7 Mistakes You Are Making At The Airport
Begin your trip on a happy and relaxed note by avoiding these 7 mistakes.
Travel has become a huge part of everybody’s life; be it commuting within the city or travelling far and beyond. Travel planning should add happiness by being hassle-free. And, that includes booking for your trip, booking your ride, sharing your flight status…basically, plan your trip from start to finish. I’m trying my bit by sharing a few ideas, tips, applications, but I need you to also do your bit to make your trip happy and stress-free.
Photo by Jue Huang on Unsplash
What can you do? Well for starters don’t make these airport mistakes I’m about to share to begin your trip on a happy and relaxed note.
1. Not Having A TTP Pre-Check
When you fly a couple of times a year it makes sense for you to apply for Trusted Traveler Program Precheck. The Precheck queues are rarely as long as the regular lines and since you don’t remove your shoes, laptops and liquids, the lines move much quicker.
To apply for it you need to fill out an application for a five-year Global Entry membership at a non-refundable fee of $100 and the schedule an appointment at one of the enrollment centres at. Agreed, it sounds a lot of work and a lot of money but it’s for 5 years and worth it to save time and aggravation at the airport.
2. Not Checking-In Online
For starters, your virtual travel buddy OGenie can do it for you, without any fees, but I’ve seen travellers rarely use this facility. Unless there’s some issue, there’s no reason why you should not check-in online. If you don’t have any luggage to check, you can simply skip the counter and head straight to the security line. Even if you have luggage on you, just drop it off and since you’ve already checked-in, it is taken care of quickly.
Some airlines only let you choose a seat when you check in so if you want a preferred seat I suggest you let Genie handle it within the check-in time that is usually 24 hours before the flight is due to take off.
3. Wearing The Wrong Clothing
You should dress for comfort on the plane but also make sure to dress to get through the line faster.
Avoid anything that could hold you up by setting off the alarms including chunky jewellery, belt, too much of metal on your body. Also, keep your footwear simple, shoes are quick to get off and on.
4. Not Being Nice
Well, Genie is always there to help you, but you might need the help of someone at the airport too. Patience and smile go a long way when interacting with gate attendants, flight attendants, TSA agents and even your fellow travellers.
Let me in you a secret, I’ve seen overweight bags given a pass without the fees, seats changed and special favours accommodated simply because someone asked nicely.
5. Not Buying A Pass To The Airport Lounge
If you aren’t enrolled in a credit card offer or aren’t an elite flyer, the world of airport lounges might look like an exotic experience to indulge in. But there are some occasions where it’s worth buying a day pass, especially if you have a long international layover.
The airport lounge pass lets you enjoy a good spread of food, a generous array of beverages, free Wi-Fi and a quiet place to rest, besides good company.
6. Sending Sensitive Information Over Airport Wi-Fi
More and more airports across are now acknowledging the convenience of providing free Wi-Fi to travellers but remember, free doesn’t mean safe.
Public Wi-Fi networks aren’t secure so make sure you don’t type in personal information including your passwords, IDs etc.
7. Downloading Your Airport/Airline App
Yes, it was important earlier to download the app of your carrier or the airport you might be travelling to and from, but that was before I existed.
Now you only need OGenie, your virtual travel buddy who’ll inform you about the flight status, delays, help you with the bag terminals, airport restrooms, restaurants at the airport…map the airport for you so you know your way around.
