In the past few weeks, and in the wake of the Iran conflict and both rising fuel prices and fuel shortages, airlines have been cancelling thousands of flights. They’re not just canceling on a daily basis but taking them off their schedules entirely.

But which flights are getting cut, and how do you protect yourself?

Most of the flights being slashed are on short haul routes of under 300 miles that don’t necessarily connect to an airline’s long haul flights.

Which flights will likely remain? Look for early morning or late evening flights that connect through major airport hubs to an airline’s long haul flights. Also the time of day is critical. Flights between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. are the most likely candidates to be dropped.