Airport travel

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I need to fly someplace soon, but I have not flown or been in an airport since I was very young.

I'm wondering if anyone can describe the basic 'how-to's of things you need to do once you get to the airport....Like how i fly when I book my flight online without a ticket? Do I need to check in at the front counter or do I just go to the gate? etc......

Insomniac99 thank you for posting this as the information, to me, would be much appreciated also. I am anxious about flying due to the not knowing what to do at the airport.
Sorry about not being able to help though.

It really depends on the airport. To my knowledge, there is not a single set of directions that will work for every airport around the world. I have found the airport websites to be very helpful in figuring out what to expect from a particular airport.

I have also found the ticket agents, flight attendants and parking lot bus drivers to be very helpful in giving me directions and answering my questions. Asking friends and family who’ve used the airports you’ll be traveling through what to expect has been the best information.

You must bring your printed receipt of your E-ticket to the airport. You will have to check in and check your bags. You must bring legal photo identification. You might need to bring the credit card that purchased the E-ticket with you for check-in. If you are leaving your country, you must bring a current passport with you.

You can not put anything in your carry-on bag that someone else could use as a weapon. Finger nail clippers, pocket knives and cigarette lighters must go in your bag that travels in the belly of the plane. Check the most recent list of things you can not transport on airlines before packing your bags.

If you are sensitive to smells then bring a facial mask like a surgical mask. If you are sensitive to sounds, bring ear plugs. If you are sensitive to light, bring sunglasses. Bring something to chew on to help your ears balance at high altitude, like gum or some snacks to eat. Bring a bottle of water or something to drink. Bring something you can do for entertainment while sitting uncomfortably that doesn’t make any noise. If you bring a music or movie player, bring headphones.

Do not talk about terrorism, bombs, fires or movies about those subjects. Do not joke about those subjects either. Do not say the words bomb or fire. Make sure there is a barf bag in the seat pocket in front of you. Do not get drunk before flying. Do not stuff yourself full of food before flying. Bring some facial tissues on board with you. Use the restroom before boarding the airplane. Always wear your seat belt. If you are addicted to nicotine bring nicotine gum with you for your flight.

Do not argue with the flight attendants. You must do what the flight attendants tell you to do or you not be allowed to fly with that airline again. If you argue with anyone at the airport or on the plane you will not be allowed to fly the rest of that day. Do not allow anyone to make you mad or angry. You will be kicked off your flight if you show any signs of being angry.

Go to http://www.ehow.com/list_1080.html for tips on traveling.

One thing that I've found important is to make sure you have your ground transportation worked out at your destination very well. Airports to me, aren't too terribly stressful, but once I'm on the ground, I have sort of a "Now what am i supposed to do!" type feeling.

If you have someone picking you up at the airport, that's usually the best way to do it. A local in the town will know where to go easily, especially if it's a friend of family member. If you're getting a taxi or bus to take you to your location, that is just as nice. A few airports have subway stations that will take you into the city. For instance Regan airport in DC. If this is the case, you will not need a rental car. It will still be important to arm yourself with a good map of the public transit system if you plan to use it, and make sure you have farecards, tokens, etc ready. Also, make sure that the route you plan to take is avaliable when you arrive. I know in DC, the metro rail system does not run between midnight and 5 AM.

If you DO need a rental car, and you are driving yourself around, this is where things can be extremely tricky. You are in a foreign town, and in a foreign vehicle (not referring to the place it's manufactured, but a vehicle you've never driven before) The array of on-ramps and turns can be quite bewildering and confusing. Before you leave for your trip, plan out your route well between the airport and your final desitination. Upon arrival at the rental shop, ask the attendant if it's a good route to take, and how the ramps/ interchanges work to get there. You can get some VERY useful information like "If you use route 68 through town, you may get into a nasty backup right around 3 PM when the schools let out...take Southern avenue and go around the school" or " when you come out the airport, you gotta cross 6 lanes of traffic to make it to that ramp, that's a bit tricky!" This is stuff a map will never tell you!! !

Some great things have been mentioned, but I thought I'd add a few.

It is recommended you get there 2 hours early. That way you'll have time to get checked in, get through security, then find your gate. Many airlines are offering online check in now, i.e. travellers can print their boarding passes at home prior to flying. If you can check in and get your boarding passes online, you won't have to do that at the airport, which will save time.

I live in a city with a small airport, so finding my way around the airport pretty easy. Larger airports can be more problematic. Some airports have maps online which can be helpful. Some airlines also have maps online of the concourses they occupy at a particular airport, which can also be helpful. If you can find out what gate your plane is leaving from in advance that may be useful, but gates can change, so check the screens at the airport just to be sure.

I've done alot of flying in the last few years for work and have seen several airports. I've been through BTR, RDU, ATL, IND, DFW, MEM, CVG, Charlotte,NC, George Bush airport in Houston, NY-LaGuardia, and Kennedy. If you have some other questions, please let me know.

Ahh... airports; they never fail to surprise you.

My one and only word of advice is this: do NOT say the word "bomb". As a corollary, do not put a loudly ticking watch into your luggage.

I haven't flown since pre-9/11 so I doubt I have anything useful to say

I recently travelled by plane from Perth to Brisbane. After I checked in my luggage and received my boarding pass, I went through the metal detector area. I was stopped straight after I went through the detector gate and a woman asked me to stop and undergo an "explosives test".
She got me to stand with my legs and arms slightly spread apart and rubbed a thing that looked like a paddle over me. She then went through my hand luggage.
I am writing this so that anyone who is going on a plane can be prepared that this might happen to them.

Im not sure how different airports are in other countries..

But I think you first have to check in your luggage, and you could as the person there what to do next. Sometimes you have to pay a fee or something.... Overseas you need to go through customs It's all rather confusing

If someone doesn't understand english, raise your voice until they understand you by dint of sheer volume.

Either wear full hawaian shirt and flip-flops gear or Agent Smith clothing (with glasses).

Loudly assure everyone that you do not have a bomb, that you do not intend to hijack the plane and that there are absolutely no drugs in your bag.

Cover your face whenever you see a security camera or policeman and walk briskly away, clutching at something mysterious inside your jacket.

Approach random strangers and ask "Are you Red Fox?".

Follow these tips, and you may find yourself being given a surprise vacation, courtesy of your local intelligence agency, to some lovely hot country where a personal massage assistant will provide much needed therapy by asking you all about your life while he peforms his ancient, sacred tecniques on you.

It isn't any safer since 9/11. in fact, I accidently left some extremely large and very sharp metal scissors in my carry on, and I realized I did this when I was opening the bag on the plane and found the scissors in the outer pouch of the bag. This happened less than 7 days ago.

Same here. I once flew to Israel on ElAl airlines (http://www.elal.co.il). Now as you might imagine, they have the most tight security in the world. They made me open my carry-ons, spent a few minutes screening my luggage, and even briefly questioned me on why I'm going to Israel. However, I had a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in my pocket inside the jacket. Since the lighter was inside the pack, I forgot about it and so did the ElAl screeners. When I got onboard the plane and saw the lighter, I nearly freaked out.

On a side note, ElAl was one of my best flying esperiences. The in-flight meals are incredibly good, and they're free; you get a free headset to use in flight; they give you a blanet and a pillow; and there's a mini-screen at every seat with a GPS location tracker, so you can see where you are. The flight attendants are very nice and truly seem to enjoy their work. The only problem is that they didn't speak English and I don't speak Hebrew. I had to communicate by gestures and visual aids, but they made sincere effort to understand me; although a fellow passenger, dressed in an Orthodox Jewish outfit, taught me the Hebrew word for "excuse me". When the plane landed in Tel Aviv, it was funny when a few people kissed the ground the second they got off the plane, and other passengers didn't even look shocked by it.