It’s not just turbulence and legroom making air travel more frustrating — the real trouble often starts before takeoff. A new analysis by writer Maxwell Tabarrok looked at every non-stop domestic flight in the US since 1987 and found that delays are now worse than ever. Even after accounting for longer routes and scheduling shifts, the data shows that “most flights in 2024 are late by 1990 standards.”

• Delays have stretched further — 1 to 1.5 hour hold-ups are now twice as common, and ‘catastrophic’ 3+ hour waits are 4.5x more likely than 40 years ago.
• On the upside, flight cancellations have stayed relatively flat, flight safety has improved, and tickets are cheaper — so maybe longer delays are a small price to pay.

Prepare for the unexpected: With travel disruptions seemingly the norm, more travelers are ensuring coverage and adding protection before they fly. Booking with credit cards that include Trip Delay Reimbursement — like the Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire, and Venture X — can help soften the blow of delays or cancellations. Others are springing for pricier Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) policies or parametric insurance, which pays out automatically after a delay or bad weather without the hassle of forms, receipts, or hours on hold.