The Trials and Tribulations of Modern Travel

Those of you who know me know that I travel often for business, and I’ve had many unpleasant experiences that have left me stranded in airports all over North America.

The speed at which people can get from one place to another is one of the most basic measures of a society’s sophistication. It affects economic productivity and human happiness; academic research has found that commuting makes people more unhappy than almost any other daily activity.

And it seems that Air travel has become more stressful for many travelers than filing taxes or going to the dentist.?And nearly every other part of the trip also lasts longer than it would have a few decades ago, thanks to traffic on the roads and airport security.

Imagine how long the same trip today might have taken a half-century ago. Believe it or not, it would have taken less time than it does today!

Did you know a flight from New York City to Houston, Texas, is over an hour longer today than if you took the same flight in 1973? It takes about three hours and 50 minutes, but 43 years ago, it would have taken 2 hours and 37 minutes.

Saving money is one reason flights take longer today. Airlines can save millions per year by flying slower. A travel industry report revealed that one popular airline saved $13.6 million annually by adding just under two minutes to each flight.

Flights also seem longer because of a practice called block padding. Airlines live and breathe by their on-time and mishandled baggage rankings. As such, padding a scheduled flight time is a way to increase their percentage of on-time arrivals. So, if they say you’re arriving early, you’re actually pulling in right on time.

Many airlines' activities include higher profits and less pleasant travel experiences for travelers. Here are some tips and recommendations that may improve your travel experiences.

• You can plan ahead to save money. Travelers who booked 28 days in advance saved 24% more than those who booked last minute.
• Fly Early Flights departing after 3 p.m. statistically have a 50% higher chance of being canceled than earlier flights. Leave on the earliest possible flight in the day to avoid ground and air traffic.

Airline travel has become more stressful for some (definitely me) than for others with increasingly unpredictable aspects, including road traffic and transportation delays getting to the airport, getting through security lines (Ugh!), and worries about flight delays or cancellations, many of which are out of our control.

There are many things you can do to improve your travel experience and get more value. Here are a few more of my tips.

TIP1: Leave enough time for every aspect of traveling and avoid the stress of being late.

TIP2: Use apps like Expedia Group , HotelsTonight, Hotels.Com, CheapTickets, Uber, and the app for your airline of choice to manage unexpected travel disruptions, especially when you are tapped in an airport somewhere and are trying to get home. (Like my recent 9-hour delay and eventual flight cancellation at 1 a.m. in Boston)

TIP3 Enroll in Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PRECHECK to save time by not having to remove your shoes or some clothing and not pulling your laptop(s) from its carry bag. (You must apply online for a scheduled live interview).

Enroll in CLEAR (clearme.com) to save more time by not having to hold your ID in your hand and show it to the TSA officer (I’m always worried that in the shuffle of the X-ray machine, I will somehow lose my ID and ruin my trip), and you get verified at their kiosk instead.

The advantage of CLEAR is not having to show your physical ID and being escorted past the TSA agent by just showing your boarding pass. It’s a bit bougie if you’re into that (I am!).?

CLEAR used to get me through security more quickly, but lately, I’ve noticed they have reduced staff at their lines, and now it seems about equal time to TSA PRECHECK. I hope CLEAR improves at the airports because CLEAR was a huge time saver for me.