Why we like to fly before the sun

People always think we’re crazy when we take 5 or 6 am flights that make us get up in the dark. But today is a good illustration why we do it. Plan was to fly Boston to Dulles to MSY, leave BOS around 245p, home by 615. Weather great in all three places.

Then it rained in New York, as it often does in the summer. Game over. Plane from Newark to Boston can’t take off, and the dominoes start to fall. Get on an American flight to Chicago to avoid spending the night in D.C. Then the plane that’s supposed to take us from Chicago to New Orleans is two hours late from San Francisco because it came to SFO from — you guessed it — New York. Now we’re looking at midnight, and a 14 hour travel day from Cape Cod.

By contrast, we took the 515 am flight from New Orleans to Boston on the way up. Got in 20 minutes early. There are no guarantees, but on balance, the earlier you fly, the less likely you are to be delayed.

This is also why I pay the annual fee every year to have a Credit Card that gives me access to the airline club. If you’re stuck for 6 hours in Chicago, it’s really SO much better to be stuck for 6 hours in Chicago drinking free beer and wine and eating free snacks in a comfortable chair with free, quality Wi-Fi.