Source: – Executive Travel
7 tips to make flying easier this holiday season –
Here is my advice if you are flying this holiday season.
#1 – Have your friends or relatives take you to the airport. Airport parking is
often full and you can avoid the hassle of driving around for an hour to find a
parking spot.
#2 – Arrive at the airport at least 2 hours early as lines will be long.
#3 – Print out a boarding pass before you leave home. This keeps you out of one
more line at the check-in counter.
#4 – Avoid the check-in counter and go straight to the security checkpoint. This
means you should take only carry-on baggage and avoid checking in any luggage (will
save you 30 minutes of standing in line).
#5 – Get on the plane early as overhead bins will be full of Christmas gifts and
overhead bin space is on a first come first serve basis.
#6 – Leave your laptop at home. It is time to sit back and enjoy the holiday with
family and friends.
#7 – Finally, take a big dose of patience with you. Christmas and Thanksgiving are
the busiest weeks of the year for air travel. Airports will be full. Parking lots
will be full. Security lines will be twice the normal size and every seat on every
plane will be packed. The overhead bins on planes will be packed with holiday goodies.
This is the time of the year when many families fly. So these travelers are often
first time flyers that are not aware of how the “system works”. Despite all the
“hassle factors” you can remove most of the stress simply by arriving early at the
airport and knowing in advance what to expect. So take a deep breath, enjoy all
those cute children running around your feet and be thankful for all our wonderful
blessings that this season offers.
Please, please, please don’t wrap your Christmas presents if you are flying with
them –
Many people who are flying to Grandma’s house with Christmas presents as carry-ons
are going to be very upset when they watch the security staff have to unwrap those
presents to check what is inside. My advice, if you are taking presents be sure
you wrap them when you arrive to prevent the painful experience of watching your
beautifully wrapped presents being opened and that 15 minutes of making the wrappings
look perfect is dismantled at the security check point.