Trying to Avoid Holiday Flight Delays? Here’s What 1 Pilot Says You Should Never Do (Exclusive)

Pilot Shares Expert Tips to Avoid Flight Delays

Holiday travel can often turn into a nightmare due to adverse weather conditions and the surge of people crowding airports, leading to frustrating flight delays. Last year, during Thanksgiving week alone, a staggering 232,000 flights took off across the U.S., setting a new record as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. While weather disruptions are beyond anyone’s control, there are measures passengers can take to contribute to on-time departures. One such advice comes directly from pilot Rob Donnelly, shedding light on a common passenger behaviour that can worsen flight delays.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Rob Donnelly, a pilot for Republic Airways, shared his top travel pet peeve that he encounters frequently amongst passengers. With extensive experience working through holidays, Donnelly points out a common mistake that he believes contributes to unnecessary delays, and it’s not confined to holiday travel woes. According to Donnelly, when a plane is delayed at the gate with passengers already onboard, even a single passenger deciding to use the bathroom can lead to further setbacks.

The pilot elaborated that when a passenger gets up while the plane is waiting for clearance to push back from the gate, it disrupts the entire process. Donnelly mentioned that regulations mandate the aircraft to remain stationary until the passenger returns to their seat safely, causing a chain reaction of delays. As frustrated ground controllers work to coordinate numerous planes, any additional delay only adds to the chaos, making it challenging to manage the departure schedule efficiently.

Donnelly expressed his frustration with the situation, explaining how a simple act like a passenger needing to use the bathroom can cascade into a significant delay. He emphasised that such interruptions can impact the plane’s priority status, affecting its position in the queue for takeoff. Therefore, his straightforward advice to passengers is to refrain from using the bathroom until the aircraft is airborne to avoid unnecessary disruptions to the departure process.

Apart from offering valuable insights on flight operations, Donnelly, along with his wife Lauren, actively shares travel tips and guidance for nervous flyers on their social media platform @donnelly.travels. The duo aims to educate passengers on common misconceptions related to air travel, such as the belief that turbulence poses a significant threat to flight safety – a myth they aim to debunk through their platform. While acknowledging passengers’ frustrations with flight delays, Donnelly also empathised with their desire to reach their destinations promptly, especially during festive seasons.

Reflecting on his own experiences, the pilot understood the passengers’ concerns regarding delays, having once shared the same sentiments before transitioning into a pilot role. He highlighted the inevitability of certain delays, often caused by factors beyond anyone’s control, leading to passenger dissatisfaction and misplaced blame on airline staff. Despite the challenges, Donnelly reiterated the paramount importance of prioritising safety over punctuality, emphasising the critical role of making informed decisions to ensure a secure flight experience for all passengers.

As the holiday season approaches, Donnelly’s invaluable advice serves as a timely reminder for passengers to cooperate and adhere to onboard regulations to facilitate smoother and efficient flight operations. While delays remain an unavoidable aspect of air travel, passengers can play a proactive role in minimising disruptions and contributing to a more seamless travel experience for themselves and their fellow travellers. By cultivating a collective understanding and cooperation, passengers and airline staff can work together to navigate the challenges of holiday travel with greater ease and efficiency.