I try to avoid travelling by airplane, given the environmental impact of all that flying. But tomorrow I have to fly for work.
What are your airport/airplane tips?
If at all possible avoid checking baggage. It can cost more, will force you to wait for it, and can get lost.
And if you must check, being anything you can’t replace with you on the carry on just in case (documents, laptop, etc)
When I land, I just sit there for a bit and let everyone else get all hot and sweaty trying to get their carry on luggage first and get off the plane first. There’s no real rush, and if you have checked in luggage in the hold you’re going to be waiting for that anyway.
Bring good noise cancelling headphones, good for crying babies (both adults and children) and the constant noise of the engines.
A tip I once got was to wait with getting on board until the very last boarding call. (Though I imagine that’s only if you travel economy class).
There’s no real advantages to getting on board a cramped airplane and just waiting in it for a long time, is how it was explained to me.
Yeah true, I did almost have to get my carry-on case checked in the other day because the luggage compartments were full…
There’s a downside to everything I suppose.
Also depends on the airline, Southwest is open seating so the later you board the better chance of getting shafted with a bad middle seat or being in front of the lavatory
Get to the airport around two hours before the flight. Security check can be a long affair and boardings close 15-30 minutes before the declared time
Two hours? That sounds lovely. Last year summer, many European countries had trouble keeping up with the demand and even 4 hours was recommended
