The holy grail tips to ensure you never miss your flight
After years of Covid-19 lockdowns, travelling is finally back!
However, if the scenes at Sydney Airport last week are anything to go by, some travellers have lulled themselves into a false sense of airport ease.
The return of both international and domestic flights has come with long lines, confusion and general chaos, posing the very real risk of missing your flight.
Sometimes arriving at the airport early just isn’t enough, so here are some holy grail tips and tricks to ensure you never arrive late at the gate again.
Try to avoid checked baggage
If you want to shave precious minutes off your time spent during check-in, this one is a no-brainer.
Just using carry-on luggage is a sure fire way to ensure you can glide through check-in with ease.
If checking in baggage is unavoidable, try to keep everything to just one bag, saving time on weighing and checking in.
Check-in online before arriving at the gate
By checking-in online, you are cutting out a huge chunk of time.
Everything is already handled and all you need to do is print your ticket (you can save even more time by doing this at the self-service kiosk).
Travel to the airport via public transport
Seasoned travellers know that traffic always seems to be at its worst when you’re running late for a flight.
Avoiding airport traffic by using public transport systems is a sure fire way to cut down your overall airport time.
It’s always worth checking your city’s public transport system to see if there is a direct route to the airport.
Tell staff you’re running late
Airport staff understand that running late for a flight is a stressful experience, and are always available to help if you treat them with patience and kindness.
By altering the staff that you’ve been held up, they can help by directing you to a faster line or taking you through a different security checkpoint.
Weigh your luggage before you head to the airport
If your checked luggage is a few kilos over the weight limit, you may be held up by having to pull out items at the last minute.
Weighing your bags before you make your way to the airport will ensure there’s no unpleasant surprises or excess baggage fees.
Keep all your documents in the same place
You’ll need to show your passport and ticket multiple times during the airport check-in and boarding process.
To avoid rummaging through bags to find these valuable documents, keep them all together in a little folder or special compartment in your bag for easy access.
It’s also a good idea to print off all your documents, rather than relying on your phone.
We all know airport Wi-Fi can be spotty at the best of times, so having physical copies will make things easier.
Think about your outfit
To avoid getting held up at security, keep your jewellery in your bag until you clear through the metal detector.
Having to take necklaces, earrings and rings off at the last second will only hold you (and everyone behind you in line) up longer than you want.
Also, wearing slip on shoes will cut back time if you have to take them off to go through security.
Image credits: Getty Images