How to Survive at the Airport During the Holiday Season
It’s the holidays now, which means some of us are going to the airport next week. According to USA Today, US airlines are expecting a 5.2 percent increase in air travel over Christmas and New Years, which is about 2.5 million a day. So, if last year you flew somewhere, then this year it will be 5.2 percent worse. Busiest day: Friday before Christmas.
My biggest tip is to know this is going to be a shitty show and do your best to stay calm and enjoyable during it all. We are all going through this storm together, and no one wants to be stuck on an airport island with a jerk. Don’t be an asshole.
However, grab a neck pillow, open a mini whiskey bottle and try these tips:
Handling gifts
In general, it is almost always a good idea to send the gifts you plan to give to their destination before heading out. Delivery ensures that items are not lost during the flight or damaged by an overly zealous baggage handler. You can also send wrapped gifts. If you are planning to fly with gifts, you will need to wait to pack them until you land, just in case TSA needs to check them. Save time and stress and send everything ahead of time.
Download your airline’s app
If your phone has not yet installed the application of the airline you are flying with, do so now. I’ll wait. Airline apps are a killer if you have it all the time, but they are especially useful during peak times, such as during the holidays.
With the airline activity app, you can see the flight status (and if it is delayed) that the airline has changed your gate again and move your seat. If you are currently assigned a middle seat, I highly recommend updating this seat map a few hours before departure and then periodically at the gate. Airlines will upgrade their frequent flyers before take off, and weather conditions and delays are likely to force some passengers to move off your flight, freeing up their seats. Be prepared to pounce on this passageway spot as soon as it becomes available.
When something goes wrong, the airline app can also often tell you what happened to the delayed flight, before the gate agent knows. If the airline has already rebooked you to another flight, this boarding pass will be in your app, so you don’t have to wait in that horribly long paper line. And if you don’t like the flight you were overbooked to, in most cases you can also switch that overbooked flight right in the app.
Check your flight
It’s winter now. Winter brings snow and snow brings delayed and canceled flights. The pro trick here is to think about winter weather when booking your ticket and try to avoid transfers and stops in snowy areas (direct flights are the way to go this time of year / always).
If you’ve already booked this flight, make sure everything is going according to plan. Take a look at your flight the night before you travel, and again before you hit the road (flight tracking is great). There is nothing better than getting yourself and all your belongings to the airport only to find out that your flight is canceled. Try to familiarize yourself with the area before calling a taxi or boarding the train.
Apps like GateGuru can be killer at this time of year as well. The app will tell you the approximate waiting times for security at your airport (though don’t mistake his words for gold) and can help you figure out where your gates are at this massive airport where you have a 15-minute connection, or where the bar is – this is when you are late.
And check the ticket type again before you hit the road. If you accidentally (or intentionally) buy a Basic Economy ticket, you won’t be able to take your carry-on baggage with you, so make sure you plan. You will also almost certainly be flying in the middle seat – be prepared to make new friends.
Go to the airport early
Holidays are the only time I observe the two-hour rule at the airport. Ever since I got the TSA Pre, I almost made it my mission to arrive at the airport to get to the gate just before boarding. Holidays are not the time for that.
The end of the year is when everyone who hasn’t been on airplanes in ten years and all of their friends head to the airport with their bookbags stuffed with water bottles, full-sized shampoos, and heirlooms of pocket knives they’ve bared. do not part with. Security, even this preliminary TSA line, will take a while. Give yourself that two hour window (maybe even more if you’re flying from a particularly busy airport). Take a good book with you or download a movie to your phone and plan to hang out at the airport before your flight.
Get yourself an extension cord
I used to have this tiny extension cord that instantly made me a gate hero. I lost it earlier this year, but I still carry a multi-plug for USB cables with me .
The electricity at the airport is too high, which means that you will inevitably have to charge your phone, tablet or computer. I can almost guarantee that all retail outlets throughout the airport will be in use when you make this opening. If you have a small power strip, you can convince just about anyone to let you share your outlet. You want this freedom – I promise.
It’s time to pack the backup batteries that you have in your carry-on. Of course, you are fine now, but what do you do after your flight is eight hours delayed? Get ready for the worst and get excited when you don’t need what you brought.
Headphones are your friend
Someone will scream during your flight. It could be a child. It could be some ridiculous woman in a luminous sweater. Be that as it may, bring some headphones (preferably noise canceling) so you can drown the person.
Prepare for the unexpected
With millions of people traveling and unpredictable weather, there is a good chance that something could go wrong during your trip. Take a few minutes to consider what your plan will be if you get stuck in Chicago, Atlanta or Dallas because your flight is canceled or you missed this close relationship.
And pack an extra set of clothes in your carry-on bag (if you’ve checked other clothes) in case your bag gets lost or gets stuck.
If you have a plan, even if it is fuzzy, then when you have such a problem, everything will go smoothly.
And when you do, call the airline while waiting in line to speak to the agent at the entrance. People on the phone can’t get you things like hotel stamps and food stamps, but they can rebook you on another flight. If you are 192 people in a 500-person queue, this call could potentially force you to hit the road on another flight (it worked for me!) Before you even get to the front of the queue.
And as someone who has made this mistake before, one more piece of advice from a professional: wait for the sleeping pill until you are in the air. The fact that the plane is on the runway does not mean that you are actually going to take off.