20 top airport tips: How to stay calm and save time at the airport

20 top airport tips: How to stay calm and save time at the airport 

Airports are getting busier and busier than ever, where lines are check-in and airport security wait times are getting longer and unpredictable. Getting through an airport can be a tricky and harrowing stress-fest. Saving a few extra minutes here and there along the way can work out in your favour. Travelling is not unlike investing in Penang properties. It is not rocket science. To help you pull it off, we’ve compiled 20 airport tips to help you get from your front door to your seat on the plane as quickly and stress-free as possible.

Before you leave home

1. Know where to go

Take some time not onlyto check for information about your flight and destination, but to also find out where the airport is located.You may already be familiar with your own home airport, but foreign airports can be confusing and disorienting. If you’re in unfamiliar territory, you can check for ways to get to the airport and plan your journey in advance. Keep this in mind to save yourself some time and stress.

2. Check-In online

Checking-in online can save you a heap of time at the airport. If you have no check-in bags, you can just head straight to security once you reach the airport. If you are checking in your bags, some airlines even offer self-service baggage drops, you can even print the tags at home yourself. 

3. Take a screenshot of your boarding pass

Take a screenshot of your boarding pass and save it on your phone. It doesn’t matter if you’re checking in via the airline’s app on your smartphone or have a copy of the boarding pass in your email.Having a screenshot helps you get quick access to your boarding pass when you need it, which can eliminate the stress of trying to figure out which of the non-existent internet networks at the airport are legit, or battling with badly designed airline apps.

4. Print out a copy of your boarding pass

If you’re not that technology-savvy, you can stick to paper. It is also a good idea to print out a copy of your boarding pass even though you already have a screenshot on your smartphone. You never know, your phone may just run out of battery at the most inopportune moment.

5. Pack everything you don’t need out of reach

Out of sight, out of mind. Clutter is the enemy of smooth passage through the airport. Pack everything you don’t need at the airport out of reach to avoid from having to sift through clutter while looking for something you really need.

6. Place your documents in an easily accessible place

Pack your identification documents, boarding pass and wallet in an easily accessible part of your bag before you leave home. By going through this ritual, you make doubly sure that you don’t leave home without these crucial items. You also don’t waste yourself (and other people) some time fumbling around searching for these items when you need them.

7. Depart for the airport earlier

Plan your journey to the airport with some extra leeway in time. Although check-in and baggage drop counters usually close an hour before the flight is scheduled to depart, try to reach the airport at least two hours before your flight departs. You will need to spend some time queueing for check-in or baggage drop or even at security checks and immigration clearance. Unless of course you’re travelling with only carry-on luggage, then by all means, live on the edge.

When you reach the airport

8. Prep your documents

While waiting in line to check in, perhaps before you get to the front of the line, prepare on hand all the documentation you will need to check-in. Your efficiency will be deeply appreciated and this makes everyone happy.

9. Weigh your bags

Before you reach the airline counter and get surprised with hefty prices for overweight bags, weigh your bag before you get in line. Many airports provide weighting scales at check-in areas. This allows you time to lighten your check-in baggage and swap some things over to your carry-on bag.

10. Skip the long queue

Check-in queues can get extremely busy, especially approaching the holidays. If you’re rushing for time, the trick in these cases is to wait until they call out the flights that are due to depart soon. Airlines usually open up a counter specially for their passengers that are on flights that are due to depart as a priority. Thus, you can sit and relax while you wait for your flight to be called, and then you can proceed straight to the specific counter for check-in, bypassing the long queues.

Before airport security

11. Stow everything else in your carry-on

Stow everything except your ID and boarding pass in your carry-on.  This helps you breeze through security in a pinch. This way, you won’t be wasting time finding stuff in random pockets, fiddling with your phone, dropping things all over the place and generally irritating everyone else in line behind you. Everything will be in your bag ready to go through security, and you will be as close to ready to go through the actual security machine.

12.Remove your metals

At security checkpoints, save yourself the hassle and remove all metal items from your body before you reach the front of the line. Anything metal, such as your watch or ring might set off the alarms. If you don’t want to set off the alarms and hold up the queue, remove all your crown jewels and stow them in your carry-on while waiting in line. Otherwise you might find yourself holding up the queue and subjected to uncomfortable body searches.

13.Bring along a plastic bag

Take a few spare plastic bags, preferably one with a ziplock to get your liquids through security checks. They can be useful in countless ways. So, save yourself the hassle, and the money, – some airports will charge you for these plastic bags – and bring along your own.

14. Assess your possessions

Before you get to the front of the security line, do a quick mental review of everything on your person that you will need to remove (jacket, watch, belt, etc.), as well as what you have inside your bag that might need to be taken out (electronics withlithium-ion batteries, etc.). Everyone else will thank you for your efficiency.

After airport security

15. Check your flight status again

Double-check the flight status boards in the departure hall to see if there are any changes to your departure gate or your flight time.

16. Get to your gate

Although flight status boards should be your first stop for information, you should proceed straight to your gate for the latest information. Flight status boards typically lag behind reality, and your departure gate should have the latest information. Getting to your gate early not only helps you make sure nothing has changed, it also helps you get a sense of how crowded the flight is. You can then proceed to walk around, have a snack and drink, or do some shopping if you feel like it with peace of mind.

17. Set an alarm

Setting an alarm on your phone to go off before boarding time is a good idea. With all the facilities and stores in the departure lounge, it’s easy to get distracted and miss your boarding time.

18. Use the waiting time well

While you are waiting for boarding, you can kill the time, connect to the wifi and get some work done. You can also use the dead time to do some shopping.

19.Don’t queue to get on the plane

Keep that kiasu attitude for competitions that actually need it. Find a seat near the departure gate, preferably somewhere with the boarding desk in sight. You can avoid standing in queue forever while waiting to board the plane. You can sit comfortably until the last possible minute, when the queue is less intense, get up and stroll through the departure gate and onto the plane. The plan will not leave without you, and will call out your name a few times to make sure you don’t miss your flight.

20.Look before you leave

If you’ve stopped anywhere in the airport, be sure to turn around and check that you’ve not left anything behind. Whether it’s a restaurant, the duty-free shop or at the gate, double-checking will help you keep your peace of mind.