What to do when you arrive at the airport if you are flying for the first time in your life and feel a bit awkward? Arriving at the airport can be stressful if you are a first-time Flyer. But all the processes of checking in for the flight, security, and boarding are not complicated.
First, you should be aware that all airports use the same terminology so travelers can easily find their way to the gates and be on time for their flights.
Also, most airports have approximately the same design inside, so all the procedures will be identical.
Big airports even offer transportation inside the airport if the distances between the gates are too long. A traveler can take a shuttle bus or tram to the terminal immediately.
All the lines, gates, and directions to the gates can be found on the boards.
In big airports, there are numerous boards with the most recent updates on flights’ arrivals so that you know whether your flight is delayed, arriving, or may be canceled for some reason.
It also helps to keep track of time, and if you have time between the flights, you can spend it in the shops or in a cafe.
To ensure you are following the right direction in the airport, you can take the airport map with you to have it always in front of your eyes.
Knowing what to do when you arrive at the airport is extremely important if you are traveling during a busy travel season when hundreds of people are willing to leave on holidays as soon as possible, and some flights may be overbooked.
One of the first things you should decide on is how early to get to the airport. This is important for both domestic and international flights. If you are traveling within your country, you may arrive at the airport a bit later than when flying internationally.
Make sure you arrive at the airport on time, check road traffic to the airport, consider whether this is a high travel season, check the requirements for hand luggage and travel bag registration, and check the requirements for boarding and online registration for the flight.
When you arrive at the airport, you must go to the appropriate terminal building for your flight. There will be separate buildings for international and domestic flights, but if the airport is small, you probably will have a single terminal for both.
You should follow the signs in the airport to find the terminal you need.
Make sure to find out which terminal you need before the flight so that when you arrive at the airport, you will already know what to do and will not feel stressed.
You must arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before the departure for the domestic flight and 3 hours for the international flight. This period should be enough for you to go through all the steps before the flight.
But if you have extra luggage and need to register it, or if you are going to the airport in a car and need to park it, you will need more time.
What do you do when you arrive at the airport and enter it? You need to check in unless you have done it online. You can usually check in online 24 hours before the flight and download your boarding pass.
You can keep your e-ticket and boarding pass on your mobile device without printing it out.
If you do not register for the flight online, you will have to check in when you arrive at the airport. If you need to register your travel bag, you must do that at the airport.
In some airports, you will find an alternative – check-in kiosks, where you can enter all the information about your flight, check bags, and even select the seats on the plane that are currently available.
After that, you need to weigh your travel bags, and if all parameters are followed, leave the luggage at the drop-off line.
The second step after you arrive at the airport is to proceed to the security checkpoint.
When registering for the flight, you must go to the TSA checkpoint, marked by a letter – A, B, C. These letters correspond to the Gates, which you must find next. For example, if your Gate is A2, you must follow Concourse A.
In some cases, you may see signs “To All Gates.” In other cases, there will be separate checkpoints for individual gates.
If you are unsure what to do when you arrive at the airport or do not know which Gate you must find, you can always double-check this information with the airport personnel.
After you have gone through the security check, you must find your Gate.
To find the latest information about flights and Gates, check the monitors available in all the airports.
Your boarding pass will point out the gate. However, the gate may change for technical reasons or because of a delay. This is why it is advisable to keep track of the latest flight updates on the monitors.
In some cases, after registration for the flight, you may be notified by text message about the gate change.
If your Gate is too far from your current location, you can take a tram to the Terminal you need as soon as possible to be on time for the flight.
What do you do when you arrive at the airport gate? You will need to wait, depending on the flight departure. The boarding time is always specified in a boarding pass and is usually 30 30-minute 1 1-hour period. You can spend this time resting in a cafe or duty-free shops.
But keep track of time and listen to all the updates announced in the airport. This way you will know if the flight is delayed or when the boarding starts.
Your boarding pass will mark the exact time when the boarding starts.
If you are flying first class or have elite status, you will be invited for the flight first.
If you are traveling with small children, you can be invited to board among the first group.
Usually, there are two lanes for boarding – for passengers with regular status and elite groups.
You will be able to proceed to your seat on a plane after an agent scans your boarding pass at the gate.
Make sure to keep your boarding pass to find your seat quickly.
After you arrive, follow the signs to the airport to pick up your travel bags.
You may spend up to 30 minutes +- waiting at the luggage carousel for your bag. Each luggage carousel is assigned to 1 flight.
If your luggage is lost, you must go to the airline’s baggage office and request assistance. Hopefully, your travel bags will arrive safely, and you can enjoy your trip!
Keep in mind that all airports differ in terms of public transport, and you need to check when and where you can catch a ride from the airport.
In big cities, you can take the metro to the city center, but in most cases, you can take a bus or shuttle.