Have you ever been so excited on your travel but encountered problems at the airport? Or are you in a hurry to arrive at one place but was faced with a flight delay? This year must be one of the busiest travel periods since 2000 and also noted for a large number of flight delays. For June 2007 only there were 462 flights that were delayed according to DOT and customer complaints have doubled.

So what should travellers do to avoid or minimize flight delays? Here are some tips to make your travel easier and stress free.

For frequent travellers to avoid delays fly earlier or take morning flights so you still have time to rebook if there's a flight delay. Don't take the last returning flight to avoid staying over night, often without extra money for accomodation. Book non-stop flights even if they cost much because each land and take of increases your chances of delay. Avoid peak travel times especially holidays. Choose your airline properly, take a carrier with good on-time performance. Before you book your travel, check weather conditions along your route to avoid flight delays due to bad weather conditions.

If you're already on a delayed flight be sure you have the right numbers to call. Call other airlines flying your route to minimize the time of delay. Being on an elite-status traveller helps a lot when delays happen. Experienced personnel can assist you in times of delay and you can make use of the time to focus on your work. Lastly, patience always get you through these kinds of situations. Ticket agents usually help those passengers who are accomodating and cool.

Expect delays when travelling and be prepared for it. So the next time you travel remeber these tips to avoid or minimize flight delays.