Air travel is an ordeal this summer; here are 20 tips to make it less miserable.
If it would take less than seven hours, drive—really. There is nothing enjoyable about flying right now on any airline. If you must fly, here are 20 tips to keep in mind.
1. Download and use the app of the airline you’re flying. You can do everything on it—get your boarding pass, track your bags, see your incoming plane, change your seat and flight. It beats waiting in a long line to talk to an agent. The app will often tell you a flight is cancelled before the crew even knows.
2. Fly much earlier than you need to—I’m talking a whole day early if it’s important you not arrive late. Passengers are missing weddings, funerals, cruises, international connections, and graduations because of canceled and delayed flights. If you absolutely have to be somewhere, spend the extra money to go a day early. Stay in a hotel and enjoy a night of not being stressed.
3. Take the first flight in the morning so you have all day to be rebooked if things go sideways. Yes, that may mean a 3:00 AM alarm, but morning flights don’t cancel nearly as often.
4. Summer is thunderstorm season. A single storm can shut down a whole airport, and planes can’t fly through them. Storms usually build as the day goes on. Book an early flight!
5. Use an airport subscription service (TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, CLEAR, etc.) to cut time and hassle at security.
6. Schedule long layovers. A one-hour layover is not enough anymore; aim for three hours, minimum.
7. What you read and see in the news is an understatement. Airlines are short-staffed and their personnel are overworked. And it’s not just pilots and flight attendants; it’s ground crews, too. Without ground crews there is no one to park the planes, drive jetways, get your bags on/off, or scan boarding passes. This causes delays that snowball throughout the day. (Yet another reason morning flights are best.)
8. When flight crews are delayed, they time out. That is, they cannot fly longer than 16 hours; it’s illegal. Staff shortages mean there are fewer back-up crews; no back-up crew means the flight has to be cancelled. (Yes, I’ll say it again: morning flights are best!)
9. Avoid connecting in Newark or any New York airport. You have nearly a 50/50 chance your flight will cancel or you’ll miss your connection. Flights originating there have been cancelled to keep the gates full, even though there aren’t enough staff to manage them. (Also, the restaurants in those airports are especially expensive, so it’s not a great place to be stuck.)
10. Be nice. Airline staff are overworked and tired. They are also human; just like everyone else, they are less likely to help you if you are mean.
11. Being drunk on an airplane is a federal offense. If you drink too much at the bar waiting for your delayed flight, you risk not being allowed to fly. Staff already has enough to deal with; if you show up at the gate inebriated, don’t be surprised if you’re denied boarding.
12. Buy travel insurance if you have a lot of money invested in your trip.
13. Flights are full. If you buy Basic Economy tickets, you will not be able to sit with your family. (It says so when you purchase your ticket.) Flight attendants are not there to rearrange the plane just so you can sit with spouse and kids because you saved $100 on a third-party website.
14. Speaking of third party websites… If a flight is oversold and no one volunteers to give up his/her seat, who do you think is the first to be bumped? Yes, the passenger who saved a few dollars by booking through sites like Expedia, Kayak, Hotwire, etc.
15. Pack smart. Don’t be the passenger that holds up boarding because your carry-on is filled to near bursting and you can’t jam it into the overhead bin. And don’t check a bag if you can help it—staffing shortages mean more hold luggage is being lost or delayed.
16. Take a shower, brush your teeth, don’t wear perfume, don’t eat stinky/gassy food, and bring snacks/headphones/entertainment on your phone/tablet. If you end up stuck on the tarmac for three hours after a four-hour flight on a full plane, you will know what I am talking about.
17. Bring a sweater if you tend to be cold. The flight attendant will not turn up the heat because you are wearing just a camisole.
18. That’s not water on the bathroom floor. Wear shoes to the bathroom!
19. When you board, look the crew in the eye, smile, return their greetings. They probably are more tired and stressed than you are.
20. Warn the passenger behind you before you recline your seat. And during meal service, bring it all the way to an upright position. It’s the nice thing to do.
Twist’s Take: Flying this summer is hellacious. Here are twenty tips to make it a little better.
