Years since I've flown ?'s

[GCM]

It has been years since either my husband or myself have flown and I have a few questions. When we flew last, we received our tickets in the mail. I have ordered my tickets online, but do I actually receive anything other than email confirmation? What do I do when I get to the airport? Years ago, we went to the airline counter, checked in our luggage and gave them our tickets. I can't remember what they gave us back, but it was something that we then gave to board the plane. Is this what we will do now, but only with our confirmation number from our email? Like I said, it has been years, and I am totally ignorant of what to do. I realize 9/11 has changed things, as well as internet. But is it all basically the same? Any and all help appreciated!

 

[Jestocost]

You will not need or receive anything more than the email confirmation. You don't say what airline you are flying, however, which makes it difficult to outline exactly what the process will be like. In general, you will need a boarding pass and a photo ID to pass through security at the airport. If you are on most airlines and have assigned seats, you can check in online anytime starting about 24 hours before your flight and get a boarding pass then, but there's no real reason to do so if you're checking bags since you'll have to wait in line at the airport to do that anyway. If you're on Southwest, post again because there are some major differences. You'll want to bring your email confirmation to the airport, but most times you won't need to use it.

Depending on the airport, you can check your bags curbside with a skycap, at a self-service kiosk or by just waiting in the main ticketing/check-in line. The latter always is an option and most airport have the other two as well, but not always and not always for all airlines. If you're unsure and will be more comfortable getting assistance from an actual person, you can go to the skycaps, but most airports now charge $2 per bag plus tip. They can take your bags and give you your boarding pass. If you use the main ticketing/check-in line, they also can check your bags and give you your boarding passes. Then, depending on the airport and/or airline, they may take your bag for you or you may have to take your bag to another location to drop it off for x-ray screening. They'll take it from there, however.

After that, it's just a matter of getting through security, finding your gate and waiting for them to board. I recommend checking out the TSA Web site for information about what is and is not allowed in carry-on luggage, including oh-so-special rules regarding liquids and gels. The actual boarding procedure at the gate will vary greatly based on what airline you're flying, so post that information so someone can provide more detailed information.

 

[bearzabout]

Your email confirmation is the only paper work you will receive. There are a few things you should do to prepare for a trip.

Hop on the airline's website now (if your flight is less than 90 days away) and book your seat assignments. This way, you can sit together. An aisle seat for one of you is nice since it will be easier to get up to go to the bathroom.

About 24 hrs before you leave for the airport, hop on the website again and try to print your boarding passes. Don't print them if you are unhappy with your seat assignments and want a chance to move our seats.

If flying Spirit Airlines, pay for checked bags ahead of time to save money.

When you arrive at the airport, have your printout, photo ID and a credit card handy when you approach the counter. The counter person may ask for your flight and name or you could give them your reservation sheet.

Most airlines have self-checkin kiosks at the counters now. The people behind the counters still tag the bags. Most self-checkin machines allow you to swipe a credit card in the machine for ID and will use the information to pull up your reservation. After checking your bags and verifying your seats, ask the machine to print you a receipt. Then wait until an employee checks your photo IDs and tags your bags. They will give you an envelope with the baggage claim tickets attached.

Keep your email printout handy for the trip back, although you will probably not need it.

Other tips:
Arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight time.

Have any lotions and liquids you plan on carrying on in one ziploc bag and place the ziploc in clear view in a bin when going through security. Carry another ziploc bag to put things from your pockets in - keys, phones, change, sunglasses, etc. It is harder to loose something in security if everything is safely stored together.

You will most likely need to take your shoes off and have them scanned. Put them in a bin with your ziploc bag.

People are randomly chosen for further security checking. Don't freak out if it happens to you. It only causes about a 5 minute delay.

After you get through security, double check the monitors to verify that the gate hasn't changed.

Fill up a water bottle or buy a drink after you clear security. My most important rule for flying is "never get on a plane hungry". Delays can really be a problem if you are hungry and have no food.

The final thing is - don't sweat the small stuff like a late arrival. Late arrivals seem more like the norm anymore.

I hope this all helps.

 

[GCM]

I want to thank you all for the information. Sorry I didn't include the airline. We will be flying US Air. It was also mentioned about seating arrangements. I made those when I booked the flight and I am happy with what I chose. My departure will be very early AM from a small airport, so I don't believe that they will offer curb side service at that hour, but I could be wrong. If I plan to check-in my luggage at the counter, would there be any reason to print my boarding passes from home? Would it save me any time? By the way, what is skycaps? Once again, thanks.

 

[Jestocost]

I want to thank you all for the information. Sorry I didn't include the airline. We will be flying US Air. It was also mentioned about seating arrangements. I made those when I booked the flight and I am happy with what I chose. My departure will be very early AM from a small airport, so I don't believe that they will offer curb side service at that hour, but I could be wrong. If I plan to check-in my luggage at the counter, would there be any reason to print my boarding passes from home? Would it save me any time? By the way, what is skycaps? Once again, thanks.

I don't believe there's any benefit to printing out boarding passes in advance in your situation. You'll have to stand in the same line at the airport to check your luggage. Skycaps are the people who handle the curbside check-ins. If you don't expect there to be curbside check-in, don't worry about it. I almost always used to use curbside, but since they've started charging for it, I just go inside.