If new technologies are making your airline experience harder, here are traditional strategies to deal with them

Ten years ago, I wrote a book called The End of Airports about how digital technology and commercial air travel were on a collision course. Earlier this summer, I was proven right.

In July, a cybersecurity software outage paralyzed airports around the world. It took weeks for airlines to recover. Delta was hit particularly hard, with about 7,000 canceled flights and delays lasting into August.

As an air travel expert who considers flight from a humanistic and cultural perspective, I believe that the new technologies woven into air travel management are a double-edged sword. While they increase elements of safety and efficiency, they can also make the entire system more fragile and vulnerable to attack.

Disadvantages of digital technology

To be fair, aviation depends on technology. Humans would never have gotten off the ground without it. But new technologies can create new problems, even as they solve old ones. The latest digital technology offers necessarily imperfect ways of managing a vast, complex network of places, machines, and people.

And as computer systems become more fine-tuned and integrated, they can also cause catastrophic failures, precisely because of the interconnected nature of technology. And let’s not mention the weather.

Last year’s software bug event won’t be the last time an unforeseen variable brings air travel to a halt. Fortunately, travelers don’t have to rely solely on airport technology systems or our own smart devices to ensure a smooth trip. Here are six analog strategies travelers can use to help deal with air travel disasters:

Old-school flying suggestions

1. Pack smart for potential delays. Make sure your carry-on includes everything you need for an unplanned overnight stay at a hotel—or worse, at the airport. Pack Transportation Security Administration-approved toiletries and enough clothes to get you through an unexpected layover. And wear comfortable shoes.
2. Be nice to airline and airport employees who can’t control delays or cancellations. Remember, no airline employee can automatically fix a problem when a software glitch occurs or when an unexpected storm grounds planes. But if you’re nice and patient, the airline employee might just give you a hotel room or a more generous rebooking arrangement. Also: It’s just the humane thing to do.
3. Buy tickets directly from the airline. It’s not worth saving $20 or $50 on tickets from a third-party vendor. When delays and cancellations happen, if you have a ticket like that, the airline will be less interested in helping you. Buying tickets directly from the airline will help you get back in the air faster.
4. Have a plan B. If your connecting flight is canceled halfway through your trip, have you reached out to anyone you know in the city? Or have you checked out hotels that are easy to get to from the airport? What do you need to do to find a comfortable place to stay? A little homework can go a long way if you’re stuck.
5. Pack healthy snacks and other supplies. It’s a good idea to pack vitamins, zinc, hydration packs, a reusable water bottle, medications, hand sanitizer, or anything else that will help you stay healthy while you’re traveling. If you’re going to be stranded for a few hours or overnight, planning a few things to take care of yourself ahead of time can help you avoid infectious diseases and general fatigue.
6. Enjoy the airport. It’s a fascinating place where so many people meet. If you’re stuck in the airport for a few hours, use that time to find interesting things in the lobby. You can discover art exhibits, a great bookstore, a yoga studio, or a movie theater. It can be tempting to just stand at the gate and rage. But it’s more fun to wander around the airport and discover what’s there.

This article is reprinted from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.