I love flying. For years, I’ve been booking flights without too much worry about which tickets to buy or what flying tips to follow. But unfortunately things in the post-pandemic world have made flying more challenging. Missed connections, lost luggage, long lines, all the things that mess up your trip are a common experience these days.
So what can you do to avoid problems and get to your destination on time? Here are a few tips to set you up for success.
Find a flight with connections you can actually make
For starters, the best way to get to you destination on time is to book a reasonable flight itinerary with the fewest possible connections. Obviously, a direct flight is the best option when possible. The fewer flights you have, the fewer opportunities there are for things to go wrong. But if you’re like me and living in Ohio, chances are you’ll be making a connection somewhere.
When you’re booking tickets with connecting flights, make sure you have enough time to make those connections. Airlines often sell flights with impossibly tight connections these days, so you have to watch out!
How much time do you need for your layover? It’s a tricky question because each airport is different, and factors like changing terminals or getting through passport control can add a lot of time. I usually look for a minimum of a 1-2 hour layover between flights, depending on the airport. Larger airports usually mean a longer minimum connection time, but some just take longer because of the layout (looking at you, CDG).
Extra time is always a good idea these days. Give yourself a longer layover and hopefully you’ll have time to relax.
Book your tickets directly with the airline
I love finding a great deal! And there are many sites to help you find a good deal on flights these days. There are aggregators like Skyscanner (my favorite) and Google Flights that pull flight prices for comparison. Other sites like KAYAK and Expedia also allow you to book your flights on their site. Here’s why you should probably not do that.
Sites like KAYAK and Expedia are known as “online travel agencies” (OTAs) because that’s how they work. You pay them and they make the booking with the airline(s) who actually sell the tickets. They might even offer you a discount. Awesome, right?
Well, maybe not. If anything goes wrong with your flight, you will have to work with the OTA’s customer service rather than the airline. Options for rescheduling or refunding could be limited, and you might be caught in the middle between the OTA and the airline. To me, saving a few bucks isn’t worth the risk when things inevitably go wrong.
The solution is simple: use whatever site you like to search, then book your ticket directly with the airline.
Be aware of separate tickets and partner airlines
While you’re searching for that flight on Google, pay attention to connecting flights that are on different airlines. These could either be separate tickets or tickets on a partner airline, and both of those can have some issues.
Separate Tickets (not recommended)
Booking separate tickets is exactly what it sounds like: you book tickets separately with two different airlines to get you to your destination. Sometimes this can save a lot of money, like when one of the carriers is a low-cost airline. The tradeoff is that it’s risky. If anything goes wrong and you miss your connection, neither airline has an obligation to help you.
Maybe an example is helpful here. Say you book separate tickets for Chicago to Paris and then Paris to Lisbon. At the last minute, something goes wrong with Flight #1. It’s canceled and the airline offers to rebook you to Paris the next day. But now, it’s almost impossible to get to Paris on time for Flight #2. And the airline of Flight #2 doesn’t have to do anything–they only agreed to fly you from Paris to Lisbon. It’s not a situation you want to be in.
Partner Airline Tickets
These days, most airlines have alliances and partnerships that allow you to book flights from different airlines together as one ticket. For example, you might fly to New York City with Delta and then continue on to Paris with Air France, one of Delta’s partner airlines. You can book these together through either Delta’s website or Air France’s website.
Issues can sometimes arise because the partner airlines have different information systems. I recently flew British Airways and American Airlines, where I was able to use online check in for my departing flight but not my return flight. Why? I’m not sure. Also, I had to use one confirmation number for American and a different one for British when getting information. It was not the seamless process I hoped for when booking that ticket.
All this is to say that flying partner airlines is great, but you should be prepared. Know which ones you’re flying and make note of the separate confirmation codes (also called “record locator” codes) in case something goes wrong.
Build in buffer days to your trip
While you can’t do anything to prevent airline delays and cancellations, you can plan your trip so that delays won’t cause you big problems. If your flight is canceled or you miss a connecting flight, usually an airline can rebook your tickets on another flight within a day.
This is where the “buffer day” comes in. When I’m flying, I always try to plan a day with minimal activities for the first day of the trip. If I have something important to do like meeting up with a tour group, I try to get to my destination with plenty of extra time.
When returning home, it’s great to have a buffer day too. If I’m arriving late night, I try to leave the next day open if possible.
In either case, a flight delay is usually no big deal when you have a buffer day.
Pack only a carry-on bag and personal item
Some folks will disagree here, but I’m a firm believer in flying carry-on only. The best way to make sure you and your stuff end up in the right place is to keep it with you. Of course you have to pack a bit lighter, but I see this as a benefit to most trips as well.
Check with your airline to make sure your carry-on bag fits within their size restrictions. Some airlines, especially budget airlines, can be very strict with their luggage restrictions. Softsided bags have more “give” than hard-shell suitcases, so consider that as well.
If you must check a bag, be sure to keep your most essential items in your carry-on. Things like medications, travel documents, your phone charger, maybe a clean shirt–make sure that’s all staying with you.
Get the airline apps on your phone
On the more positive side, most airlines have a good mobile app these days that will keep track of your boarding passes and send push notifications about your flights. You can find out about any delays and gate changes before you get to an airport board, which can save you some precious time. Many of the apps even let you access inflight entertainment via wifi.
Make sure to download the airline app in advance and set up your account. You might even want to try clicking around to see where things are before your trip. And make sure the app is updated before you fly.
UPDATE: Get the apps for partner airlines too! I was recently able to check in online via a partner airline (Air France) but NOT on the app for the airline where I purchased the ticket (Delta). It saved me some time and hassle to just use the partner airline’s app.
Always check in to your flight online
If you have the airline app, you can generally use it to check in to your flight online. Most of the time you can check in online 24 hours before your departure time. There are a couple good reasons to do this.
First, it will save you time at the airport, which is always a good thing. No one wants to spend more time standing in lines, right?
Second, it will alert you of some potential snags if you are unable to check in online, such as the much hated “SSSS” boarding pass. “SSSS” stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection, and it means you’ve been selected for an additional security check before flying. Not a huge deal, but you may need a little extra time.
Get to the airport 2-3 hours before your flight
As with the timing of flight connections, the time to get through airport security and to your gate varies a lot. Airports get busy at certain times, there can be staffing issues, and some airports are just more spread out than others.
I have found the often quoted advice works: plan to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international flight. Note that this doesn’t include things like waiting for an Uber or dropping off a rental car. Do your homework and figure out how long it will take to get to the airport! If you’re going to use a rideshare or taxi, arrange your pickup time in advance.
If 3 hours sounds like a long time to wait, let me tell you about a time when 3 hours was barely enough. I was coming back from Istanbul, and I was unable to check in online for my flight (see above). At the airport, the agent could not find my ticket in their system at all. Panic!
I had to spend more than 2 hours on the phone and on hold with United Airlines, but I managed to get my booking fixed. I rushed through security and made it to my gate as the flight was already halfway through boarding. But I made it!
Bring some snacks and water
This may seem like an unnecessary or trivial suggestion, but hear me out. Bringing some snacks and a bottle of water can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a totally miserable day of flying.
If your flight is delayed, your plans to eat a meal between flights can quickly disappear. Even with in-flight meals, you might be delayed on the runway or hit bad weather, which can mean waiting a long time for food service. If you’re feeling hungry and dehydrated for hours, you’re sure to have a bad time.
The best way to keep yourself feeling good is to come prepared with snacks and a bottle of water. Since large bottles of liquid can’t go through security, consider packing a small refillable water bottle and filling up before your flight. As for snacks, I almost always have a pack of KIND breakfast bars or some trail mix. But follow your heart and get the snacks that will make your flying experience better.
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