There’s nothing worse than arriving at the airport to find your flight has been delayed.

When you jet off for your much-needed holiday, you expect everything to run smoothly so that you can get to your destination without any stress. But unfortunately, flight delays and cancellations are all too common, and you can sometimes find yourself sitting at the airport for hours waiting for your plane to be ready.

Thankfully though, one flight attendant has claimed there’s an easy hack you can use to minimise the risk of your flight being delayed – and it’s all to do with the time of day that you fly.

Ally Case, who took to TikTok to share her insider knowledge, claims that booking an early morning flight could be the key to a smooth start to your vacation.

She advised: “This needs a bit of an emphasis because it’s so important. Always book the first flight of the day. I know that probably means you’re getting up really early but trust me, it is so worth it.

“There’s a lot of pressure for airlines to get out that first flight of the day to prevent any sort of domino effect of delays for the entire day ahead.”

Ally also pointed out that in the unfortunate event your flight does face a delay or cancellation, opting for the first flight gives you more options to catch alternative flights later in the day.

In her video caption, she elaborated on the “domino effect”, explaining: “Planes are reused throughout the day, all across the world, and those first few flights (whether on time or delayed) set the tone for the rest of the day.”

Ally’s top travel hack has been met with a flurry of agreement. Many in the comments said they do the same on their flight out – but not necessarily on the return journey.

One user shared: “I always try to book the 7 am flight when I’m leaving for vacation, but going home like them a bit later in the day if the airport is far away.”

Another commenter added: “Unless I have a connecting flight, I’d rather hang around waiting for a late plane. But it’s good to know for times I have a connection.”