A computer glitch grounded United Airlines planes for two hours Wednesday and delayed flights nationwide in another blow to travelers facing what could be the most unpleasant summer ever for air travel.
Severe storms, more planes in the air and intermittent computer outages are causing record numbers of delays and mishandled baggage, often turning a vacation into a bruising endurance test at the airport.
Passport renewal delays are also adding to frustration for international travelers. And the worst is yet to come as the summer travel season reaches its peak in the next few weeks.
"It's going to be nasty, crowded, frustrating and expensive this summer," said Joe Brancatelli, operator of the Joe Sent Me website for business travelers. "It's the worst I've seen in years."
So what is a traveler to do? Expect the worst and prepare for it, travel experts say.
Pick nonstop flights if possible. If you have to make connections, avoid checking baggage. Delays and mishandled baggage are expected to be more common at hub airports such as Chicago and Dallas, where connecting flights could easily be disrupted by weather, computer glitches or mechanical problems.
Brancatelli also recommends spending a minute or two before you leave for the airport to devise a backup plan in case your flight is canceled at the last minute. Make sure you know which other carriers fly your route. Airlines have to honor other carriers' tickets if seats are available.
"Life on the road doesn't have to be totally hopeless," he said.
But for many travelers, flying this year has already been a major challenge, particularly within the U.S., government and industry data show.
Slammed by bad weather and an overloaded air-traffic-control system, only 72.5% of domestic flights were on time this year through April, the worst performance since the government began compiling such figures more than a decade ago.
So it wasn't surprising when surveys by J.D. Power & Associates found that airline customer satisfaction declined.
The average satisfaction score for the big traditional carriers fell to 667 this year from 675 in 2006, with 1,000 being the highest possible score.
But not many travelers have complained, said Diane Embree, a consultant for Michael's Travel Centre in Westlake Village.
