Flying....we arrive at the airport...now what???

[elmo2wdw]

Okay...first it is okay to laugh at my question! We always drive to Florida because of my fear of flying... but my husband and boys need a break after so many trips. So I have agreed to fly.

We have never flown before....anywhere!!! I have no idea what we have to do at the airport. We are flying out of BWI on Southwest. I know about preboarding because of DS 2 and printing out our passes at 12:01am just in case but beyond that I am cluless.

Can some one please walk me through what we need to do at the airport??? It will be me, DH, DS 10, DS 7 and DS 2.

Can my DH drop me, the boys and our luggage off and then park the car? Or will all of us have to park?

Please help me! Thank you!!!

 

[safetymom]

If you are doing curbside check in your husband will have to show the skycap his license before he can go park the car. You will have to show your photo id to get your boarding pass.

You can also check in online and print your boarding passes but you will still have to check your luggage when you get to the airport. You will need to see how many bags your airline allows and its usually 2 or 3. Your husband will need to be there so you aren't charged for having extra bags.

If you prefer to wait for your husband before checking in he can drop you all off and then go park the car. Then you can check in at the curb or go to the ticket counter inside.

Once you receive your boarding passes and your luggage is checked you will head off to the security check point. You will need to show your ID and boarding passes. You will need to have your carry ons scanned through the detector. Once you are through security you are free to head to your gate.

 

[ElmosMom44]

You can also check in online and print your boarding passes but you will still have to check your luggage when you get to the airport. You will need to see how many bags your airline allows and its usually 2 or 3. Your husband will need to be there so you aren't charged for having extra bags.

I THINK this is not quite accurate. I think if you are doing curbside or counter check-in the agent should be able to pull up your itinerary on the computer and see how many people are in your party and allow checked bags accordingly whether your husband is there or not. If you have checked in online and still need to check bags, then I THINK the above should still apply.

Even if your husband needs to be there to check-in I would still let him drop you, the kids and the bags off and then you can get in a line or just stand off to the side a nd wait for him. No need to drag the kids and the luggage from the parking lot.

 

[safetymom]

They still need to see the person because they aren't checked in until they see the ID. If they are doing it curbside as I mentioned he can show the ID and they will print the boarding pass. If they check in inside an ID will still have to be shown before they are issued boarding passes. Once the ID is shown and boarding passes issued the luggage can be tagged.

 

[Lewisc]

Get your BP online. You can check 3 bags per passenger, you'll be able to check 9 bags, 12 if you're paying for a seat for the 2 year old.

You shouldn't need DH baggage allowance. He'll need to show his BP and photo id to get through security.

 

[joanb]

May I suggest you take some tylonol and bonine or some thing about an hour before you fly-just something to calm you before you fly-maybe even something stronger if needed-I'm not fond of flying, but a little help from some drugs gets me through.

 

[kehouse]

if you live close to the airport, you might want to go and just look around, get an idea of where the check in counter will be and such.
my sister doesn't like to fly, last year we went and just watched the planes take off and land, the kids liked it, and it got them excited about flying. we also picked up the luggage tags that southwest has you put on your bags, that way we would have them all ready before checking in. just make sure to take something to entertain them, a couple of hours at the airport and then on the plane.

 

[pirateparrot]

Okay...first it is okay to laugh at my question! We always drive to Florida because of my fear of flying... but my husband and boys need a break after so many trips. So I have agreed to fly.

We have never flown before....anywhere!!! I have no idea what we have to do at the airport. We are flying out of BWI on Southwest. I know about preboarding because of DS 2 and printing out our passes at 12:01am just in case but beyond that I am cluless.

Can some one please walk me through what we need to do at the airport??? It will be me, DH, DS 10, DS 7 and DS 2.

Can my DH drop me, the boys and our luggage off and then park the car? Or will all of us have to park?

Please help me! Thank you!!!

Your husband can drop you off first if you would like.

My tip for you is to park at one of the Airport Fastpark locations rather than the BWI parking lots. The shuttle service is much better and the prices are comparble. Print out a coupon at airportfastpark.com

They pick you up right at your car and bring you back right to your car. The BWI Satelite lots just have a few bus stops and then you have to walk to your car carrying whatever you have. The Fastpark people will help you with luggage and are very couteous. After my last trip with the BWI people, I would never go that route again.

 

[Tara]

A few other things to keep in mind:

*If you are carrying a laptop, when you go through security, you'll need to take it out and put it in its own bin to go through the machine.

*If you have on shoes that have metal shanks, they'll set off the metal detector, so you'll want to take them off and let them go through the x-ray machine, too. (I just automatically take mine off unless I'm in sandals.)

Assuming you are taking a stroller:
*You'll need to collapse your stroller and put it through the x-ray machine, too, unless it's too big to fit, and then they'll have to hand-wand it.

*When you get to your gate, ask for a gate check tag. This is placed on the stroller. When it is time to board, you can roll your stroller right down the jetway, then fold it and leave it outside the door of the plane. The ground crew will put it under the plane and when you land in Orlando, they'll place it just outside the plane door for you. Gate checking is a beautiful thing.

Have a great trip!!

 

[Ahrizel]

Your dh can drop you off, but do you want to watch all the luggage while potentially chasing 3 boys?? Rent a cart if you need one, if it's any real distance to check in, worth the few bucks. Check out the website for Baltimore airport and Orlando airport before you go to see the layout. You should be planning on getting there 2 hours early generally, plan on some activities for the kids to keep them busy while you wait. Southwest has a brand new terminal at BWI, should be nice. We're flying through there in October. I second the idea of an offsite parking, can be cheaper and you'll be shuttle right to the gate.