A MAN who has flown on over 170 airlines has revealed a little-known way to avoid flight cancellations.
Indy Nelson, 29, learned the trick while attempting to travel to every single country in the world.
He succeeded, becoming the youngest and fastest person to ever to so – at the age of 24 and in 539 days.
The globe trotter has also secured the Guinness World Record for flying on the most airlines, beating the previous record of 156.
Yet, of the whopping 500 flights that Indy booked during his adventure, only two were cancelled.
The secret is to always book morning flights, the American claimed.
This means there is less chance of a backlog of cancelled or delayed flights – meaning your flight will likely take off on time.
A 2023 study by the US Department of Transportation suggested the same phenomenon.
More than 80 per cent of flights leaving between 6am and 9am take off on time, according to the study.
However, less than 60 percent of flights leaving between 6pm and 9pm reportedly depart on time.
Product manager Indy, whose favourite airlines are Emirates and Qatar Airways, explained the reasons for his travel marathon on his website.
He said: “Growing up, I traveled abroad on a number of occasions.
“It wasn’t until taking my first overseas trip without my parents that the travel bug set in.”
He started off my volunteering at a camp for Syrian refugees in Greece, before booking an unconventional holiday to North Korea after graduating from college.
The adventure, for which he had to take out an $80,000 loan, has since taken him to numerous far-flung and even war-ridden destinations, including the front lines in Iraq.
He added: “It was exciting to go into the unknown and not know what was going to happen each day.
“The best way to learn how to solve the most difficult of situations is to be exposed to them – especially those that you can’t even fathom.
“There is no manual to traversing the world.”
It was during his Korean sojourn that he first set his sights on becoming the youngest person to ever travel the whole world – with the record holder at the time being two years older than him.
The helpful tip comes after researchers at Which? also revealed which seats have the most legroom on Ryanair planes.
Plane etiquette
IF you’re planning on going away any time soon, you’ll need to pay attention to the following unwritten plane etiquette rules…
RECLINING SEAT: Podcast host and etiquette expert Nick Leighton explained that you shouldn’t recline your seat if the passenger behind you is working on their laptop.
He said: “Nobody likes their laptop snapped in half.”
Before you recline your seat, it’s best to check to see what the passenger behind you is doing.
If they are on a laptop, ask before you move your seat back.
FEET: A flight attendant told The Sun: “Your boarding card tells you a number and a letter, this will be the reserved seat that you have paid for.
“Your feet, which are attached to your body, should do their best to reside within this space and stay far away from anyone else.
“If you do insist on stretching out, please make sure your feet are covered up.”
CHAT: TV travel expert Samantha Brown explained that conversations from strangers aren’t welcome, suggesting that others shouldn’t expect a chat.
She added: “I’m not a talker. Plane time is me time.”
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