Seasoned Traveler? Don’t Forget the Basics

I think all of us experienced travelers have had a moment or two when we feel confident and maybe even a little smug thinking ‘I got this, I can cut it close and be just fine’. Maybe that is the case if you’ve really covered your bases and haven’t cut any corners in your preparations, but even then, the unexpected might nip you in the bum.

Arrive Early

I worked for Midwest Airlines early in my career and remember advising passengers to arrive at the airport two hours before flight time. Much has changed since then, TSA precheck is now available and there has been much information about packing tips and passing through security efficiently. Many think that with their planning they can fly through security, but things happen that you can’t account for and you have no idea how busy the airport will be.

My experience on this last flight had me thinking that a 5:30 a.m. flight might be too early for many people and that if I arrive 60 minutes early, I’d be fine. I know how to check and drop my bag quickly on Southwest. What I didn’t account for were the four long lines of people dropping their bags! What I thought would take five minutes took 15.

Check Your Reservations

Whether you book your own flights, or someone books them for you in business, double check everything. Double check every detail, flight, date, the spelling of your name and birthdate for accuracy. For me, our business travel team sends us our flights and advises that we check everything. And they mean it! No one is perfect and a simple bump of a key can prevent you from getting though TSA Precheck and send you racing back to the ticket counter for corrections to be made. This is where I remind you of my first point – arrive early!

As a side note, I waited in the Fly By Priority line for the correction to be made on my birthdate, only to find when I got to the ticket agent that I should have cut to the front of the line for this type of situation. I wasn’t aware that was a possibility, but thought I’d share that as an FYI. They are apparently more concerned about having to reaccommodate you than making you wait.

Those two basics would’ve made my very early morning flight much less stressful. Good news is that I made my flight, missed my impressive A17 boarding position but still found a good seat made it on my flight.

What are some of the other basics we need to be reminded of?