The summer holiday season is well upon us and whether you are travelling for business or pleasure this summer, our airport travel tips will make sure you don’t get caught out and ensure you have a smooth journey through the airport.
Check timings
It’s well worth checking and double-checking flight times and working out exactly when to leave home and how early to get to the airport. The general rule of arriving two hours before your flight still applies even if you have checked in online.
Weigh your bags
Once you’ve packed your bags weighing them to ensure you don’t go over any weight limits will save embarrassment and excess luggage fees at check in. Each airline has different weight limits for hold and hand luggage so check with your airline before arriving at the airport.
Check in online
Checking in online is now fairly common practice, its especially helpful and can save you time if you are just travelling with hand luggage and you haven’t got bags to check in. You can also pre-book your seats when you check in online, handy if you are travelling in a group or with young children. Be aware of any charges for this, as some premium seats may be chargeable.
Travel documents
Keep all your travel documents together and safe. Having them all in one place so they are safe but easily accessible when asked to present them as you travel through the airport is a good idea. This is particularly useful if you are travelling with children and have several passports and boarding passes that need to be looked through.
Security & Customs
Whilst never a pleasant exercise, it is a most necessary one and going through the security checks at Customs can be much easier and quicker if you are prepared. Get ready and put all loose change and keys from pockets into your hand luggage bag. Whilst you are waiting in the queue, remove coats, belts and boots and make sure all your liquids and gels are in the appropriate clear plastic bag. Generally laptops and phones will need to be separated and cleared to go through the scanners too.
Boarding tips
Once through Customs you need to find your boarding gate number. Even if you have time to spare its always a good idea to note this before you do any shopping or grab a coffee as in large airports, boarding gates can be very spread out and could take time to get there. You really don’t want to miss your flight when you’ve got this far! If travelling with anyone elderly, disabled or with children you can request advance boarding with some airlines, although check as some will charge for this service.
One final airport travel tip, is to pre-book a cab for your return journey from the airport to home and avoid wasting time trying to call a taxi at the last minute.
