Last time I flew, two weeks ago, I made it all the way from my hotel on the Toronto airport hotel strip via shuttle bus to the terminal, checked in my bag, through security, and down to my boarding gate in 25 minutes flat. On this week's flight, I got it down to 23 minutes.
Am I good or what?
Okay, yes, it was partly luck. But experience and practice-makes-perfect certainly played a role.
If you're an experienced road warrior, you're not going to find any surprises here. This post is dedicated to all the once or twice a year flyers who absolutely hate the whole ordeal of getting through an airport and onto a plane. Here's some helpful advice from an old-timer who remembers when there was no security and no self-check, one who has watched all that garbage evolve over time -- and learned by practice how to roll with it and make the airport experience as easy as possible.
Much of the art of surviving an airport begins with planning and preparation. You want to navigate an airport successfully, you have to plan ahead.The biggest surprise for many people is that making your way through an airport begins long before you get to that airport -- usually 24 hours beforehand.
[1] Check In Online
Most airlines have now gotten into the groove and offer online check-in from 24 hours before the flight departure. Do it. No questions, no arguments. Check in online, the sooner the better. This is where you pick your seat. This is where you prepay for checked baggage (with some airlines, at a cheaper rate than paying at the airport). This is where you get on the priority list for one of those precious gems of air travel, the upgrade to premium class seating. Have the boarding pass sent to you in a text if you're not using the airline's app (although you should).
[2] A Bit of Research
First and foremost, find out if there is more than one terminal and, if so, make sure you know and get to the right one. Next: know where you're going when you get there. No matter from which airport you are departing, there is usually a website from the airport with floor plans to show where the check-in facilities are located. Use this to plan out exactly where you need to go inside the building, so you know exactly which way to turn once you get there. It matters because many major airport terminals have different check-in areas for different airlines, or for domestic or international travel. Here's a screenshot of a sample map (the actual maps on the Pearson airport website are bigger and interactive):
.png)
And here's a slightly fuzzy photo of the sign which greets you at the main entrances to Pearson's Terminal One. It lists all the flights expected to depart over the next few hours, and tells you which of the thirteen numbered check-in areas you should go to for your flight. If in doubt, go by the information on the sign.
[3] Arrive Early
Yeah, I know, nobody wants to hang out all day in the airport. Just do it. If things go smoothly, you can keep working or reading your novel while waiting for flight time. Or have a much nicer meal than the one you would get on the plane (if any). If you try to cut it close, and things go wrong, the stress will drive you mad and ruin your entire week.
Remember that there will be plenty of other people trying to cut it close -- you certainly won't be the only one! Then everything gets backlogged, from the lineup of vehicles trying to get up the driveway to the drop-off zone through to the check-in, the baggage drop, and security. Arrive early. I recommend one hour longer than the airline's "minimum check-in time." More if you are flying from Canada to the USA and have to clear customs before getting on the plane, especially early in the morning.
[4] When Packing
Things to remember when packing:
[a] Batteries, electronics, prescription medications, etc., must go in your carry-on bag, not in your checked baggage (if any).
[b] Liquids in your carry-on must be in containers no bigger than 100ml, and all liquid containers must fit into a single clear plastic bag of limited size. Bigger containers have to go into checked baggage.
[5] Before the Airport
Things to do before you get to the airport:
[a] Empty your pockets. Put all that stuff into your carry-on bag except....
[b] Get out your photo i.d. and your boarding pass and keep them out.
[c] Make sure your bag of liquids and your laptop are easily accessible in your carry-on bag.
Notice we haven't even arrived at the terminal yet? All this is preparation.
[6] Keep Them Out
The boarding pass and photo i.d., that is.
Don't put them away. Just don't. You need them at check-in and/or baggage drop-off, you need them to enter security, you need them maybe again before leaving security, you need them to get onto the damn plane so just KEEP THEM OUT. Don't put them away. Ever (until you board the plane). If you have a security code lock on your phone, and you're a sporadic user like me, disable it so you don't have to keep punching the code in to get your boarding pass back. Re-enable the security code once you are on board the plane. (P.S. this hassle is the biggest of the eleven reasons I prefer a paper boarding pass -- the other ten are my ten thumbs).
[7] At Security
Be prepared. Get out the bag of liquids and the laptop while you are still in line, before you get to the checkpoint. I know, kind of a revolutionary idea, but it works. What else? Heavy steel jewellery like my watch (it's already in my carry-on, see step # 4a). Shoes and boots, if flying to or within the USA, or if they have steel shanks. Belt, if it has a sizable metal buckle. The more you can do before you step up to the actual checkpoint, the better. All this increases your chances of walking quickly and smoothly right through that metal scanner without having to go back and do it again. And again. And again.
If you're faced with one of the full-body silhouette scanners, then absolutely everything has to come out of your pockets, metal or not.
[8] Collect Everything
It's astounding how many people walk away from security checkpoints, leaving behind various items. Phones get left behind amazingly often, considering how many people get a stress reaction if they aren't holding their phones right in their hands ("my Precious, my Precious"). Double check. If it's a belt you're leaving behind, there's a good chance that your trousers will remind you.
[9] Look Up -- Look Waaaay Up
Now you are in the departures area of the terminal. It's time to get your nose out of your phone. I know, it's pretty much glued to the end of your nose, but just put it down for a minute. Why use a "navigate your airport" app when all the information you need is right there already? Above your head. It's contained in these wonderful high-tech devices called "Signs."
These signs have useful stuff like gate numbers. Like washroom symbols. Like baggage claim and customs symbols. All there. And sorry to tell you this, but third-party apps aren't always accurate. The airport's own signs are. Let's face it, nobody knows better than the homeowner where the bathroom is actually located.
Pretty much every time I am in the domestic area of Toronto Pearson Airport's Terminal One, I see someone with their nose in their phone wander off down the concourse straight ahead as they come off the escalators from security -- and then, several minutes later, I'll pass the same person racing back to the other concourse on the right-hand side because they missed the overhead signs with the gate numbers. I'm sure people have missed their flights because they didn't look up.
The "Look Up" advice also works like a charm when you arrive and get off the plane, whether you have to find a connecting flight at another gate, a washroom, or the exit and baggage claim area.
[10] You're There? Sit Down
Once you get to the gate, take a seat. In the old days (pre-1980), you always had to check in with the gate agent when you got to the boarding area. Today, there's absolutely no reason at all to check in with or hang around the desk by the gate -- anyway, there's usually far more places to sit than spaces to stand. The odds are 99% that, whatever it is you want to ask about, the agent will tell you to take a seat. See, they have these things called "announcements"....
[11] Listen
Once again, get your nose out of your phone. The worst thing you can do is slap on noise-suppressing headphones to watch a fave movie or TV show, and then miss the announcement where they tell everyone that your flight has just been switched from Gate 3 to Gate 73. Actually, a gate change announcement is the biggest one to listen for until it's boarding time. I've gotten gate changes on three of my last six flights.
The next worst thing is to be busy stuffing your face in a restaurant and miss the announcement where they begin calling you by name: "Passenger G. Hassenpfeffer, your flight is ready to depart. Please report to gate H-999 immediately, or your baggage will be removed from the aircraft." I once had to text some friends who were eating breakfast and didn't realize that their flight (at the gate next to mine) was paging them by name.
If you are waiting on a possible upgrade to the royal palace at the front of the plane, the gate agent will usually begin calling the lucky few about 30 minutes before flight time. The only other really good one (if you have time to spare) is the one that says the flight is oversold and they'll give you a refund in the form of a future travel voucher if you agree to travel confirmed on a later flight.
At last comes the call for boarding. Most airlines have some kind of specific boarding procedure, and the announcement which explains that procedure is the last big one you need to listen to -- especially if it's an airline you don't fly with regularly. In particular, parents with small kids need to listen closely for the directions for their pre-boarding, if they choose to use it.
And that pretty much covers it. Hope this all helps to make your next trip less of an ordeal!
By the way: if you guessed from this blog post that I am about to start travelling again, you are absolutely right. Actually, I've already completed the first leg of the trip. Getting through the airport in 23 minutes flat was the least of it. Stand by for further updates.
No comments:
Post a Comment