things.

8. Wait for your flight in the waiting room

Priority lounges can be a great way to pass the time while waiting for your flight. Waiting rooms at airports around the world have many food and drink stalls, wifi, a TV and many cozy scenes to make your mood more comfortable. For those who travel often, this can be a perfect option before preparing for a long flight. Maybe even after you leave the lounge, you want your flight to be delayed even longer.

The first-class lounge of an airport

9. Let it come naturally to you and accept it

When things do not follow the trajectory that people want, their minds can easily go into fear and bring a lot of negativity. However, there are still some travelers who can easily accept the delays that come their way. This helps them feel more comfortable and gives them a more positive feeling. Therefore, we advise you that if there is a flight delay, be happy and accept it, because even if you don't accept it, it won't change anything.

A female passenger is accepting and waiting for her flight 

How do you avoid being late for a flight?

1. Choose an early morning flight

In fact, flights departing in the morning are less likely to be delayed than flights arriving late. Along with that, even if there is a delay, you will have more opportunities on the next flight without affecting the schedule. Therefore, instead of booking a flight in the afternoon or evening, you should book a flight in the morning.

Passengers should consider choosing an early flight

2. Limit flights on peak days

If you are a frequent flyer, this is probably an experience you know very well. On peak days, in addition to the overload of passengers causing air ticket prices to increase, the possibility of plane delays also increases greatly. Peak days fall on weekends, holidays, short-term and long-term Tet holidays, etc. Therefore, you should carefully research the most appropriate travel time to have a smooth and economical trip.  

Avoid flying on peak days

3. Priority is given to choosing direct flights

Itineraries with multiple connections are more likely to experience delays than direct flights. Therefore, if your itinerary has a direct flight, you should choose that flight. Sometimes, direct flights may be a bit more expensive, but in return, your personal schedule will not be affected or cause unnecessary consequences.

Priority is given to choosing direct flights

4. Always keep an eye on your email or phone after successfully booking tickets

After you successfully book a flight ticket, flight information and codes are usually sent via email or personal phone. Therefore, if you have booked a ticket, pay attention to the displayed notifications, if any, to know if your flight will be delayed later than expected. Many people did not pay attention to messages/calls or emails, so they arrived at the airport earlier or were not late.

Notification of flight information sent to text message/email

5. Find out about other flights in advance

Find out and learn about other flights similar to yours. If the flight you booked is delayed longer than expected and you don't have time to wait because of the delay, you can choose to contact us. Contact airline staff for advice. any other flights to cities/locations that fit your schedule. From there, you can ask the staff to change flights to the same route to avoid wasting more time.

Find out information about other flights

A plane being delayed is something that few people want, including the airlines. No one can predict whether a delay will occur and, if so, how long it will last. Procrastination is frustrating most of the time, but it will only make things worse and take more time if you don't control yourself. Instead, stay calm and have a comfortable mood to solve the problem.

6. Avoid alcohol

Many people kill time waiting for a delayed flight by going to an airport bar for a drink. This thing will make you excited, not alert, and, in many cases, lead to unnecessary fights and quarrels on the plane. Therefore, you absolutely need to avoid using alcoholic beverages before boarding the plane. However, this can pose more risks than you think.

Avoid drinking alcohol to avoid unfortunate situations

7. Avoid spending on unnecessary things

Flight delays can cause you to spend more, especially on the way back home. When you have too much time and don't know what to do, you can go buy some souvenirs, eat, and have fun. But this causes you to lose a lot of money. This is considered the wrong method to kill time. Instead, do more useful and necessary work without spending money.

Avoid buying too many unnecessary items while waiting for your upcoming flight

8. Avoid getting angry with airline staff

Almost every delay makes us feel angry, so getting angry with others is not surprising. But that will make things worse and waste more time if you don't know how to control yourself. Instead, take your time doing whatever we recommend on this list.

You should stay calm and talk to airline staff for help

Above are some shares from HoaBinh Airlines on what to do when a flight is delayed. Hopefully, through this article, you will have more tips to make your flight more convenient. If you have any questions, please contact us via hotline at 0939.311.911 - 0913.311.911 for 24/7 support.