Flight Attendant Shares Just How Bad Flying is Right Now: ‘I’m Not Kidding’

A purported flight attendant went viral just after sharing a record of vacation suggestions created to aid fliers navigate the impending “tough” summer months months.

Putting up to Facebook, Kristie Koerbel wrote: “Flying this summertime is Rough!!! I feel like as a Flight Attendant I need to attempt to share some recommendations to get you through airline vacation for the foreseeable long run.” The article has amassed above 21,000 likes, 101,000 shares and dozens of feedback from travelers who thanked Koerbel for sharing her pro assistance.

In accordance to CBS News, 1000’s of flights were being canceled more than Father’s Day weekend. And unfortunately, because of to staffing shortages, regime servicing and the inescapable bad temperature, flight cancelations and delays are expected to persist all through the summertime months. In point, these issues may perhaps even get even worse.

“Right now, when you have usual factors like plane upkeep or weather, delays are substantially additional severely felt. There are no reserved excess pilots, planes, flight attendants—and the chain is only fantastic as the weakest hyperlink,” Package Darby, the founder of Package Darby Aviation Consulting, advised CBS.

Talking to NPR, travel analyst Henry Harteveldt included: “Any of us who are organizing to vacation this summertime require to go in with the assumption that anything will go incorrect and be thrilled when it doesn’t.”

With all this in brain, Koerbel to start with recommended travelers to keep away from airports completely, if attainable.

“If it’s much less than 7 hours—DRIVE! I’m not kidding. There is very little pleasurable about traveling correct now. On any airline,” she wrote.

Of program, Koerbel understands not everybody can keep away from the airport, so she compiled a checklist of in excess of 15 useful suggestions built to make the journey less difficult. Here are some standouts:

Use Airline Applications

“Down load and use the app of the airline you are traveling,” Koerbel recommended. “You can do all the things on it—get your boarding pass, monitor your baggage, see your incoming airplane, and modify a flight…Ordinarily, these applications will inform you a flight is canceled ahead of the crew even knows!”

Price range Excess Time

Thanks to flight cancelations and delays, Koerbel states travelers need to not only vacation “early” but should also “plan very long layovers.”

“Fly Significantly previously than you want to—a complete day early if it is important!! This week I saw numerous people today pass up vital items like weddings, funerals, cruises, international connections, and graduations. The tears ended up extremely genuine, for really actual reasons, and there was nothing at all I could do!” she pleaded.

She extra that a person-hour layovers are “NOT sufficient,” and encouraged fliers to book layovers of a few hrs or far more.

Choose the 1st Flight of the Day

“Constantly fly the initial flight in the morning so you have all day to be rebooked if the s**t hits the lover. Sure, that usually means it could be a 3:00 a.m. alarm, but early morning flights don’t cancel approximately as usually,” Koerbel claimed.

E book Immediately As a result of the Airline

“Flights are Entire,” Koerbel spelled out. “If a flight is oversold, and no a person volunteers to give up their seats, who do you think is the initially to be bumped? [It’s] the family members that saved a handful of $$ by utilizing web sites like Expedia, Kayak, Hotwire, and so on.”

In accordance to journey professional Willis Orlando, a different extra reward of booking right through an airline incorporates less crimson tape.

“[Third-party sites] have considerably less sturdy client company operations than an airline does,” Orlando advised CBS. “With on-line vacation internet sites, there is an further layer of interaction and policies, and you happen to be not always owed the same as what you are if you booked by way of the airline.”

For extra journey ideas, go to Koerbel’s Fb site.

On-line Response

Commenters were being appreciative of Koerbel’s advice and thanked her for sharing her expert awareness.

“Good details. I’m so grateful for all of you who continue to keep us secure as we fly,” wrote Sandra Shortt.

“Several many thanks for generously sharing this suggestions and your heart in this a lot-needed put up. You operate challenging and truly treatment about your career and your friends,” included Stephene Moyer Thompson.

Newsweek has attained out to Kristie Koerbel for comment.

Other Viral Moments

Past month, a flight attendant went viral on TikTok after sharing the comprehensive steps she normally takes to secure herself in a hotel room. Also in May well, a Southwest Airlines stewardess made headlines for singing to her passengers in the course of their flight.

And in September, just one flight attendant’s speech about mask regulations amassed in excess of 2 million sights on TikTok.