Commercial airplane flight is one of the most common forms of international travel.
These are some flying tips for making your air travel 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),
Choosing airline
There are several airline quality ratings that can help understand how different airlines
operating on your route compare in service level, timeliness and comfort level.
Multiple airports
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. Some ticketing systems allow you to search using a code that covers more than
one airport: see Metropolitan Area Airport Codes for more information.
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).
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.
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 . 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.
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 or print 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.
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. A similiar system exists in Kuala Lumpur, with
the KLIA Ekspres train leaving from KL Sentral Station.
Choosing a good seat
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:
Billet Avion
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For long trips, consider mailing items ahead of you. Sea mail is generally much cheaper
than air freight, let alone excess baggage rates. See individual country listings for
information reliability of postal service at your destination, however.
If you have a lot of baggage, consider flying business class or even first class. The ticket
will cost more, but with most airlines you get a larger luggage allowance and that saves
you some.
Flying with children
Young children often get restless and irritable while traveling, but this is less likely to
happen on an airplane trip than on a car trip. There is a wide array of strategies you can
follow to ensure your child(ren) enjoy(s) the trip. The best way is to bring a portable DVD
player, books, or anything else they can use to stay occupied with themselves. Be
creative.
Safety is more important than economics. If you are traveling with a child who is less that
three years of age, have him/her sit on an FAA-approved child carrier, not on your lap. In
the unlikely event of an emergency, a lap child may impede your ability to brace and may
not be able to use an oxygen mask.
