I’ve traveled 1000s of miles this past spring. Here are a few pointers that I want to share… for the good of all people.
1) Get to the airport 60-75 minutes early. I know it seems obvious, but I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven my boss to the airport with only 30 minutes to spare. Just because you had luck that one time of getting through security in under 20 minutes does not mean it will happen again.
2) Use Passbook for your boarding pass. It’s a game-changer. You no longer have to worry about loading your boarding pass on your iphone. It’s just there, waiting for you, without connectivity issues. Just make sure your phone is charged.
3) Keep your jewelry to a minimum. Don’t be that person that takes 20 minutes to disrobe every piece of complicated jewelry in the bin.
4) Be strategic about your line. Hint: Don’t get behind the single mother with an infant and two children under 7. They will take 42 minutes to load their luggage on the belt and get through the x-ray machine. Don’t stand behind the group of mid-60-year-olds who are going on their annual vacation to Florida–they have nothing but time. Instead, look for the business man (or woman) in the suite; those folks know how to travel light and fast.
5) Wear socks. If you’re one of those people who has smelly feet (yes, some women do), try to cover them up as much as possible. And why go through barefoot? Think of the germs…
6) Bring a sweater in your carry on. Let’s face it; you’re probably going to get cold on the plane. Do yourself a favor and think ahead to bring a sweater.
7) Be nice to the flight attendants. It’s crowded, it’s stressful, it’s delayed. Flying is a pain sometimes, but don’t forget to smile at the flight attendants and say thank you. You never know….when the kid next to you is screaming, they may slip you a bottle of vodka to go with your cran-apple juice. (Yes, that happened…three times in one cross-country flight).
8) Keep the bubble-blowing to a minimum. Chew gum to help pop your ears, but keep it quiet. Sudafed works well too…
9) No smelly food on the plane. Sometimes you need a snack for the plane, but eat the greasy, smelly sandwich beforehand. You don’t want to be responsible for the lingering smell. That creates grumpy passengers. No fun.
10) Keep your house keys on you or in your carry on. Because if they loose your bag on the way back, you’re not getting in your house…
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