First Time Flyer

[Miss_Ivy]

HOW DO I GET MYSELF READY TO FLY? I WILL BE FLYING OUT OF CHICAGO ON 7/1/07 FOR SAN JUAN ON DESTINY. I PLAN ON FLYING NON STOP BUT MY BF THINKS 1 STOP IS CHEAPER AND I WILL BE FINE FOR A STOP. I DONT THINK SO.............LOL , I RATHER JUST TO GET THERE:(

[JXOPF]

Wear comfy shoes, bring some of those cozy fuzzy socks to slip on inflight. Your feet will probably swell and the socks are great instead of shoes. Plus, you never want to be barefoot on a plane. Bring a light sweater.

Bring a good book, your iPod and headphones. Some headphones will fit the airplane's jacks, so yours might suffice if there's a movie onboard. Try 'em out before purchasing onboard headphones.

Bring a snack; I use Pringle's cans for all sorts of snacks (1/2 pb&j, pb crackers, small sub sandwich; cookies, etc) and they don't get crushed. Never depend on the airlines to feed you. If they do, it's a bonus. They're in the transportation and not restaurant biz. Carryon any meds. Never fly with a cold. If it can't be avoided, take Sudafed 30 mins. prior to takeoff and landing to help prevent earblocks. Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight! :D

[paul929207]

And remember the most dangerous part of your trip is the drive from home to the airport, not the flight.

 

Also, get to the airport early. There are often long lines for security and you don't want to be worrying about missing your flight.

 

Have a great time.

 

Paul

[bazarr2]

HOW DO I GET MYSELF READY TO FLY? I WILL BE FLYING OUT OF CHICAGO ON 7/1/07 FOR SAN JUAN ON DESTINY. I PLAN ON FLYING NON STOP BUT MY BF THINKS 1 STOP IS CHEAPER AND I WILL BE FINE FOR A STOP. I DONT THINK SO.............LOL , I RATHER JUST TO GET THERE:(

 

Take the direct flight, less things happen when you don't have to transfer.

[greatam]

Please be ready for security.

 

1. Boarding pass and ID OUT and easily available

2. NO lace up boots or sneakers-slip ons or flip flops to get off easily

3. TAKE off the coat or sweater (not likely in July)

4. GET the laptop out of the bag and into a bin BY ITSELF

5. TAKE off all the jewelry, get the change out of your pockets, take off the belt with metal buckle, put the cellphone into the bin

6. ONLY go through the metal detector with MINIMAL clothes (slacks, top and underwear ONLY) and NOTHING in your hands EXCEPT your boarding pass and ID

7. Be mentally prepared to do all these things very rapidly. Not only will you be happier, but so will the people in line behind you.

[JJPNYC]

Please be ready for security.

 

1. Boarding pass and ID OUT and easily available

2. NO lace up boots or sneakers-slip ons or flip flops to get off easily

3. TAKE off the coat or sweater (not likely in July)

4. GET the laptop out of the bag and into a bin BY ITSELF

5. TAKE off all the jewelry, get the change out of your pockets, take off the belt with metal buckle, put the cellphone into the bin

6. ONLY go through the metal detector with MINIMAL clothes (slacks, top and underwear ONLY) and NOTHING in your hands EXCEPT your boarding pass and ID

7. Be mentally prepared to do all these things very rapidly. Not only will you be happier, but so will the people in line behind you.

 

8.) All carry-on liquids must be 3 ounces or less and fit into a one-quart zip-lock type bag.

 

And yes, go for non-stop over a 1-stop if you have a choice. But in the wacky world of airline pricing, a non-stop may be cheaper than a one-stop.

 

Also I find it handy to know alternative flights that leave around your original departure time in case something happens to your flight. That way you can go to the airline and say "what about me getting onto flight XYZ".

[JJPNYC]

Please be ready for security.

 

1. Boarding pass and ID OUT and easily available

2. NO lace up boots or sneakers-slip ons or flip flops to get off easily

3. TAKE off the coat or sweater (not likely in July)

4. GET the laptop out of the bag and into a bin BY ITSELF

5. TAKE off all the jewelry, get the change out of your pockets, take off the belt with metal buckle, put the cellphone into the bin

6. ONLY go through the metal detector with MINIMAL clothes (slacks, top and underwear ONLY) and NOTHING in your hands EXCEPT your boarding pass and ID

7. Be mentally prepared to do all these things very rapidly. Not only will you be happier, but so will the people in line behind you.

 

8.) All carry-on liquids must be 3 ounces or less and fit into a one-quart zip-lock type bag.

 

And yes, go for non-stop over a 1-stop if you have a choice. But in the wacky world of airline pricing, a non-stop may be cheaper than a one-stop.

 

Also I find it handy to know alternative flights that leave around your original departure time in case something happens to your flight. That way you can go to the airline and say "what about me getting onto flight XYZ".

[greatam]

Wear comfy shoes, bring some of those cozy fuzzy socks to slip on inflight. Your feet will probably swell and the socks are great instead of shoes.

 

IMHO, bad advice. IF your feet swell during the flight, you may NOT be able to get your shoes back on. On a short flight (2-4 hours), no need to take off your shoes.

 

And from a safety standpoint, you are far better off leaving your shoes on. If you would have to leave the plane in a hurry, you really don't want to have to look for your shoes OR leave the plane shoeless.

[Globaliser]

5. TAKE off all the jewelry, get the change out of your pockets, take off the belt with metal buckle, put the cellphone into the bin

In fact, if you really want to do everyone a favour, take off all your watches and jewellery and put them in your carry-on bag, take out all your money including loose change and put that in your carry-on bag, take out your phone and put that in your carry-on bag, take out everything else that's metallic and put that in your carry-on bag.

 

And do all of that before you get into the queue for security.

And from a safety standpoint, you are far better off leaving your shoes on. If you would have to leave the plane in a hurry, you really don't want to have to look for your shoes OR leave the plane shoeless.

Although I almost always take my shoes off, I agree with this bit of advice: Never take off your shoes until you are well in the air. Always put your shoes back on when you are securing your immediate area for landing (when the seat belt sign comes on for landing).

[billybob123]

Also, tell your boyfriend that you need the window seat. It helps my wife to see outside what's going on -- whereas if you're in the middle or aisle, it's all bumpy and twisty without being able to see why.

 

And enjoy! You'll be flying to a cruise! Four hours of "pain" (i.e. flying, which really isn't a pain at all) for seven days of paradise... sounds like a good trade to me.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

-bb123