Want to know the 10 worst times of the day to fly? Want to know which local airport is more likely to have delays? Did you book the flight that is delayed 100 percent of the time for an average of two hours? Travelers can find the answers to all of these questions and more at AvoidDelays.com http://www.avoiddelays.com/ , a new website launched Wednesday by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

AvoidDelays.com ( http://www.avoiddelays.com/ ) is the first tool of its kind to help travelers avoid delays, and make informed decisions about their flight plans, based on both historical and live flight data.

“Anyone who’s traveled recently can tell you how strained the air travel system has become,” said Ruth Marlin, executive vice president of NATCA. “With more people flying more often than ever and cash-strapped airlines using smaller jets that require more connections, the system has become oversaturated. Travelers, especially frequent business travelers, are the first to feel it.

“This site allows us to put useful, user-friendly information in the hands of consumers to help improve their travel experience. We acknowledge, however, that while the site is valuable to travelers, it only deals with the symptoms of larger problems which should be addressed. Until the system is fixed, the best anyone can do is try to navigate it wisely.”

The site features:

—Listings of the most delayed departure and arrival airports, so travelers can make informed decisions about where to fly out of, and where to make the easiest connections.

—A listing of the 100 most delayed flights. (In fact the worst flight in the nation is delayed 100 percent of the time for an average of about 2 hours!!)

—The top 10 worst times of day to fly into the most delayed arrival airports, so travelers can schedule their trips to avoid making connections at those times.

—An interactive function that allows travelers to check rankings before they book a flight, and check flight status on the day they fly.

—Detailed historical delay information for every airport in the nation.

—A daily update of how many delays the system suffered the previous day.

—A detailed explanation of why delays are happening, what1s making them worse, and how it could be fixed.

“Our nation1s air traffic controllers operate the safest, most efficient air traffic control system in the world,” Marlin continued. “AvoidDelays.com ( http://www.avoiddelays.com ) is part of our ongoing effort to make sure you get where you are going on time. It’s a way for us to help travelers before they even leave their home.”
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