Air Travel

A Little Preparation ... - I find that a combination of several common tips goes a long way toward preventing flying problems, or at least making them more tolerable. I go with one carry-on, make sure it's a little smaller than the minimum size, bring my own food and drink onto the plane, bring at least one good book if not two, eat in the airport before the flight, and get to the airport a little early. I've never had to check a bag, and I've never had missing or damaged luggage. I've never been bored during flight delays. I've never been hungry or thirsty on flights. A little preparation goes a long way.

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Bring Your Own Headphones - Bring your own headphones for listening to movies and music, they work the same as the ones they sell on the plane for a ridiculous 'entertainment fee'.

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Get More Leg Room on the Plane - Being an everyday kinda guy ... I can't really afford to fly first class on my trips overseas -but do a bit of research and while cheking in ask for the WINDOW SEAT NEAR EMERGENCY EXIT ... You will get enormous leg room.

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Cruises

Beware of Cheap Excursions - Although you may find the shore excursions cheaper through local sources compared to the cruise lines excursions desks, you may end up stranded - or at the least taken advantage of. The cruise lines check out the companies they contract with, and you are much safer using one recommended by the cruise line or a company your travel agent is familiar with.

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Check In Early - Check In at least 90 minutes before departing (overseas) or you may loose your seat. When you check your luggage, make sure they tag it directly to your destination. If you have to change airlines, you may not have enough time to claim luggage, pass through customs and immigration, and catch your next flight.
Grenada Explorer Caribbean Travel Guide
18-Dec-2003 Grenada Explorer Caribbean Travel Guide ID1210

Check Your Destination Tag - During airline check-in, especially for flights originating from airports outside the US, check the airline destination tag. If not, your luggage may end up in MNL (Manila) instead of MIA (Miami); DKR (Dakar, Senegal) instead of DAC (Dhaka, Bangladesh).
21-Apr-2001 E. Ramirez ID81

Christmas Traveling Tips - Before you leave, call the airline and reconfirm your flight(s) and leave a phone number where you can be reached.

Once you arrive at your destination, contact the airline again and reconfirm your return flight and leave a phone number where you can be reached.

We don’t care what anyone tells you, it is important to reconfirm your flights. Way too many air travelers have had way too many trips interrupted or ruined by airline schedule changes, lost reservations or reservation errors than anyone in the airline / travel industry will ever admit! Trust us on this one folks! Reconfirm! Reconfirm! Reconfirm!

Get to the airport early (2 1/2 hours before domestic flights and 3 1/2 hours before international flights).

If you are planning to carry-on gifts, make sure they are unwrapped, or they will be unwrapped for you at security. (USPS, UPS or FEDEX sounds great!)

Believe it or not some jewelry can be a problem. A beautiful broach (with a long pin) could be disallowed as carry-on. Can it be put in checked baggage? Yes, BUT the airlines are not responsible for the loss of jewelry in checked baggage.
Trippler and Associates, Inc.
18-Dec-2003 Trippler and Associates, Inc. ID409

Connection Flights - Book all flights with at least 2 hours between, because if you have a delay, the airline has to get you the next possible flight + hotel + dinner, if there is no flight on the same day. If, however, you do not have at least 90 minutes before your flights are scheduled to board, then the airlines will consider it to be your fault and will not reimburse you for a missed connection.
Grenada Explorer Caribbean Travel Guide
18-Dec-2003 Grenada Explorer Caribbean Travel Guide ID1212

Deep Vein Thrombosis on Long Haul Flights - Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a killer. It can strike anyone from the elderly to the super-fit athelete. The most likely cause of DVT is inactivity, which is why long haul flights are considered potentially dangerous for this disease. Passengers are particularly at risk if they are in the following groups:

Increasing age
Co-existing medical illnesses
Heart disease/lung disease
A history of cancer
A past history of blood clots
A history of thrombophilia (increased tendency for blood to clot)
Immobility
Recent history of surgery or injury
Oral contraceptive pill/hormone replacement therapy

This is quite a large proportion of the population and we should all be taking precautions against this.

Exercise has been advocated as a preventative method - however an airplane is hardly a suitable gym, with narrow aisles and other passengers and crew you might disturb. I recently flew for 12 hours overnight in the window seat and there was no way I would have been able to get out of my seat every hour as is currently recommended. But there is a solution, an easy and affordable solution - The Airogym DVT Exerciser - designed to simulate the walking motion of the legs. It was designed with cramped airline seating in mind.

It is a compact, inflatable exerciser, easy to use and carry with you on all flights. The added bonus is that is also prevents foot / ankle swelling. I have never before been able to get my shoes back on after a long flight - after this flight - no problems at all!
AiroGym.com
18-Dec-2003 AiroGym.com ID1439

Dress Presentably for Upgrades - If interested in getting an upgrade (first class) you must be wearing clothes that are presentable. This means dress slacks for men and a button down shirt, no jeans or shorts allowed. Females should dress in smart casual or business attire. This is for international travel - I'm sure a domestic flight would not be so strict.
20-Apr-2001 Joe Kirincich ID26

Dry Air on the Plane - If the air gets too dry in the plane, wet some paper towels and breathe through the wet towels.
21-Apr-2001 Simin Wang ID40

Evian Spray - Evian spray - the greatest invention ever for air travel! Great way to freshen up and moisturize your skin. Especially useful if your nose feels so dry that it hurts.
1-Jan-2000 Cindy Tang ID1200

Fear of Flying? - Most people have a fear of heights. This is a reasonable survival trait! However, when coupled with extreme media coverage of disasters, this can lead to very debilitating fear of flying. Furthermore, for many people, not having any control of the plane makes the fear worse. This is not unlike how one usually worries more as a passenger in a car than as a driver of a car. This is not necessarily a rational fear, if looked at in the context of all possible hazards. There are far fewer fatalities per airline passenger-mile than there are per automobile driver-mile. This is probably due in part to the fact that someone else is doing the driving, and that someone else has been extremely well trained, is not tired, is not drunk, and has a backup in case he or she spills coffee in his or her lap.

Knowing a little bit about aerodynamics can sometimes reduce your anxiety. Despite what we all learned from watching Saturday morning cartoons, you do not hang in the air until you look down, you can not run into and become part of a painting, and, in particular, you do not go straight down the moment you run out of speed. Cartoon Laws Of Motion do not apply in The Real World.

Even if airplanes flew like bricks, the plane would cover quite a few horizontal miles were it to fall. But planes are not bricks, they are sideways sails. Lift is generated by the forward motion of the plane, so the plane does not even fall as fast as a brick. In the time that it takes for the airplane to get to the ground, the pilots have quite a bit of time to search around for a convenient highway to land on. Captain Tom Bunn, who is both an airline captain and a licensed therapist, tells me that a 747 at cruising altitude that lost all power to all engines would have about 132 miles to find a suitable road on which to make an emergency landing. Captain Bunn is president of SOAR, which counsels people with fear of flying.

(A friend of mine swears that the way to conquer fear of flying is to take soaring or hang-gliding lessons so you can feel the force of the lift. Windsurfing might also help.)

Furthermore, commercial jets always have at least two (and usually three) engines. The chances of two failing simultaneously are very, very slim. So relax.

Personally, I lost all fear of flying after living close to an airport for a few years. The airplanes kept going up and they kept landing. They kept going up, and they kept landing. Over and over and over again, hundreds of times per day. And never once did a plane crash at that airport. This made me understand at a very visceral level just how safe air travel is.

If all this logic doesn't help you, join the ranks of thousands and do what they do: get drunk before you get on the plane! (Note: I got some pretty irate email from an airline steward complaining about how awful drunkards were to deal with on the plane. If you aren't a happy drunk, booze might not be the best relaxant.)
12-Nov-2005 Tim Matthews ID1538

Food on the Plane - Food on airlines is about what you would expect, considering that all the food must be prepared ahead of time and served to a large number of people with very different taste preferences. It is amazing that the food is as good as it is, but still, it frequently will not please you. U.S. carriers are pretty good about accommodating standard dietary preferences, but you have to help them out. If you are vegetarian or keep kosher, tell your travel agent when you purchase the ticket, and the airlines will usually accommodate you.

If you have food allergies, you are probably safest bringing your own food with you. (In fact, even if you eat anything, you are probably better off bringing your own food with you!) Be advised that many countries have import restrictions on foods; If you bring food, be sure that you either finish it all on the plane or make sure that it will clear customs.

Morley Selver suggests never getting on an airplane hungry. You might think you will get a meal shortly, but the following could happen: 1) Everyone boards the aircraft, then they decide they have to fix something. They are not sure how long it will take, therefore nobody is allowed off. 2) You take off on a 3-hour flight that has 2-1/2 hrs of turbulence where the flight crew is not allowed to serve meals. 3) You do not like the food. 4) There is an electrical problem with the galley and you're half of the plane does not get a meal.

The best bet is to eat before you get on or take something you can snack on (e.g. a granola bar). If you take two, you may be able to sell one for a few bucks! :-)
12-Nov-2005 Tim Matthews ID1537

Forgettable 'Fun' Stuff - I always carry on board while I'm travelling by air overseas: many magazines, crosswords, and some stuff so that I can have fun during the flight that may happen to be very long and borring. I always also carry a book, and depending on the weight of my hand baggage, I 'forget' all the stuff like: magazines, crosswords, etc. ... on board. That way I'll not have to carry a heavy load and during the flight I'll have heaps of fun with my things.
21-Apr-2001 Celso Cardoso ID83

Gate Check It: - Anything you have with you upon boarding the plan that won't fit easily in the overhead compartment and that will impede your travel through the airplane should be gate checked. It's safe, and by the time the airline lets you off its airplane your bags will generally be waiting. DO NOT put your bags under the seat. You lose valuable leg room and won't be able to move your legs around during the flight.
14-Feb-2002 Catherine Lee ID443

Getting the Meal You Want - On long international flights, there are usually one or more meals served and two meal choices to select from. If the flight is crowded and you are one of the last passengers served, you can bet your choice of meal won't be available. This can be a problem if you're on a long flight and the only meal selection available is something you don't like.

To ensure your choice is available, when you check in request a seat toward the back of the plane - as the meal service tends to start there. Or better yet, request a special meal such as children's or vegetarian when you book your travel. You'll get the meal of your choice and be served first.
11-Jun-2002 Annette Torrey ID516

Have Details When You Need Them - Have a typed copy of all passport numbers with issue dates and expiry dates and dates of birth of children - so that you do not need to get out your passports or other documents when going through customs etc. You have the info. to complete the numerous form without having to show where you keep your documents. Also, take a spare photo of all your family members to enable you to comply with any immigration or visa needs.
1-Jan-2000 Jack Rhodes ID1187

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