Flying can be a pretty big headache, but thankfully, if you do it enough you figure out a system to get through it. Logan asked you guys what you do to stay sane while in the topsy-turvy world of airports, where a small bag of chips can cost $10 and a double shot of booze is available around every bend.
Personally, I get there way too early, find my gate and go to the nearest news stand to buy a print car magazine to read cover to cover. If I’ve got Business Class tickets I’ll head to the Delta Lounge for some of the most lightly-seasoned chicken you’ve ever tasted and a quick drink, but then to the gate to sit in uncomfortable chairs and read what my colleagues are immortalizing in ink and wood pulp.
There’s so much chaos involved in flying that these little rituals can help you feel grounded among the aimlessly milling around adults and their swiftly escaping children. Here’s how some of our readers deal with the unknown unknowns of air travel.
Fly way, way early
I learned this doing one-day presentation gigs around the country: book the earliest flight I can find the day before the gig. If things go wrong at the start/any layovers during the trip, I have all day to try and fix the situation. If they don’t I have the day to sightsee before I did my gig.
Two or three times, that entailed getting to my event an hour or so before the start of the presentation, after spending a day and overnight in airport misery to get there. But I never missed a gig. And since I generally blocked a day to recover after I did a road gig, I could endure whatever miseries were waiting for me on the return trip.
From jrhmobile
Hates being late, hates being hungry even more
Try to be there 2 hours before boarding. Get through checking bags and security. If there is time, sit down and eat. If there is not, grab something from market and either eat at the gate or save it for the plane. If eating on the plane, not something that smells strong or is noisy/messy to eat.
I don’t like spending a lot of time in airports, but I hate missing flights and being late even more.
From cintocrunch1
Nothing like that lounge access
I’m doing quite a bit of flying for work now, domestic this time so no EU ETIAS and biometrics craziness, and the main thing I do is, I don’t care how early it is, if I have the chance, I get the earliest flight to my destination or my hub transfer. Since I use a small international airport that isn’t a hub and something like 75% of the flights are cargo, there aren’t dozens of flights a day to each major hub so if things go sideways, I want all day to try to reroute to my destination. I have American Airlines lounge access so that turns into my go-to in PHL or DFW to get some work done and freshen up a bit. Basically I go with the flow. I learned getting upset over a late flight or being bumped solves nothing and that being calm and collected opens far more doors than acting like what ends up on a bodycam video.
From Xavier96
The best advice there is
I travel a lot for work, and, several decades ago, I made a conscious decision to try my hardest not to stress about travel elements that are beyond my control. If there’s a ground stop at Newark due to weather, there’s absolutely nothing I can do about that.
Not much in terms of rituals, but one piece of advice: be nice to the airline staff. When things go wrong, it’s very rarely their fault, but many people act like it is. Being nice to them is both the right thing to do, and, even if you don’t care about karma, the smart thing to do. If there IS something the staff can do to help you out, they’re much more likely to do that if you’re polite than yelling.
From JustSomeGuyYouKnow
Keep it simple, stupid
Flying out of a smaller regional airport is just soooo much calmer. You are entering the system at a less crowded and hectic point. You don’t need to get there 2 hours early, you can most likely take a cab from your house, Security is friendlier because they aren’t overloaded, It’s generally not crazy crowded even at the height of the holiday season.
By the time you factor in drive time and parking fees and the added stress of getting there, whatever money you save by going to the bigger airport with a direct connection is just not worth it.
This is especially awesome when you have a late arrival back home- instead of having to go find your car and then drive an hour or two to get back home after an exhausting flight, you catch an uber and you’re home in 15 minutes, no hassles.
From Buckfiddious
Better flying through chemistry
I get blitzed on gabapentin, Roboxin, benadryl, and Beefeater, then wait for the gate agents to call my boarding group. By the time I’m in the air, I’m numb to both physical and emotional trauma, so I don’t care if we land or crash.
From half man half bear half pig
You had me in the first half I’m not gonna lie
I like to walk very, very slowly in the middle of the terminal, preferably against the flow of traffic. I also make sure my head is buried in my phone so I have no concept of what’s going on around me. Then, I like to make unexpected stops or quick turns for no real reason. I play a game of how many shins I can hit with my roller suitcase. If traveling with a group, we walk 4 or 5 across and make everyone work around us. Once I get to my gate, I spread all the crap I probably should have checked into multiple seats around me and stare at people that are standing look for a place to sit. Finally, when it’s time to board, I stand directly in front of the jetway even though I’m in group 7 to board and wonder why people are giving me rude glares.
In all seriousness…If a short enough trip, I try to get everything in a backpack so I don’t have to deal with a suitcase. I grab a beer from the local brewery bar and walk up and down the terminal to kill time and watch all the people doing what I described above.
From Brewman15
That just sounds like a whole thing
For about 14 years, I travelled by air almost every week for my job. My usual flight on Monday mornings was scheduled for 5:00 a.m. The airport doors opened at 4:00 a.m. and I lived about 45 minutes away from the airport, so I would usually set my alarm for 2:30 a.m. so I could be on the road by 3:10 at the latest.
Many times I would fly with three 70 lb. toolboxes, three 50 lb. equipment cases plus my suitcase. The airport was a small regional place, so I would back my truck up to the overhead door in the back and after checking in and getting my boarding pass, I would walk back to my truck, they would open the overhead door and roll a baggage cart up to the door, and I would help the gate agent load my luggage from my truck to the baggage cart. Then I would park my truck in the parking lot and go back inside to wait for the call to security screening.
Of course, after 9/11, I had to bring my tools/equipment in to be weighed and x-rayed. But I could still do the reverse of the old way when I got home. If I was travelling with my equipment, I would tell the agent at the jet bridge when I arrived that I would meet them in the back. Then I would go out to my truck and back up to the same overhead door. They would unload the luggage from the plane and bring it inside the terminal, but instead of putting my heavy bags onto the conveyer and sending them to the carousel, I would just be able to load them from the cart into my truck directly.
Eventually I just Fedexed my tools.
From Anonymous Person
You never have to explain the joy of frequent flyer miles to an automotive journalist
One of the first pieces of advice I got when I started travelling for work was “choose one airline, and stick with it.” Luckily I listened to that advice, and I’ve been “Platinum” (yes, it sounds stuffy) with Delta for over a decade. It makes getting there early, breezing through security, and then enjoying a free meal in the lounges a no-brainer. Truly made travel nearly completely stress-less
From SantaCruzin
