We just saw how a bad winter storm created major problems in major east coast airports including JFK Airport, Miami Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Baltimore-Washington Airport. Weather delays for flights can't be avoided but usually controlled but you can be sure you bring books, a device to hear music and ways to entertain yourself in the airport.
Other factors than weather can often be thought out in advance. For instance, if you need to arrive at a specific
time for an early presentation, try to fly in early the day before. This way if there is a flight delay you can pick up a later fly. On the other hand, if your flight is at 5 pm and it is delayed or cancelled you can't be certain you'll be able to get on the morning flight the next day to make your business commitment.
Another thing to be aware of is to check the flight departure board. If you are seeing a number of flights delayed or cancelled that are ahead of yours on the same airline company, be proactive and speak to a representative of the airline to see if they anticipate any problems with your flight. They might be able to tell you that the hubs are very backed up. You can also call the 800 number of the airline.
For instance, when I fly from Florida to New York using US Airways, there are connection spots in Charlotte, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. If it looks like there are problems in Philly and Pittsburgh I'll see if I can find a connection through Charlotte. In winter months I often will try to only fly through Charlotte as the weather there usually is much better than the winters in Pennyslvania.
Mechanical airplane issues are another area, just like the weather that cannot be predicted but generally these are resolved without too much time lost.
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