Why I Book a Backup Flight on Busy Travel Days

Updated: February 12, 2025, 8:30am CST

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1. Flights Could Be Delayed … or Canceled
2. Flights Could Be Oversold
3. Weather Could Disrupt Your Plans
4. Navigate Tight Connections
Final Thoughts

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As a parent of 3 school-age children, we plan our vacations during peak holiday times, such as Thanksgiving and spring breaks. To minimize any disruptions, I typically book a backup flight with points and miles.

This is possible as most loyalty programs allow you to cancel an award ticket without any cancellation fees and receive miles back instantly — a strategic way to ensure flexibility if our travel plans encounter issues.

Here are 4 reasons why I normally book a backup flight on busy travel days and why it’s a smart move for frequent flyers.

1. Flights Could Be Delayed … or Canceled

During busy travel days, the chances of flight delays and cancellations increase because of interconnected factors, such as congested airspace or even long lines at airport check-in and security.

Weather Delay Plane at Gate — Navigate flight disruptions easier with a backup plan. Image Credit: Christine Krzyszton

This holds especially true when departing from a crowded airport such as Miami International Airport (MIA), which is quite busy year-round thanks to South Florida’s popularity as a tourist destination.

Even if I monitor my upcoming flight’s history is trending positively on FlightAware, the well-known flight tracking website, I will still book a refundable award ticket when during a busy holiday like the Fourth of July or Labor Day. Since most award tickets can often be canceled just hours (or minutes!) before departure, depending on the airline’s policy, I can cancel for a full refund once I confirm that my original flight is clear for takeoff.

Hot Tip:

Did you know you can cancel an award ticket close to travel and receive a full refund? Yes, you can. However, before booking a backup flight, you should verify the airline’s frequent flyer program policy to determine their refund policies. Check out our guide on airline cancellation and change fees for award flight bookings.

2. Flights Could Be Oversold

During peak travel times, airlines frequently oversell flights on popular routes to busy destinations. Nowadays, however, I prioritize reaching my destination without disruptions over giving up my seat for a few hundred dollars in travel credit when a flight is overbooked.

Although I prefer not to volunteer to give up my seat in exchange for compensation on an overbooked flight, I will still book a refundable backup flight with miles just in case I need it.

Here’s my reasoning: If my flight is oversold, I can use my already booked backup flight and consider giving up my seat on the original flight in return for compensation. Naturally, this depends on whether my backup flight schedule aligns with my needs for a timely arrival at my destination. If it works out, I can take the chance of getting compensated for my original flight while still making it to my backup flight.

3. Weather Could Disrupt Your Plans

As a Floridian, I’m intimately familiar with hurricane season and its ability to disrupt travel plans and impact daily life. The summer months are peak travel times for U.S. travelers, but this is also when it’s mostly likely a hurricane could form in a way that could disrupt your plans, as the Atlantic hurricane season generally spans from June 1 to November 30 each year.

On the other hand, this is an excellent opportunity to visit the Caribbean because flights and hotel rates are lower than they are in the winter.

While hurricanes usually result in extensive flight cancellations by airlines in the impacted area, there are occasions when airlines evaluate weather conditions and use an alternate strategy to managing cancellations or continuing flights. A backup flight could boost my chances if I’m set on traveling and the weather is expected to improve.

4. Navigate Tight Connections

I prefer direct flights or ones with short connections (if absolutely necessary) because I like to reach my destination quickly, even if it means skipping lounge time. Thanks to The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, I have access to lounges (enrollment required), but I often prioritize efficiency over relaxation.

Additional seating MIA centurion lounge — I enjoy a lounge just like any other traveler, but I really prefer a short layover (if I need one at all) to reach my destination quickly. Image Credit: Juan Ruiz

During busy travel periods, airports can become quite crowded. When I have a tight connection, there’s little room for error. Any delay — whether it’s getting off the plane, rushing to another terminal for my connecting flight, or experiencing a slowdown in security for an international flight requiring customs clearance — can be problematic.

Therefore, I always book a backup flight at least 2 hours after my expected arrival time, assuming that I can cancel the backup flight and receive a flight credit or have my miles and cash refunded. This strategy lets me target a quick turnaround while having a safety net in case I miss it, ensuring my travel plans for the day remain intact and I still reach my destination.

Final Thoughts

Booking a backup flight can be a lifesaver during hectic travel times. In fact, having a backup ticket has allowed me to avoid completely altering my travel plans, particularly in cases of delays and cancellations, now making it an essential component of my travel strategy.

Next time you’re flying during a peak travel period, it could be a good idea to book a refundable award ticket just in case of any issues with your originally booked flight. This way, your travel plans can stay on track!