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(CNN) -- An active holiday travel season in the Northern Hemisphere and rough winter weather can sometimes mean some of the lengthiest flight delays of the year for millions of travelers, both in Northern Europe and the United States.
Poor conditions, combined with vacationing travel crowds, can be particularly challenging for business travelers who need to keep appointments, as well strict schedules.
During this busy time, avoiding the time crunch of flight delays, airport congestion and missed flight connections becomes paramount.
At some airports, flight schedules can often become more of a wish list than a reliable guideline. Therefore it can be important to create a travel strategy, especially for executive travel.
Rally Caparas, a former U.S. Federal Aviation Authority air traffic controller, and Amy Ziff, both from Travelocity, the online travel agency, have the following tips:
Contrary to the tactics for air travel during warm weather periods, business travelers heading into cold weather airports between November 15 and March 15 should try to schedule flights to arrive between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at your specific destination.
Planning an arrival between these prescribed times allows for an arrival during the warmest times of the day.
Arrival delays can exceed two to three hours at cities where there is snow, sleet and ice.
When flying out of major cold weather airports throughout winter, expect 30 to 60 minute departure delays, as de-icing procedures become a daily routine.
These delays will usually be absorbed while travelers are aboard the airplane, so expect takeoff wait times to be longer than normal.
When flying during the winter months, expect the most runway closures and highest rate of cancelled flights, compared with any other time of year.
These delays make it even more important to schedule flights during the warmest part of the day, decreasing your chances of a lengthy delay or cancellation.
Be aware of likely delays and cancellations when scheduling meetings. Avoid scheduling important business near your planned arrival times.
Make a "to-do" list of all of the things you need to accomplish when you arrive for your meetings or return to the office. Prioritize your list so you are ready to get to work when your plane lands.
Lighten your reading stack. You know that delays are likely, so bring along that stack of papers that has been piling up on your desk. You finally have the time to read through them.
Organize your contact list. Go through your Blackberry, PDA, mobile phone or address book and cross out and delete old contacts and phone numbers.
Catch up on your e-mails with wireless Internet access if it is available. If not, just go through your e-mail archive and read all those long documents clogging your Inbox.
Fill out your expense report. Having your expense report complete before returning to the office will give you one less responsibility when coming back for the New Year.
