| Make sure that you have enough time at the airport | | | | another lesson learned the hard way). |
| before your plane leaves. Check with your airline how | | | | If the plane is overbooked and you are in no hurry you |
| much time in advance you need to be at the airport, | | | | may be able to get money, food and accommodations |
| especially if you travel with certain budget airlines | | | | in return for taking a later flight. If your flight gets |
| which close their check in extremely early. If you travel | | | | cancelled call the airline directly to get rebooked to |
| in holiday periods it may take a lot longer to check in | | | | another flight instead of standing in line with all the other |
| and pass through security. Also, allow time for paying | | | | passengers at the understaffed desk. |
| airport taxes and fees for overweight luggage or | | | | If you want to pass check in quickly find out if there |
| special luggage (e.g. golf clubs, surf boards) if | | | | are any self service terminals where you step up to a |
| necessary. | | | | computer and perform the check in yourself. You will |
| If you are traveling from a cold country to a warm and | | | | then get your boarding pass and luggage tag printed |
| do not have anyone to drive you to the airport it can | | | | from the machine. Attach the luggage tag to your |
| be really annoying to have to lug around a warm | | | | backpack and drop it off at the bag drop point. |
| jacket which you do not need in your destination. | | | | Avoid check in lines where there is a new employee |
| Instead put on several layers of clothing and remove | | | | trying to learn their job, you can usually tell by the fact |
| them when you get to the airport. | | | | that there is another person standing next to them and |
| Do not accept packages from strangers and make | | | | pointing at the computer screen, it can take a lot |
| sure you have packed your bags yourself. | | | | longer. |
| If you plan on watching the movie and there are no | | | | Sometimes there are several queues to check in |
| individual monitors ask for a seat a few rows behind | | | | counters but one queue is significantly longer because |
| the screen to get a good view. | | | | it is hard to see the second queue and everyone |
| If you have a short time to catch your connecting flight | | | | assumes that there is only one queue. Just join the |
| ask for an aisle seat near the exit so that you can get | | | | second queue and save yourself some time. |
| off the plane quickly. Murphy´s law of course | | | | In order to pass passport control quickly pick a line |
| dictates that in this case your plane will be parked | | | | which seems to have people you do not think that the |
| away from the gates and a bus will take you there | | | | passport control will scrutinize. After a while you learn |
| and you will be stuck in the back of the bus and be | | | | where you may risk hold ups because the border |
| the last one to leave the bus. | | | | police want a closer inspection (e.g. since they suspect |
| Go to the restroom before you board the plane, | | | | that the person is not a tourist and intends to |
| delays happen and you do not want to be stuck on | | | | disappear in the country). |
| the tarmac for two hours with a full bladder (yes | | | | |