The post-holiday rush is perhaps one of the biggest challenges at the opening of the year. It is where we all go back to our normal routines after the holiday gatherings or trips with loved ones at another state. It is also the time when traffic jams are the worst and people rush to the airport preparing to go back to reality.
But of course, there are ways to beat the surge of people, and get you through through your flight. We rounded up the best ones to help you make it in time through the airport.
Nothing ruins a boarding experience than finding out that you have excess baggage. This means you have to take out the things you need the least or pay the fee. Weigh them at home beforehand. Do this by weighing yourself first with a bathroom scale, repeating it while carrying your luggage, and then subtracting the two numbers. Take out the excess weight and have a peace of mind.
More or less 90% of the passengers will board the plane carrying gifts. If they are still wrapped, sorry to bust your bubbles, but the honor and experience of unwrapping or unboxing them will go to the airport security, not you. You may either ship them in advance or unwrap them before going to the airport for less hassle.
Most of us get stuck in traffic because we didn’t know what to expect. Apps like Waze, Michelin Navigation, and INRIX will let you know what is currently happening on the road such as bottleneck, road closures, and road accidents so you may plan a detour in advance.
You may do everything on this list but if you leave on the dot, you may still miss your flight. Holiday rush is where the most unexpected delays happen, car breaks down, hotheaded motorists get into a quarrel on the road which causes bottlenecks, etc. Give yourself a few hours of buffer before your flight schedule to deal with these unwanted surprises. It is better to spend hours waiting at the airport (in case you arrived too early) than on the road stuck in the traffic jam.
Instead of spending hours waiting to pick up your boarding pass, check in online via your phone or laptop. Then you are free to do other tasks.
Footwear with laces and straps takes time to remove and put on again, robbing you precious minutes during security checks. Give yourself and everybody else in the queue a favor by sporting slip-on shoes and go through the inspection with quickness and relative ease. Likewise, minimize wearing too many jewelries.
And speaking of shoes…
Your shoes can help not only your balance, but your luggage’s, too. Place your shoes at the bottom of the bag foot to toe to avoid it from falling over. This makes your bag easier to grab during the rush.
For some reason, people tend to place their IDs and boarding passes in the most inaccessible parts of their luggage, possibly for fear of misplacing them. But you are both in a hurry and in a bit of panic to get to your flight, searching for these documents will feel like looking for Waldo. Place your ID and boarding pass inside your pouch, handbag, or wallet. Presenting them will be faster and easier.
We have been flying for almost a century now and we have yet to master airplane etiquette. There are still people who think it is OK to make the seat bulkheads their personal ottoman or walk to the toilet barefoot.
Be a decent traveler and have respect. Here are eleven things you need to stop doing inside the plane on your next flight.
Nothing speaks “entitled” than a passenger resting his/her bare feet on the walls or the other passengers' seats. It is insulting and disrespecting of other people. Wear your shoes and put down your feet.
You have at least three hours waiting in the airport before you board your plane. Use that time to empty your bladder. The seat belt sign is there for your and the other passengers’ safety. Follow it.
Bringing your own booze might be cool in parties, but not on airplanes. There are regulations against consuming your own alcohol there. You can only drink alcohol that is given to you by the attendant to monitor your consumption. Wait until you land to get to a bar and drink to your heart’s content.
The plane is not your hotel room. By taking the trip to the rest room barefoot, or worse, with your socks on, you are mopping the pee on the plane’s floor, endangering everybody’s health. Also, eew.
Sure, that chili is irresistible. But inside an air-tight chamber filled with people already struggling with sleeplessness and bland food? Not much. Have consideration and keep the smelly meals away.
Believe it or not, a physical contact is the last thing flight attendants want, no matter how innocent your intentions may be (the fact that some of them had encountered sexual harassments at some point only confounds this discomfort). “Excuse me” will totally suffice for them. It is polite and doesn't invade any personal spaces.
On the same note…
Don’t do this on the plane. In fact, don’t do this anywhere. You are not the King of England. Well, scratch that. The King of England does not even do this. It is plain rude.
Apart from the Bermuda Triangle and D. B. Cooper, this is one of aviation’s biggest mystery: why do people even think it is cool to do yoga in airplane galleys? Is there some excitement to it? Is it considered a new milestone now? We may never know. What we are sure of is that you are invading the flight crew’s office and you will be thrown out if you insist.
If you are applauding because you want to give the pilot a huge compliment, guess what, he won’t be able to hear you. Send your compliments through the attendants if you really insist or just say thank you.
The large suitcase goes to the overhead bins, the small bag and other accouterments goes under your seat in the front. That simple. Have some courtesy to other passengers by not turning the bins into your gym locker.
The flight attendants practiced this presentation to save your life. Be appreciative of their efforts and pay attention. You don’t want to have that “I should have listen to them” moment when things go south.
We already discussed the five things you need to do before boarding your plane to make sure your travel is convenient and less of a hassle. And even by that is not complete, as air travel is littered with inaccurate information that considered many as life-saving truths. While trivial things that can have life and death consequences gets buried.
Here, we busted the myths and unearth the life-saving tips for your peace of mind and pleasure.
Contrary to what you believe, the scariest part of the plane travel is not when you are at the highest and the buildings below look like Lego blocks. It is in the few minutes when the plane is taking off and landing on the ground.
These are the moments when the plane is closest to the ground, requires the most maneuvering by the pilots, and most fatal accidents happen. It is in this window of time when you should be wary the most and follow the instructions. When the plane gets into the air, it is the computer that mostly does the job.
Bermuda Triangle is that region in the North Atlantic Ocean where many ships and airplanes have reportedly gone missing under still unknown circumstances (mostly attributed to paranormal and extraterrestrial causes). So it is only logical that airplanes completely avoid this area, right? Come on, we cannot let these aliens take more lives.
Well first, the missing reports are highly sensationalized and exaggerated. And second, planes never avoid this area unlike what you always hear. Aircrafts and ships have been passing the Bermuda Triangle for decades without much incidents. The 1,800-mile detour is not worth it.
Again, contrary to what you’ve heard, your iPad cannot actually remotely mess up the flight control (old school laptops in the past can, however). But these and other electronic devices should be kept or stored, not just turned off, during take-off and landing because they can fly around and act as deadly projectiles in case something happens during these dangerous moments. You don’t want to risk getting hit in the head by a 20-inch HP Pavilion Dragon darting in at 200 miles per hour, do you?
Before the 1990’s, people are allowed light up a puff during the flight, but it has stopped since then (it took them two decades before realizing secondhand smoke in an enclosed cylinder 20,000 feet from the ground is actually a health hazard), but ashtrays are still a legal requirement in airplane comfort rooms. If broken, the law mandates it to be replaced within 10 days.
But no, it’s so you could ignite a roll in secret. It is so the crew can have a place to put out the cigarette in case some hardhead decides to smoke. Putting them in trash bins could start the fire and throwing them in the toilet can cause clogging. So ashtrays are the way to go.
You are tired and only wants to catch a nap, but the attendant insists your seat should be on the most uncomfortable position possible to man: upright. Because, well, the plane is taking off.
Again, this goes to the most hazardous moments during the flight. In case things go wrong, an upright and locked seat will allow more space for people to get out on the shortest time possible. Also, a reclining and unlock seat can act as a catapult that can throw you forward during an accident, which is fatal. Getting slingshot in the air is fun during lake parties. Inside a plane? Not much.
If Carl the captain gets a braised beef with asparagus and tartar sauce from First Class, Mike, his co-pilot, needs to make do with the brisket chili and cheese from Business, no matter how likes the same meal as Carl. No, Mike isn’t under reprimand and being punished, it is a rule most airline will impose to avoid a case of food poisoning for both aviators (both is the operative word here).
They can only afford to have one pilot to be incapacitated, as the other can still manage to fly the plane and do an emergency landing. Both navigators going down will literally take the plane with them.
Lightning can burn forests, incinerate houses, and smolder Iron Man. But can they crash airplanes? Not really.
Decades of aviation technology have discovered ways to protect planes from Thor’s wrath by wrapping the jets with aluminum (or any other composite material) to conduct electricity and let it travel on the plane’s surface, while keeping the insides (read: people) insulated. The last time an aircraft crashed due to Zeus’ bolt was in 1967. These days, planes respond with an alarming "meh.”
No matter how drunk or bored you are and how fun it could be, NEVER point a laser to an airbcraft. It can be fatal for the passengers and it can land you in jail. We are not even discussing about the high-powered ones they use in NASA. We are talking about those pocket-sized novelty pointers lecturers and rave party goers prefer.
You see, planes use Plexiglass in their windows to maximize incoming light (helps a lot during night travel). The concentrated light from these miniscule pointers, no matter how weak they could look like, can become overly blinding and disorienting to pilots once it passes through the glass. Because of the dangers it could bring, FBI offers $10,000-rewards for information leading to laser-related arrests. Yes, you’ll be hunted down like a serial killer because you think pointing lasers to helicopters is cool.
What is the dirtiest part of your office table? That’s right. Your keyboard. And you are the only one using it. And you get to clean it regularly. Imagine something being used by hundreds upon hundreds of people from all over the world to place their food, things, and dirty napkins, with little maintenance. Yupp. You just environed the airplane tray.
The tray is a constant home to 2,155 germ colony–forming units per square inch, which probably involve E.coli, salmonella, and molds i.e. the usual suspects for food poisoning. Wipe the tray first with alcohol or sanitizing gel before using, and do not let it directly contact your food. Use a plate or mat instead.