Why flight delays are the worst in 12 years

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

See recent posts by Christine Sarkis

I’ve never linked to a radio story before, but that’s where my head is right now because I’m working on SmarterTravel.com’s second podcast (you can still listen to the first podcast about shoulder season travel, too).

Yesterday on the radio I happened to hear an interesting piece about summer travel delays. NPR’s All Things Considered had an interview with David Field, U.S. editor of Airline Business magazine that was packed with insight, so I thought I’d go all Web 2.0 on you and pass it along.

Among other things, Field says the recent low on-time flight statistics indicate that, “travelers have to brace themselves for a bad summer.”

He offers an explanation of why air travel is going to be extra frustrating this summer (it involves a lag in air traffic control technology and smaller planes, among other factors). And, he looks at exactly how and why airlines are to blame for the delays, pointing to the practices of over-scheduling arrivals and padding flight times as two of the culprits.

I’ve been hearing a lot about travel this summer, but this is the first explanation that has really gotten at why it’s going to be bad. Knowing what to expect will help me take the frustrations of delays this summer more in stride (at least for the first few hours), and will motivate me to buy an extra-thick book to accompany me to the airport.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.