How To Get From Bed To 35,000 Feet In Two Hours Flat

July 26, 2007 at 10:37 AM | by ced138 | Comments (2)

Between extra security hurdles and flight delays, the "arrive one-hour before departure for domestic; two for international" rule seems to be moot. We found ourselves dedicating two, then three hours to traveling to, and waiting for our flights, until we said: Enough!

Here are a few tips to reducing the time you need to spend waiting to take off. Some seem intuitive, but combined, they can add hours of extra flying-day sleep time.

Step One: Book early morning flights on mid-week days and Saturdays. Also be wary of school vacation dates and avoid traveling during these weeks, unless you want to be stuck behind the Joneses headed to Orlando and the entire senior class of the local high school on its way to Cancun. Less popular travel days/times mean fewer people jamming up the security line.

Step Two: The internet is a handy tool. Double check your flight status, check in, and print your boarding pass before you leave home.

Step Three: For the love of God, do not check bags. Unless you're moving overseas or a traveling brick salesman, there is no reason you can't live out of a suitcase that fits in the overhead for a few weeks. Need more convincing? We present, Exhibit A.

Step Four: Don't bring toiletries. Period. Drugstores in your destination city sell miniature tubes of toothpaste and shampoo. Waiting for the TSA security guard to check that every tube of lip gloss in your half-quart plastic bag is under 3 ounces not only wastes your time but that of the people lined up behind you.

Step Five: Fly on bulk-loading planes. Although you feel like a herded sheep, airlines like Southwest that forego seat assignments and board passengers in groups cut the time it takes to get everyone on the plane.

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[Photo: IvanoMac]

Comments (2)

Return to » How To Get From Bed To 35,000 Feet In Two Hours Flat

I don't see how step 5 helps you save any time??? It just means the airline can start boarding later. The customer can still show up at the last minute and get on the plane.

I guess my years of playing by the airline's rules instilled in me a fear of arriving at the gate close to or after the boarding time listed on the ticket. Totally psychological? Probably. But I'd rather be part of the group getting on the plane five minutes before we leave the gate than the lone straggler who runs on all sweaty after everyone else is seated.

Jaunted

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