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Avoid these common pitfalls for the smoothest travel experience.
After seven years as a gate agent for a major airline, I’ve seen passengers make the same errors time and time again. Air travel is notoriously anxiety-inducing for some, but it doesn’t have to be. While there will always be situations that are out of your control, there are so many things you can do (or not do) to have the best, stress-free experience possible. These are travelers’ top five airport mistakes, and the industry-insider advice on why and how to avoid them.
1 OF 5
Not Having a Buffer Day
Even if you’re a gambler, planning something soon after your flight is scheduled to land is generally not a safe bet. In the airline industry, delays are unfortunately quite common. If a two-hour maintenance issue is going to ruin your whole trip, you need to plan a buffer day. It stinks to miss a concert or a baseball game, but it really hurts to miss your uncle’s funeral. One of my passengers was excited to be a groomsman in his best friend’s wedding. A thunderstorm rolled in, and he couldn’t make his connection. The ceremony was that evening! I wish I could’ve eavesdropped on the bride getting that phone call hours before her big day. While I recommend giving yourself a 24-hour buffer, I understand that most people have a finite number of days off. It may not be possible to leave a full day early. My pro tip is to book the earliest available option.
INSIDER TIPBad weather tends to crop up in the afternoons. Even if you don’t necessarily need a buffer, it’s still a good idea to take morning flights to avoid delays. This is especially true in winter and summer.
2 OF 5
Booking on a Third-Party Site
Booking your flights on a third-party website comes with a multitude of issues. The saddest outcome I’ve had to deal with was a kind older man who got scammed out of hundreds of dollars because it wasn’t a legitimate company. Most of the time, the problems aren’t so extreme. You may pay for a particular seat, only to find out during check-in that it wasn’t guaranteed. What happens if you need to change the date of your flight? The airline can’t help you, and good luck getting a hold of the website’s customer service, which tends to be buried. If and when you do get a real, live human on the line, support is often limited or frustrating compared to booking direct.
Oftentimes, these sites are not clear about how restrictive the ticket is, either. You’ll show up at the airport and have to check your carry-on based on the type of ticket purchased. When your trip includes multiple flights, third-party websites can book with different airlines that don’t have partnerships with each other, and if you’re not paying close attention, you might miss this hassle-inducing detail. You can’t make a one-hour connection if you have to leave security, pick up your suitcase at baggage claim, wait in line at the ticket counter, re-tag your bag, and go back through TSA. Just typing that exhausted me. No thanks, I’ll be sipping a Chardonnay at the bar instead.
I always hear the excuse “Flights are cheaper on those websites,” but that is not true. These sites can be helpful solely as tools to search for flights. The amount they show you is the current price on the airline’s website. Find the flight you want, then immediately go to the official site and book it there.
3 OF 5
Not Reading the Fine Print
Remember how those pesky third-party websites aren’t always forthcoming about which fare you’re purchasing? The devil is in the details. Multiple times a day, angry passengers will approach me with some type of issue that could have been avoided had they read the fine print. While these sites can be confusing, similar problems also crop up for travelers who book directly on an airline’s website.
For example, when choosing United Airlines’ Basic Economy fare on their website, you must agree to the terms and conditions six times before you even enter your credit card information. Airlines make money by betting that customers are too busy or lazy to understand what they are buying. You can’t change your flight, parties aren’t guaranteed to sit together, no carry-on bag allowed, nonrefundable–all of these and more are the risks you’re taking by blindly hitting “purchase.” Taking two minutes to read the paragraph above the “I agree” button seems worth it to me. As a general rule of thumb, if there’s a box to check, read what you’re agreeing to!
4 OF 5
Running Late
Most airports have at least a 45-minute bag drop cut-off and a 30-minute check-in policy. Many have even stricter guidelines. Double check on your airline’s website to see which of their locations have exceptions. Don’t tell me you’re late because there was bad traffic on the interstate en route to your 9 a.m. flight. Of course there was! You should have left your house earlier. I recommend showing up to the airport two hours before the posted departure time, seriously.
For passengers with an international flight, lap infant, animal, firearm, or other special circumstance, I advise arriving three hours before your flight. Huge airports that act as hubs may require more time to navigate. Even in the smallest stations, security can get backed up. TSA PreCheck is great, but you can’t rely solely on that to get you to your flight on time. REAL ID is now being enforced in the United States. If you don’t have compliant identification, expect delays getting through the checkpoint.
INSIDER TIPTSA PreCheck is not guaranteed, even when you pay for a known traveler program. There is always a 5% chance you won’t be eligible for expedited screening. On any given day, they can tighten up security measures and select passengers at random to go through the regular lane. As soon as you check in, make sure your boarding pass says “TSA Pre.”
5 OF 5
Being Rude to Airline Employees
I feel like “be nice” should be a given, but after years in this industry, unfortunately, I know that it’s not. Being rude, demanding, or entitled when asking an employee for a favor is not going to get you very far. Why would I go above and beyond to help you when you’re screaming at me condescendingly? I can’t tell you how many times a passenger has come up to me in a bad mood from the start then been surprised that I won’t override the heavy bag fee.
Whatever little power we do have as gate agents will not be used to get you a better seat when you’re yelling that you’re obviously too tall for the last row. In fact, being rude is a surefire way to ensure you stay firmly put between that cranky baby and the smelly lavatory. On the other hand, it never hurts to ask. Approach with a smile and a “How’s your day?” and I might just find that extra legroom for you.