Since I assume lots of people are flying this time of year
Since I assume lots of people are flying this time of year
Earplugs. Put them in as soon as you scan your boarding pass and are waiting in the jetway to get on the plane. Nothing that is said to you after that point will be important until you're off the plane; and if it is, you can just take out one earplug and say "say again?" You can avoid most of the annoyance of in-flight announcements and advertisements, screaming babies, and jet engines.
Drugstores. Your destination probably has them. You don't need to pack any toiletries that you can easily obtain in one. If you are flying to New York City, you do not need to bring toothpaste with you; they have toothpaste in New York City, and you can just buy it in the Duane Reade shop that's a block from your hotel. They have toothpaste in San Juan and Paris too. In any tropical destination, they have sunscreen there — and the sunscreen they sell there is actually safe for the coral reefs.
Water bottles. Many major airports have stations for refilling water bottles after you clear security. You can take an empty water bottle, fill it up, and carry it on the airplane.
Masks. In the old days before COVID, nobody wore masks in airports, and lots of people got colds or flu when traveling. These days, you can wear a mask and people may think you're weird but you are less likely to pick up random respiratory diseases. I regularly wear a standard 3M N95 mask in American airports and no longer get the sniffles every time I travel.
I disagree with the toiletries thing. It’s no panic if you forget them, but straight after a long haul flight, you want to refresh which includes brushing teeth.
If you’re flying somewhere hot, you want to apply sunscreen and get straight in the pool at your destination. It really makes it feel like the holiday is started,
Don’t forget that sunscreen can be expensive depending on your destination. Going to a family or friends house and the beach? NBD. Flying to Cancun and into a resort? That on prem sunscreen is gonna cost ya mucho dinero compared to BYO.
I agree, however, if you're forward thinking you can drop ship stuff from Amazon to the hotel and have it waiting for you when you arrive.
There's an additional reason why masks are popular in Asian countries: During flight, in-cabin air tends to get quite dry and that can easily upset your throat.
A mask reduces the humidity loss caused by the dry air exchange.
The mask thing is not a joke. My cousin came to visit and the moron didn't get the 2023 vaccination. Came over, and spend 80% of thanksgiving struggling with covid.
300 people in a crowded plane... Circulating the same air, what do you think was going to happen?
The air in an aircraft isn't really circulated.
The engines constantly pump new air into the cabin, and at the back of the cabin there is a vent to the outside.
No matter how much experience you have as a pilot. You should always use checklists for routine operations and emergencies.
Checklists have proven time and time again to be incredibly effective.
For years, doctors refused to use them because it was an insult to their intelligence. But the results showed, and doctors still refused. Then insurance happened and surprise surprise, doctors now use checklists.
These are stellar tips.
I would add avoid alcohol before and during the flight and noise cancelling headphones.
Also, apply for GOES or the trusted travel program. Nexus for Canadians.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs
I love traveling with my Nexus card. Never have to wait in line ever.
It’s $50 every 5 years. As someone who’s sat in border lines nearly 2 hours long, it was an easy buy. The eased up security in American airports is just a cherry on top.
I do sometimes feels like I'm selling Nexus cards because it's so amazing, I want everyone to have the same experience.
I once flew into Victoria BC, Canada. Airport is really small so they don't have a dedicated Nexus line like they do for major airports. I walked up to the guard at the front of the line and asked, 'where's the Nexus line?' and he said to the crowd of people waiting, 'wait here. I'll be right back' and then told me to follow him. He lead me to the front of the line like some movie star or big shot and everyone was eyeballing me like wtf is this guy. They tell people to move back to make room for me, right before the scanners and I just slink my way to the front with all eyes on me. As the guard leaves, I said, 'I have a Nexus card.. $50 for 5 years, it's totally worth it'.
Prior to having a Nexus, I once nearly missed a flight due to airport issues, not because I was late and the stress alone was worth $50 per flight, let alone $50 for 5 damn years. Even better? Americans pay $100 USD for 5 years and we only pay $50 CAD.
Seriously, apply for one.
If you don’t like flying, then the best thing I can recommend to relieve the stress is that when you get where you’re going, you take off your socks and shoes and then, on the carpet, you make fists with your toes.
You will be in close quarters with a lot of people. People suck and will be inconsiderate fucks. Airlines are shit and have you by the balls in terms of delays and shitty service.
Go in with low expectations and don’t make yourself more miserable by getting upset about it
I think it's about flying the plane, in the simplest form
Pull the centre stick back and you'll go up (houses look smaller and smaller), then push for the opposite
(On Delta planes at least) The aisle armrest comes up if you press a little trigger underneath near where is meets the seat. Makes it easier to get up if you're in the aisle seat and to exit the plane.
If you are always hot, get a windows seat. When you're at altitude, the side of the plane gets cold, so the window seat tends to be cooler.
If you are on the tall side, once the fight attendant isn't looking anymore, put your backpack or laptop bag behind your legs / knees instead of under the seat. Then you have full legroom available to stretch out.
If the person in front of you reclines their seat back, ask the fight attendant for a pillow and a can of soda. Remove the pillow case, and put the full soda can in it. Then batter up, and bash that fucker right in the face. Just kidding. Don't do this. Just calm down.
Having flown many times, I can confirm that the aisle armrest triggers exist on most major airlines. Any time I sit down on a flight, the first thing I do is look for that button.
The reason it's hard to find is because they should be down most of the time. In sudden turbulence, even if you're wearing a seatbelt, they keep you from spilling out into the aisle.
Also be aware that people walking by, the food cart, etc. can cause it to suddenly slap back down.
Yeah and then i look around to watch others try raise their own arm rests to no avail and laugh to myself
Wear a good-fitting N95 mask from before you enter your departure airport until after you leave your destination airport. Covid sucks, flu sucks, rsv sucks - just wear a mask, ffs. And get vaccinated.
Especially in America where vaccination was a political thing. There's still a huge chunk of Americans who get covid.
CubbyTustard has a good list. I’ll add the following:
I love flying and being in the airport. Yes it can be stressful, but it’s a miracle of modern dang science that ~300 people at the same time can take to the sky. Awe-inspiring, really.
To expand: DO NOT assume that in plane WiFi will be working and download any movies, songs, etc. that you’re going to want to be enjoying!
(Our 6 hour flight to Hawaii was a SLOG because we assumed…)
I'm a paranoid flyer and I always have at least 6 movies, a dozen mobile games, and a dozen switch games, 5 audiobooks, 40 ebooks, and a paper magazine.
The thought of being bored scares me. And the one time I had a 12 hour layover, I was well prepared.
Definitely this! I loaded fun videos on micro sd cards and popped them into each of my kids' tablets for a transatlantic flight recently. It saved my sanity big time.
While you’re in the security line, take all your shit out of your pockets and put it in your carry-on. Same for your belt.
I always took a light jacket with lots of pockets. In line, transfer all your things to the jacket and put that through the scanner. After security transfer everything back and pack the jacket.
This is a great tip, honestly. I’m always looking for ways to make the post-scanner process faster.
To add to #5: safety margins are kind of nuts on airplanes. I want to say a lot of mentally deficient rednecks build airplanes, but that's confirmation bias. Most of them are decent. Even then, safety margins, quality standards and procedures are made to account for morons and cowards that don't want to admit they fucked up. The critical bits are done with even higher standards.
They're safe as fuck. I've been in the industry for almost 20 years now and I love flying. When the plane first banks after take off and the whole airframe creaks is my favorite part, even. Fuck you nature: we fucking win.
The thousands of people across the globe that were involved in building the plane you're getting onto are proud of what they do and genuinely care about your safety. Smile and tell gravity to suck your dick.
The fears aren't necessarily illogical. At least, they may not be irrational. If they have incorrect information their thought process may be sound.
I also included descriptions of my emotional reactions to flight in case someone finds that useful.
AA has no better effectiveness than cold turkey, but if the venn diagram isn't a circle AA might still have a place.
Go to your gate before you explore stores.
Carry a bottle of water. You can't just get water whenever you need it.
Reminder that flight attendants only get paid when the airplane is in the air. It's the stupidest thing so don't be a asshole.
Don't be "that person" who has to dig into their bag in the overhead compartment. Nobody likes you.
Carry a bottle of water. You can't just get water whenever you need it.
yeah, I usually travel with a collapsible water bottle like these vapur ones
Reminder that flight attendants only get paid when the airplane is in the air. It's the stupidest thing so don't be a asshole.
I thought it was when the doors close their pay starts.
I travel for a living.
Priority boarding is useless
Funny you say this then talk about the overhead filling up in #4. That is the advantage of priority boarding, getting a spot in the overhead. I can’t fit more than a day or two worth of clothes in something that fits under a seat (and besides, I want the space fit my legs and feet). And not having to check a bag is huge. And it’s nice to go down the aisle without feeling like I’m constantly sticking my ass or crotch in people’s faces.
Man, I fit an entire week's worth of clothes in the backpack I put under the seat. Granted, I bring jeans so they can be worn more than once. But I also brought my switch, DS Lite, over ear headphones, snow gloves, 2 hoodies, trimmer set, and toiletries.
Between takeoff and landing you can also move your bag out from under the seat to be behind your legs. Gives you more room to extend your legs.
Bring comfortable noise cancelling headphones.
I like audio books. Many people like movies. It's something to focus on that isn't flying.
Seats closer to the middle of the plane have the smoothest flight. Middle if the plane as in both over the wing and aisle.
Turbulence, a pilot friend explained it just as a boat encounters waves, a plane encounters bumps in the air. It's nothing to worry about.
If you don't need an overheard bin to store anything it's less stressful. You can chill in the bar and then get on the plane very last and it doesn't matter, and you can potentially get off the plane faster when you don't have the big carry-on to wrestle with.
Many dumb takes here, but also some good ones. Here are mine roughly sorted by importance:
Choose a direct flight whenever possible. I usually would pick a shitty, more expensive airline over having a connecting flight.
I have to say, this is just a matter of personal preference. I cannot imagine myself enduring a 13 hour flight in one go, so I tend to pick an airline that happens to have connections in Dubai. It's about halfway when I'm visiting my girlfriend, and it feels really nice to walk around, stretch a bit, use a real toilet, etc.
My girlfriend is the opposite, she prefers to come here with a direct flight because it's less of a hassle and she's able to rest on the plane all the way.
Cheap airlines: you get what you pay for. You will be treated like cattle
That's true for European low-cost airlines. Sometimes they would treat you worse than cattle.
However, on AirAsia I had a much better experience, although I only flew once with them.
Generally, in Europe they would mess with your hand-carry.
With AirAsia, my experience was that no one gives a damn crap about your bags. Just follow their rules, and if your bag looks reasonable, no one will say anything.
On a long flight wearing your seat belt
I would suggest that at all times when you're seated, with one exception: don't wear it while boarding is still in progress and the seatbelt sign isn't on. While turbulence mostly can be predicted, in some rare cases it cannot be. But they remind you of that during either the safety briefing or the captain's first PA.
Wearing a mask is not a bad idea
Duh. I mean, why else would they be hanging right in front of you while the cabin is getting depressurized?
Just kidding. I know you meant medical masks.
Good points.
Although I have flown a few times on low-cost airlines in Europe, most of them also don't care if you don't test your luck with your carry-on.
They often don't have enough time for thorough checks anyway. I got checked once, and it was fine.
I often prefer to place the carry-on in the hull when offered (personal preference and a willingness to take risks).
Additionally, when flying to or from EU (and associated) destinations, you have EU Flight Rights, such as fixed compensation after certain delays.
This is in addition to the right to get any costs replaced, like hotel, food, and taxi.
There are companies that make it very easy to enforce your rights when the airline denies them. Of course, they want a cut, but either you pay a lawyer upfront or try your luck with them with no risks.
A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.
Traveling with a towel in my carryon bag has saved my ass more than a couple of times. It's a towel, it's a pillow, it's a small blanket, it's a privacy shield, it's a surface to sling your fake watches to passerbys and earn enough for your return flight home.
Want to freshen up prior to landing or during a connection at an airport? That towel will get you dry after washing up, brushing your teeth, etc. No silly paper towel, or Dyson hand dryer nonsense.
Listen to the safety briefing. They wouldn't bother telling you if it wasn't important.
Keep your seatbelt on for the entire flight. The pilots can't always predict turbulence, and hitting the ceiling hurts.
It hasn't happened to me, but passengers have been severely injured before.
An example of a minor incident.