Here are some tips to help make your flight smoother:
Special requests
Once
you have confirmed your flights, be sure to let your travel
agent know if you have any special requests. Typical examples
include:
- special meals (vegetarian, kosher, medical restrictions,
allergies, etc)
- special seats (exit row seats for tall
people, bulkhead seats for baby bassinets)
- airport assistance
(wheelchair or unaccompanied minor).
You can check to see
what meals to expect on Airlinemeals.net.
With some airlines, you need to remind the crew about your special meals order at some point before the meals are served, to save them from browsing the passenger list and finding you in the cabin (or even finding your special order after serving you regular meals). Travel agencies have a tendency to lose track of the many requests they get, so if it's really important it's wise to contact the airline directly and make sure the message has gotten through. Major airlines support special requests on their web sites.
What to (and not to) carry on
- If travel involves the United States, place all liquids in your checked luggage except for prescription medications and any nonprescription medications listed on the current TSA guidelines at http://www.tsa.gov. Plan on discarding all cosmetics and beverages at the TSA checkpoint. Also, expect to be required to discard anything purchased in the airport before boarding the plane. Similar regulations apply for flights involving the United Kingdom and more details and information can be found at the Security control section of the official BAA Heathrow (www.baa.com) website.
- If travel involves the European Union, you may only take limited amounts of liquids (and gels, creams, etc.) in the carry on luggage. All liquids must be placed in containers with a maximum capacity of 100ml, and all of these containers must be placed in a resealable transparent bag of not more than one liter capacity per passenger. The harmlessness of the liquids must be demonstrated upon request. There are no restrictions for items bought from the duty-free area of the airports.
- If local airport or security authorities allow you, take a large bottle of water with you. Airliner cabins are very dry and drinking plenty of water helps to avoid dehydration.
- Take nonperishable snacks, especially if you are hypoglycemic, diabetic, or have blood-sugar issues. Don't count on being able to buy it at the airport. If you have a tight connection and have to cross an entire airport, there is no way you'll have time to stop at the cafe as well. If you're traveling to the United States, Australia, or New Zealand, don't bring more fruit than you can eat before you arrive - these countries have strict rules about bringing food in. On longer flights there will probably be a meal or snack served (or offered for purchase), but not necessarily.
- If you have an allergy, bring decongestants to avoid discomfort from the change in cabin pressure. Cabin air can also be a problem; for example, in planes going to Australia and New Zealand, the cabin may be sprayed with pesticides.
- Keep yourself occupied. Some planes have the latest in-flight entertainment systems, music on tape, and onboard games to keep you amused, but others may not have anything at all. You can go to your airline's website, as well as seatguru.com to determine what inflight entertainment, if any can you look forward to. Twelve or fourteen hours is a very long time to be bored. In case you find out or anticipate that the entertainment options that will be offered to you inflight is inadequate or not to your satisfaction, treat yourself to a good book or two for the flight. Check with the airline regarding what electronic entertainment devices can you bring and use on board.
- Take a soft jacket. This can be used as a blanket or pillow if these items are needed but not available. Sometimes the outer edge of the cabin can get rather cold (due to the very low temperature at high altitudes).
- Take at least one pair of soft foam earplugs. Even on short flights, the noise of the jet turbines or the small child sitting behind you can be fatiguing. Foam earplugs will reduce the noise level but still allow you to hear instructions in case of an emergency. Noise-cancelling headphones are a more expensive alternative that you might consider if you find the noise of the turbines intolerable.
What to wear
- When you travel from a cold country to a warm one, consider leaving your winter wear with friends accompanying you to the airport--this will make your luggage smaller. Conversely, when you are traveling to a cold country, remember to carry at least a jacket in your carry-on bag, as it might be some time before you gain access to your checked baggage.
- Keep in mind that airplane interior may be cleaned not as frequently as you'd like, especially on discount airlines. Consider wearing what you won't use outside flights--and changing your clothes right after the flight.
Reconfirming your flight
In general, it is no longer necessary to call the airline to reconfirm flights, as reservation systems are fairly reliable. Instead, just check the reservation online (see the next section) and call the airline only if there are problems.
The main exceptions are when you are flying way off the beaten track on an airline that doesn't (or looks like it doesn't!) do computerized reservations, especially when there won't be another flight for a week. Off the beaten track in Indonesia, for example, it's wise to reconfirm not just once but twice — although you may still get bumped off if a VIP and his harem show up at the last minute.
Checking your reservation
It's always good to double-check that your itinerary is still correct before you fly. Not only can you check that everything is order, you can see whether any waitlists have cleared, flight times have changed, your special requests are properly recorded, etc. There are a number of online services that allow you to do this; however, you'll have to figure out which reservation system was used to do the booking. This is usually printed at the top of your itinerary, but if all else fails you can always ask the agent.
Note that low-cost carrier flights will not show up in these systems.
In cases of terrible weather (e.g. blizzard, fog) or recent airport closures, it is always advisable to get in touch with your airline before you leave home to see if your flight will push through as scheduled or if it is delayed or cancelled. If your flight is cancelled and have been put on the waitlist for a future flight, don't come to the airport until you have received confirmation from the airline that you will be able to fly on the flight which you are waitlisted for.
Travel insurance
Make sure your travel insurance is in order and that it covers the area you are going to. Also study the fine print: many travel insurance schemes will actually pay out in the event of long delays, lost baggage, etc.
Getting to the airport
Especially in cities which are served by more than 1 airport, you must know the name of the airport and the specific terminal within that airport you are departing out of. Keep in mind that if you arrive at the wrong airport, it can take an hour or so to go to the correct airport. Terminals can also be far away from each other so be sure to be at the right terminal too. The name of the airport as well as the terminal you will use are detailed in the itinerary prepared for you by the airline or travel agency.
When asking the taxi driver to take you to the airport, don't just mention the city name and then the word airport (e.g. London Airport), mention the name of the airport and the terminal (e.g. London Heathrow Airport terminal 5). Keep in mind that an airline may operate from more than 1 terminal, particularly if it has domestic and international flights so telling the taxi driver you want to go to the terminal where a particular airline operates may probably not be enough.
If you are asking for airport limousine/shuttle service, giving the flight number is usually all the telephone operator needs as they know which airline flies out of which terminal.
You need to arrive at airports well before your flight as there are a number of procedures you need to complete before boarding: check in, security check, and perhaps immigration control. Airlines will typically have departure boards (displays) indicating a flight's status. The most important status indicators are Boarding or Go to gate, which is a sign that you should promptly complete check-in and proceed through the security check, and Final call, which means that you should board the flight as quickly as possible.
Checking in
The first thing you will need to do at the airport is check in for your flight. Present your ticket (if you don't have an electronic ticket) and some form of ID (passport if travelling internationally) to airline staff at your flight's designated check-in counter or at common check-in counter, depending on your airline.
You will typically have to queue before check-in: on very full flights and very busy days this alone could take more than an hour, particularly for international flights. There are usually separate, and much shorter, check-in lanes for first, business class passengers, upper tier members of the airline's frequent flyer programme (e.g. silver, gold) and sometimes those who checked-in through remote methods (e.g. online check-in). If the queue is long and your flight is leaving within the hour, your flight status is already showing "Go to gate" or you are approaching the check-in deadline for your ticket, let airport staff know as they will often allow you to go to the front of the queue and check in immediately. Sometimes they will specifically ask for passengers for a flight that is about to close to make themselves known so that they can check them in right away, but sometimes they will not. Discount airlines have the strictest check in deadlines and some will not allow you to check in after the deadline even if you made it to the end of the queue in time.
With some airlines you will receive a boarding pass with a seat assignment, while some do not assign seats. You may need a boarding pass to present to the security staff and later when boarding the flight. At this time, your checked luggage will be weighed, labeled, and handed off to airport staff. Some airports offer curbside check-in, which allows you to check-in your bags before entering the terminal. These are normally available on domestic US flights and do what the standard check-in counters inside do except that they will not issue boarding passes to you. You will have to obtain them inside if you haven't done so from online check-in.
The check-in staff will print a luggage tag once your bags are processed; one copy will be attached to your luggage and another copy will be given to you. Keep this as upon arrival, some airports may require passengers to present these along with their luggage to ensure that the one carrying the luggage is indeed the owner. These luggage tags are also useful if you suspect some of your check-in luggage are missing or similar to other luggage. Before attaching the luggage tags associated with your upcoming flight, be sure to remove any old luggage tags.
An increasing number of airlines are implementing a self-check-in system at certain airports, although in some cases it can be restricted to passengers without checked luggage, and to passengers who do not have a paper/physical ticket. These systems involve small kiosks in which you can enter your booking reference, swipe/insert the credit card used to make the booking or swipe/insert your frequent flyer card (if it has a magnetic strip) to access your record and print out a boarding pass for you and your travelling party. You may have the opportunity to change your seats when checking in; in particular, many airlines do not open the exit rows until the day of the flight.
As mentioned earlier, if you checked-in via kiosk or online, the airline usually provides a special lane for you where the rest of the check-in process will be expedited. At this counter, be ready to provide all information given to you at the end of the online or kiosk check-in process if you were told to do so to facilitate the rest of the check-in process.
If there are several flight "legs" between you and your destination, ask check-in staff if they can check your bags all the way through so that you don't have to pick them up and re-check them at every stop. It's important that you know when you will and won't have to transfer your bags yourself: some countries insist on incoming international passengers retrieving and re-checking all luggage before transferring to another, domestic flight. On the other hand, you don't want to have to wait around for your bags only to find that they were booked through. Similarly, if you are flying several legs, the staff may be able to check you into every flight to your destination and issue boarding passes for all the flights, saving you some time at transit points. However, they usually can't secure special seats such as exit-row seats for anything except the first leg, so for subsequent flights if you want a particular seat assignment you will need to ask staff at the boarding gate to change your boarding pass.
Choosing your seat
At check-in, you'll probably be asked if you want a window or aisle seat. Both have their advantages:
Window seats are popular with many flyers, as they allow you to look out the window, rest your head against it while sleeping and not be disturbed by other passengers. The major downside is that you'll have to clamber over a seatmate or two to go to the bathroom or access any of your carry-ons in the overhead (although most airlines also allow you to stow baggage under the seat in front of you). You may also have slightly less floor space due to the curvature of the plane.
Aisle seats are the choice of some road warriors, because they make it easy to get out and off the plane. On long flights, though, it's hard to get sleep with people climbing over you, and you also run an additional risk of being hit by trolleys.
The third possibility is middle seats, which combine the disadvantages of both aisle and window seats without the advantages of either, although taller passengers may still to be able to see the view from the window. There are some special rows too:
Exit row seats are located next to the emergency exit rows, and have significantly greater legroom than standard seats. You also have easier access to the aisles regardless of whether you are sitting in an exit or the aisle seat. A disadvantage of these seats is that the tray tables are tucked into the armrests and as a result, you can't lift the armrests. This shouldn't be much of a problem when you have occupants beside you, but if there is none you may want all the space to yourself. In addition, all your hand baggage has to go in the overhead compartment if you are in these rows since no other seats are directly in front of you. In theory, passengers in these seats are required to help attendants with the door in an emergency, so you might not be allowed to sit there if you are physically unable to help, if you are deaf or blind, if you are a child or supervising a child or if you are pregnant. Because of the desirability of exit-row seats, some airlines now charge extra for them, using the name "Economy Plus" or similar. If you're very tall you may sometimes get these seats without paying but don't count on it. Ask specifically at check-in and state the reason you want one.
Bulkhead seats are in the first row of each section and offer not just oodles of legroom, but also no seat reclining into you. However, they're often the only seats that can be outfitted with infant bassinets, so most airlines reserve them for families with small children. You may be able to snag one on check-in (some airlines assign them as regular seats without request) or even at the gate, but then you run the risk of sitting next to a screaming baby for your entire flight. Like exit rows, you have to store all your baggage overhead.
Overbooking
Overbooking is the practice of accepting reservations for a flight from more people than can fit on the plane. Almost all airlines overbook their flights, as statistically some percentage of passengers do not show up for the flight.
It does happen, though, that more people check in than can fit on the plane. When this happens, the airline staff will ask passengers to volunteer, either at the checkout counter or after the plane is full, to remain behind and take another flight. If your travel plans are flexible (such as on the homeward leg of your excursion), you may wish to volunteer, to receive the compensation that airlines usually offer to get out of this predicament. If there are no volunteers, passengers will be chosen by the airline to stay behind (usually the last passengers to arrive). "Bumped" passengers are almost always offered passage to their destination by some other route or on a later flight; it is common for airlines to offer a voucher for a substantial discount on a future flight, or even cash, in compensation for the inconvenience. If an overnight stay is required, the airline will usually pay for a hotel and meals during the delay. Your rights are regulated at the country level; some airlines may offer additional compensation (but their policy on this is rarely published).
Compensation for denied boarding for flights in the European
Union is €250 for flights < 1500Km, €400 for 1500-3500 Km,
and €600 >3500Km (half if the delay is less than 2, 3 or
4 hours, respectively) in addition to an alternative flight
or a refund of the ticket. One way to reduce the risk of
overbooking is to check-in very early, either by Internet
or by telephone before arriving at the airport.
Delayed flight
In case of extended delays, keep in mind that onboard meals for return flight are frequently brought in from airline's base airport. Therefore:
- you may be served with a breakfast at the dinner time, according to original flight time
- worse, the onboard meals may spoil and therefore your choice may be limited to long-life cookies and drinks
Flight cancellation
When a flight is cancelled, the reason given is usually some kind of technical or weather-related problem. Sometimes the real reason is that so few passengers have checked in that is cheaper for the airline to cancel the flight and rebook the passengers on a later flight, or even on another airline. If a flight is cancelled, the airline is obligated to get you on the next available flight to your destination, but interpretations of "next available" vary and, for some low-cost carriers like Ryanair, this may mean a long wait indeed. Unlike with overbooking, passengers are not legally entitled to any compensation except the unplanned expenses of food and hotels.
Beware that weather can cause the very strange phenomenon of being denied boarding because of weather for a flight that does fly. This is caused by weight limits and takes two forms:
1) Weather is going to make the flight longer or increase the required reserve fuel. Some smaller planes can't take a full load of passengers and full fuel tanks--if they have to fill up the tanks more than expected they might have to leave some people behind.
2) As it gets warmer the takeoff roll increases but the runway doesn't get any longer. If it gets hot enough they have to reduce weight to keep the takeoff roll short enough to get in the air.
Boarding time
Your boarding ticket specifies Boarding time -- which is when boarding starts (not when it ends). Usually the boarding starts even after the printed time.
The gate closes (boarding stops) usually only 10-15 minutes before departure so give yourself plenty of time to get to the gate, especially if the airport is large and you are far away from it and you don't know your way around the airport. Better if you contact with your travel agent.
Security check
Aviation security is no laughing matter. Even before the airliner attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, most countries took it very seriously, but since then security regulations have been tightened, and airport security personnel will be very strict in implementing these regulations.
- Above all else: Always keep your luggage with you. Airport security takes unattended items very seriously. If one is found and the owner is not within reach to claim it, this will almost immediately trigger an alert, resulting in the affected area closing down, and inspection of the suspicious piece of luggage by experts. The result will be serious inconvenience for a lot of people, and for you a delay, and maybe even fines or the total loss of your luggage (which might be destroyed if it appears to be a bomb).
- Depending on current procedures, you may be more likely to get a supplemental personal security check (being taken aside and examined with a handheld metal detector) at U.S. airports if you are travelling alone, buy a one-way ticket, pay cash, buy your ticket at the last minute, or change destinations on the day of the flight. This might take an additional 15 minutes or so at the security checkpoint.
- Be proactive to avoid making unnecessary delays or getting stopped by security. Before you enter the queue for the checkpoint:
- Take off your jacket; it will need to be X-rayed.
- Take out all the metal in your pockets (including phones, keys, change, etc.). Instead of fumbling with the provided plastic bins, put loose metal objects (especially change) in a bag or jacket pocket that will go through the X-ray machine.
- Remove any large objects from your pockets that create a suspicious bulge. They will probably be uncomfortable to keep there on the plane anyway.
- Don't wear a belt with a large metal buckle or other metal ornamentation, or if you do, take it off.
- Shoes that can be easily removed and put back on are a good idea, because you may be asked to remove them for inspection. Don't wear hiking boots or other shoes with large metal loops or steel plates in the soles. American security is especially wary of shoe bombs after the Richard Reid incident.
- If in the US or Canada, get ready to unload your laptop if you're carrying one. It will need to be put through the X-ray machine by itself.
- When taking flights from a US or UK (or possibly another country's) airport, consume and dispose all liquids in excess of the allowed limit. Large amounts of allowed liquids should be checked-in or thrown-out. Place all liquids within the allowed limit in a small and transparent bag (a ziplock is recommended).
- It is important to note that depending on the country, taking prohobited items to the security checkpoint even by accident may be considered an offence as the items concerned are not just subject to confiscation.
- While your bags are being checked through security, keep an eye on them at all times, especially if you have put valuables inside. Security personnel are supposed to allow you to watch the entire inspection process, so even if you or one of your bags is being searched, any other bags you might have should be within sight. Security personnel are focused on keeping the terminal area secure. They won't necessarily notice if a stranger grabs your bag or takes something out of it, especially since they may not notice who it really belongs to.
- Don't make jokes about bombs, weapons, or other security threats. There is no room for humor on this topic; rather than relying on their individual subjective judgment, security personnel are required to take any such joke as a serious statement. You will be checked more thoroughly and/or escorted off the premises in some cases. In addition, it may be treated as a criminal offence and charges may be filed against you.
- At some airports, particularly in the United States, you may have to wait in a long queue to pass through security; as much as an hour. If you're stuck in a queue and you don't think you'll make it through security and to the gate in time, or if your flight status changes to "Boarding" and particularly if your name is paged as being late for the flight, tell airport staff. They will usually allow you to move to the front of the queue and pass through the checkpoint immediately.
Before boarding
After you proceed through security you will reach the departure area. Depending on the airport this may be either bare or full of shopping and entertainment. It helps to go to your departure airport's website before leaving home so that you can expect while waiting for boarding time as well as how to get around the airport. Keep in mind that prices at the airport of certain items and services tend to be more expensive than if purchased elsewhere.
If you are a first or business class passenger or an elite member of your frequent flyer programme, consider going to the lounge associated with your airline. You can find exclusive and complimentary wealth of services such as refreshments, periodicals, internet access or even shower rooms. If you are neither travelling on first or business class or part of the higher tiers of your frequent flyer programme, you can still get lounge access and enjoy the full privileges by paying up front or joining programmes like PriorityPass which offer pay-per-visit and unlimited visit plans.
Your flight will have an associated gate number where it is boarding. This is indicated in your boarding pass and the overhead monitors. Find the gate where you are boarding: be there no later than 30 minutes before the flight's scheduled departure, and preferably a little earlier. At the gate, airline staff will check your boarding pass and may also want to see photo ID. At this point, you will be registered as being on-board the flight. The departure area may be quite large: some contain up to fifty gates.
Most airlines will attempt to find passengers who are late for boarding, because for security reasons they have to go through the time consuming process of unloading your checked baggage if you do not board. Usually they will page late passengers by name at least twice before closing the flight. If you hear your name paged, either go to the gate immediately if it's nearby or find airport staff and let them know who you are if you are not yet close to the gate. They can usually get you there before you're locked out of the plane. However, delaying a flight will not make you popular with staff or fellow passengers!
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