Travel Experts Give Advice On Preparing For Holiday Flight Cancellations

Airlines are expected to be very busy during the holidays with more people booking flights this year than last year. Local travel agents are advising you to be flexible and book early.

Debby Herring and Sharon Duffer are avoiding the busy airports during Thanksgiving week and instead are traveling this week to see family and they are taking precautions, just in case.

"Well, we have extra clothes for a hotel and a credit card so if we have to stay if flights get canceled we'll just find a place. So we're flying to Salt Lake then on to Portland," said Herring.

She said they are prepared to be patient.

"Even if it's a simple round trip. I used to say to people 'gosh, if you're just going to go to Florida to visit Aunt Marge you probably don't need to call me,' but with the way the system has been turned on its head it's a lot more complicated," said Alex Eaton.

Eaton owns World Travel Service in Tulsa and said airlines are not seeing thousands of flights delayed or canceled right now like a few weeks ago, but recommends being willing to switch airlines at the last minute.

"Co-chairs are a little dicey and that's what those agreements are. They are co-chair agreements that says hey if I'm booked on an airline I've got an agreement where I can move you over to airline b and they'll do an inter-airline transfer," said Eaton.

He said you might have to get a rental car to drive home if your flight does get canceled. Herring's advice is to pack extra.

"And all your toiletries, your medicine. If you get left and don't make it, I mean your bag doesn't make it you want to make sure you've got everything you need for a couple of days," said Herring.