Tips for flying

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Departures board at Cologne/Bonn airport

This article is a travel topic.

Commercial airplane flight is one of the most common forms of international travel. These are some tips for making your flights safer, more comfortable, and more enjoyable.

For a guide to the standard procedures, rules, and other basics of traveling by air (some of which have changed in recent years), see Fundamentals of flying. See also First and business class travel.

[edit] Booking

Most major cities have more than 1 airport. Try selecting the less known or smaller airports to depart out of or arrive in as they are more likely to have cheaper fares than the larger, more known airports. For example, if you wish to depart out of the Bay Area, consider flying out of Oakland International Airport (OAK) instead of San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Besides, more budget carriers operate out of these smaller airports.

If you're not sure what time you can make it to the airport, book the last flight of the day. This way you can always try to fly "standby" on earlier flights if you get to the airport earlier than expected, as long as the conditions on your ticket permit this (budget tickets may not).

[edit] Ticketing

The major advantage of an electronic ticket (e-ticket) is that because your flight details are in the airline's computers, the e-ticket can't get lost, forgotten, or stolen. Your travel plans can also be altered without the need to print and deliver a new ticket. If your airline offers online or self-service kiosk check-in, you can use these to print boarding passes, thus saving time at the airport.

The major disadvantage is that your flight details are in one specific airline's computers, so other airlines cannot access them. This is not a problem 99% of the time, but can be a major headache if a flight cancellation requires you to switch to a flight with another airline. If this happens, get an "endorseable" paper ticket from the original airline as backup before heading over to the other airline's counter. Likewise, for complex itineraries involving multiple airlines (like round the world flights), you should opt for a paper ticket, especially since inter-airline e-ticketing agreements are not that common yet.

Not all destinations offered by major airlines are e-ticket eligible. But for the destinations that are e-ticket eligible, your airline may levy a surcharge if you choose to purchase a paper ticket.

[edit] Carry-on only travel

If you do not really need loads of luggage and will be away from home for a very short time, it may be worth considering taking carry-on only [1]. This saves time at your destination because you don't have to wait to claim your checked luggage, and certainly carry-on luggage is less prone to getting lost or stolen. Check with your airline to make sure that your bag fits within their size/weight restrictions for carry-ons, and whether your purse or laptop counts toward the limit of how many bags you can carry. Also, with tight security restrictions on what kinds of items you can take with you into the passenger compartment (particularly nothing that could be used as a weapon), a carry-on-only strategy may not be practical so it is also useful to check the airport which you will departing out of to see restrictions in addition to the ones implemented by the airline you will be using.

[edit] Online check-in

Besides the traditional check-in at the airport (see the Checking In section), your airline can allow you to check-in online from anywhere with internet access. They usually open at least 24 hours before your scheduled flight. By checking-in online, you can select your preferred seat in advance, quote your frequent flyer number for mileage accrual, inform the airline how many bags you are intending to check-in thus saving time at the airport. Furthermore, everybody else who is part of your traveling party can also be checked-in along with you.

Online check-in procedures, features, benefits and requirements vary per airline and possibly per airport of departure. For instance, some airlines may only offer online check-in and if you are departing from certain airports only so be sure to check with your airline if online check-in is available from your departure airport. In relation to that, some airlines will allow the printing of a boarding pass at home while other airlines will still require passengers to claim it at the airport. Another example is that for some airlines such as Southwest that do not assign seats, passengers are allowed to board earlier if they have checked-in in advance. Also, some airlines will only make this option available to electronic ticket holders while others will invite paper ticket holders to take advantage of this option as well.

If your airline does not let you print your boarding pass from where you are, be ready to note down all the other pertinent information given to you at the end of the online check-in process as they will be used to facilitate the rest of the check-in process at the airport.

The airline will usually provide a special lane for those who checked-in online; be sure to use it for faster service.

[edit] Other remote check-in methods

Some airlines and stations also offer alternative ways to check-in. Singapore Airlines for instance will allow you to check-in via telephone, fax, SMS or via a designated point in downtown Singapore. Lufthansa also offers SMS check-in.

If you are departing out of Hong Kong and taking the MTR Airport Express train, you can enjoy the convenience of a typical check-in (see the Checking In section) at the Hong Kong or Kowloon station. However, you will need to have already purchased an Airport Express ticket to enter the check-in area as there are faregates used for entry. Once you are done, you can just take the train and proceed directly to passport control upon arrival at the airport. This is very useful if you still have a lot of things to do in downtown Hong Kong but don't want to worry about carrying and transporting your luggage by yourself to the airport or leaving them somewhere.

[edit] Choosing a good seat

See Fundamentals of flying#Choosing your seat for an introduction to choosing a good seat. However, in addition to the choice of window seats (good views), aisle seats (more freedom to move) and middle seats (lacking the advantages of either window or aisle seats) there are several other considerations for choosing a slightly more comfortable economy class seat.

How close you sit to the front or back end of the plane is a mixed bag of benefits and drawbacks. In most jet aircraft, seats in back experience more cabin noise; the difference can be significant enough to cause discomfort, and it's one of the reasons why first class is always located in the front. However, the advantage of sitting near the front can be canceled by screaming infants, who ironically tend to be seated in this zone for its presumed quietness. In wide-body aircraft, rear economy window seats will provide you with a better view than in the front of the economy section, where the view is obstructed by the wings. The effects of turbulence are weakest near the leading edge of the wing, in the middle of the aircraft. Finally, US National Transportation Safety Board data from accidents in which some passengers survived and others did not, indicate that seats at the rear of the plane are statistically safer.

Airplanes also have "ordinary" seats that are less or more desirable for some reason:

• seats at the tail end of the plane often have no middle seats, which gives you more room to spread out
• seats just before the exit row and at the end of a section may not recline
• seats next to the toilets may be smelly and have lots of people trooping up and down to them
• seats next to the galleys may be noisy especially when flight attendants prepare and roll-out the meals

However, these vary greatly between airplanes and airlines, so you'll need to consult detailed seat maps to figure out the good and bad ones. Several online sites provide detailed maps for in-service aircraft and can help when choosing the best seat:

• LoveMySeat
• SeatGuru
• SeatExpert
• Seatmaestro

SeatGuru also helps to find out what aircraft type you'll be flying (although it gives little help beyond US airlines).

Sometimes aircraft scheduled to fly on a certain day for a certain flight may be substituted for another aircraft at the last minute. Therefore it is a good idea to take a look at all possible aircrafts and their respective configurations to find out the number of your preferred seat. Furthermore, an airline may have a certain kind of aircraft with different configurations. For example, the front row in one of Airline X's A330s may be row 1 but in another kind of A330 of Airline X it could be row 11 even if the front row of both A330s are of the same service class.

[edit] At the airport

Reduce stress - get to the airport at least an hour before the recommended time. (Check with your airline. In the US, the recommended time is usually 1 hour before takeoff for domestic flights, 2 hours for international. In some countries, it may be up to 3.) This will ensure that you will not be stressed while standing in long queues for check-in, security, emigration, and more security. It also gives you a buffer for delays on the way to the airport.

If for some reason you are delayed and you're worried about missing your flight or the flight status indicates that you are in danger of missing your flight, find a member of your airline's staff or talk to staff at the security gate. If you are really in danger of missing your flight, they can arrange for speedy check-ins and for you to be moved up in queues. But they won't notice if you don't tell them. Calling for late-passenger instructions while you are on your way to the airport can also help. The plane will not wait for you; but it might wait if you're one of 50 connecting passengers on a delayed flight.

Just as you don't want to be stuck in long lines for airport formalities, neither do your fellow passengers. While some reasons for long queues can be due to the airport or airline, other reasons can be attributed to the passenger. For instance, lining up when your documents are not yet ready, being unsure if luggage complies with all requirements or being unsure of what to do could add unnecessary seconds or even minutes to the process, keeping the queue stationary for quite a while. Therefore, please be considerate by making sure everything is in order before lining up. Avoid making special or extraordinary requests at the queue unless it's absolutely necessary as it will involve the staff getting-out of their seats and asking their supervisors of what to do in circumstances they are not familiar with.

[edit] Express/expedited security lanes

To avoid the hassles associated with normal security checks, some airports offer expedited security lanes for frequent travellers who are deemed a low security risk. You normally need to apply beforehand to use the expedited security lanes and acceptance into the programme is not automatic as authorities need to review your security and criminal background. Take note that in cases of heightened security, the expedited security check lanes may be suspended or closed so in such cases, check the security alert level applicable to your area to anticipate whether you can use the expedited security lane or not.

[edit] Boarding

When no order is specified for when passengers are supposed to board, board first if you are seated at the back and board towards the end if you are seated at the front of your cabin. This way you won't be blocked by passengers seated in front and unnecessarily block passengers headed for the back seats. This also helps keep the line moving especially in full flights. To estimate where your seat belongs to, check your airline's website for seatmaps or ask the staff at the gate.

[edit] Special meal requests

Although special meals (e.g. kosher, vegetarian, medical restrictions) are intended only for people who require them, they are available to anyone who requests them when they book their flight. While they add extra hassle for the airline and their flight crew, and fellow passengers may look awry at them (especially children), the food is often handmade and of higher quality, and special meals are often served before normal ones.

[edit] Jet lag

Jet lag is not caused by flying per se, but is a form of disorientation and fatigue caused by abruptly switching to a different sleeping/waking schedule and different daylight hours. Some people are affected more than others, but it tends to happen when crossing two or more time zones in a single flight (which first became commonplace with the development of commercial jet air travel, hence the term).

One way to avoid jet lag for short stays is to ignore the difference in time zone, and maintain the same sleeping schedule as you would according to the time "back home", perhaps keeping lights on to simulate daylight and pulling shades to simulate night. This is less practical for longer stays, or when travelling several time zones from home which would place you far out of synch with local hours.

The impact may be diminished by gradually adjusting your sleep schedule in advance of a long-distance trip. For example, before flying from California to Germany, you might start a week ahead of time, going to bed and waking up an hour earlier each day. By the time you actually made the trip, your sleep schedule would be almost in synch with your destination.

For flights lasting longer than you are used to, have enough sleep right before the date of your fly--it's even worth sacrificing packing right or having done all the work you promised before going to vacation.

[edit] Excess baggage

Airlines generally offer discounted cargo rates to passengers, but this must be arranged prior to departure and the destination of the goods your want to ship as cargo must match the destination on your ticket. Shipping your excess baggage as cargo can cost less than half the price of paying normal excess baggage fees. The biggest drawback is that one needs to deliver and collect the goods from the airport's cargo terminal.

[edit] Deep vein thrombosis

Economy class passengers on long flights are prone to this, which is essentially blood clots forming in the veins, especially those in the legs. While such an occurrence is rare, one should still take precautions to minimize it. If your flight is 5 hours or longer, consider leaving your seat for a walk along the aisle every 2 hours or so. Even a trip to the washroom and back is better than nothing. First and business class passengers need not worry about this as there is generally more room for such passengers to exercise their legs sufficiently for this not to happen.