Fox News reports that United Airlines Flight 884, scheduled to depart Washington Dulles International Airport at 5:35 p.m. on October 2 for an overnight run to Rome's Fiumicino Airport, never made it off the ground. According to Fox News, citing "The Aviation Hub" blog, passengers were grounded by a cascading series of problems: a cockpit malfunction, severe thunderstorms, and crew changes. The Boeing 777-200ER returned to the gate around three hours in to refuel for a longer planned routing, a new crew was brought in, and a maintenance issue was resolved — only for a second mechanical inspection to force everyone off the plane again. At around 4 a.m., roughly 12 hours after the ordeal began, United canceled the flight due to crew time limits.

The Dulles ordeal illustrates the exact failure modes The Points Guy, via AOL, describes as compounding through the day — maintenance issues arise, afternoon storms fire up, and aircraft fall behind as they criss-cross the country. AOL reports that, per FlightAware, a September 21 air traffic control equipment outage forced more than 1,000 departures to shutter on the East Coast, adding to a year in which January winter storms, runway construction at San Francisco, and congestion around New York and Washington have all taken their toll. For travelers, the practical stakes are growing: AOL warns that starting in October, airlines may no longer cover costs for some mechanical delays.

The Points Guy's guidance, distributed via AOL, recommends booking the morning flight, since disruptions tend to compound as the day wears on — "If you start cleanly in the morning, the airline tends to run on time for the rest of the day," Frontier Airlines CEO Jimmy Dempsey told TPG. Both outlets point to the same financial hedge that United's stranded Rome passengers themselves discussed on Facebook: a credit card with built-in travel protections can cover meals and hotels when weather strands you, provided the trip was booked with that card. AOL adds that airline apps and trackers like Flighty now offer mobile bag-tracking, self-service rebooking, and early disruption warnings, and recommends carrying water, snacks, and downloaded entertainment, since a one-hour flight can easily become three hours on the tarmac during a ground stop.

The Points Guy's Cirium data, via AOL, suggests picking hubs carefully: Salt Lake City led large airports with 82% on-time performance this summer, while LaGuardia, Reagan National, and JFK topped the cancellation list. With weather disruptions and crew-time limits unlikely to disappear, flyers' best protection remains planning for the failure before it happens.