My son is going to fly on next Monday, Nov.24 from Albany to Oakland, with stops in Chicago and Denver.
Are the flights likely to be late, as all of them seem to be these days?? Or is it a little easier from the small airports? I know it's possible to get stuck in Chicago, and/ or Denver, so what can I tell him about what to do if he misses a flight. He does very little plane travel. thanks.

Chicago and Denver are both yucky airports. The tip I'd give him is make sure he has the airline phone number handy so if he misses a flight he can *call* them to changes his flights. Too many people try going to the customer service counter but it's much faster to call.

He's going through 2 of UA's biggest hubs. Expect delays. Hopefully he's on one ticket. If so and he misses a flight through no fault of his, it's UA's problem and they'll put him on next available flight. Key word is "available" - that might be the very next one, or it could be several after that. If his last leg is the last flight of the day and he misses it, they'd put him on next available the following day.

Agree with Peg, if he does miss a flight call UA's 800 number.

There are fewer flights this year than past. And <b>three</b> major airports in the US opened new runways yesterday, one of them being ORD. So, situation is better this year than last.

Having said that, main issue is still weather. Not just those airports your son is going through, but the whole country as a whole.

Best thing to do is to know your alternatives; when you're talking to overworked airline employees, you can get better results when you tell them &quot;Can I get on Flight XXX to SFO instead of OAK?&quot; rather than &quot;when's the next flight&quot;?

For example, UA has plenty of flights ORD-SFO. If he's already late coming into ORD from ALB, he should tell UA that he'll miss the ORD-DEN-OAK connection, so &quot;Put me on an ORD-SFO instead&quot;.

The other main thing is that when the lines are long at the airport's customer service counters and agents there overworked, it's much much better to call UA instead.

And of course, keep essentials, some clothes, etc with him. Don't check everything. Don't check luggage, if possible.

Thank you all, this is very good succinct information, and it will be very helpful. He is traveling with only carryon, so that might help.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Which flight is he on tomorrow out of ALB?

If it's the 6am or the 9am then the plane will be on the ground in ALB overnight, and should be able to leave on-time - pending clearance into Chicago.

If he's on a the noon flight that'll have to wait for the plane to arrive from Chicago.

Forecast in Chicago is for rain/snow showers. That should not have too much of an effect, especially for am flights, but you never know.

Weather in Denver is supposed to be perfect, so no issues there.

For tomorrow 11/24, first two UA flights ALB-ORD are at 7:30a and 9:30a. Yes, both aircrafts overnight at ALB.

Here's the final outcome, for whoever is interested, with thanks for all the help, and a question:

Son had smooth flying all the way, starting with the LATE morning flight out of Albany.

Here's the question: He never realized it, but having bought the ticket on Travelocity, he was booked in Coach on the flights out, and in First Class all the way back (Oakland to Phoenix to Philadelphia to Albany)

I had thought he paid too much for the tickets ($789) and had told him (too late) that he could have flown to Las Vegas and then to Oakland, at a cheaper rate, (at the time, don't remember exactly)

So how does this work on Travelocity?? He certainly didn't ask for First Class and I thought the default on Travelocity was always &quot;Coach.&quot;

A young lady he met on the flight told him she had paid $50 for an upgrade to First Class - and that they were offering those at the airport.

So, for all you experts, How Does That Work?? and when??

This forum is just terrific, and I am very grateful for the expertise.

Most airlines and travel sites will give you first or business class itineraries if some of the legs are sold out in coach; even if you only search for economy. And if you look at class of travel, it'll tell you.

Hey, if you're willing to spend $700 on a ticket in coach anyways, then you should just be happy that part of it is first class.

Also, it's not uncommon to find first class fares that are cheaper than full-fare economy, which may be the only economy fare available at that time. So, giving you FC can be cheaper than sticking to coach.

Some airlines, including United, will offer paid upgrades at check-in or at the gate, especially when economy is full but there is room in first/business.

$50 sounds a little low for a first class upgrade on United, even for a short segment. I got an offer to upgrade last Saturday from Raleigh-Durham to Chicago for $154 (no thanks; my Economy Plus seat had more leg room than the first-class seats). But, Oakland-Phoenix-Philadelphia-Albany sounds like US Airways, not United, so maybe $50 is the going rate for some US segments.

ms_go: You are right!! I forgot, he did come back on US Airways.
RKKwan: yes, I agree, $700 was no bargain for coach, but he was happy that he got First Class home. a very nice surprise!