9 Airline Secrets NEVER Told to Passengers (Avoid THIS Scam!)

Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes at airlines? From operating empty flights to what actually happens to your checked luggage, we uncover industry secrets that airline employees are not telling passengers. We dive into:
-Ghost flights and why they are kept secret.
-How airlines pad schedules for better on-time records.
-Tactics to manage delays and keep you at the gate.
-Getting live updates to manage your time better.
-Why you need a VPN at airports for security.
-How to get refunds or credits for non-refundable tickets.
-Benefits of status matching between airlines.
-Keeping your checked luggage secure.

✈️ TRAVEL RESOURCES

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Welcome to Portable Professional, where I, Megan, use my experience from over 300 flights to offer you simple, practical and game-changing travel tips and hacks. Our mission is to help you reduce stress and make the most of every trip.

🐶 Chapters
00:00 Airline Secrets You Need to know!
00:15 Ghost Flights
00:52 Qatar Airways dirty secret
01:15 Flight schedule lie
01:37 Most delayed airlines
02:14 Flight delay lie
03:52 Flight delay HACK
04:45 Airport SCAM Alert
05:57 Non-refundable ticket hack
07:04 My ticket refund story
08:11 Airline status secret hack
09:05 Airline compensation (Don't accept!)
10:09 DOT 'Final Rule"
10:36 Airline taxes and fees (crazy!)
10:58 Flight attendants work for free
11:43 Worst time to check luggage
12:32 Free stuff on flight

Affiliate Disclosure: This content contains affiliate links. We may receive compensation at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!

[RayJacobsenJr]

Tip, Flying over hundreds of cell towers gets you phone confused and runs sluggish after landing (yes using airplane mode on the airplane helps to prevent this;)
When you land power off your phone for a minute the turn it back on for a fresh start at your destination.

[ulvesparker]

It is very annoying when delays are given incrementally. In a 1.5 hour delay, I could have had a relaxing meal in the airport or stayed comfortably in the lounge. Another really annoying practice is to board passengers, close the door, and push back from the gate. Airline "departed" on time. And then we sit, 10 metres from the gate, for sometimes hours! Worse, they have the seat belt light on, and AC off. So we are trapped, packed into a cramped space. They get credit for leaving on time, they don't owe passengers compensation or refreshments, and if you leave your seat, they treat you like your uncooperative and troublesome. I have had this happen several times with the same carrier so now I avoid it if at all possible.

[r.]

I don't recall ever having a flight delayed. I have, however, been a few minutes late (bathroom stop) to a connecting flight gate and found it completely empty and the door to the plane outside, closed. Not even the people I was traveling with were there. When I showed the person at the gate my boarding pass and asked if I could board, she told me my flight wasn't arriving for another two hours. Sher told me to sit and wait. So I did, and eventually a flight attendant opened the door from the other side and asked the gate person if I had turned up, which she denied. I ran up and said I was right there, and that the gate person had refused me access. She very huffily said, "I did NOT!", to which I replied, "You most certainly DID!"
The flight attendant said it didn't matter, please come onto the plane, we've been holding it for you.

[marciarutland]

Thanks for the tips! I understand no food or beverage service if you are delayed & “parked” on the tarmac, but they should allow use of the bathroom. Many people have medical conditions or take medications that require them to plan food/drink/meds based on availability of a bathrooom, if you have to fly dehydrated because you MIGHT have to sit on a tarmac for an hour, you are setting yourself up for blood clots and other issues!

[elanthys]

Fully empty ghost flights are an aberration that should not exist in 2024. If you’re that desperate to keep the slot find a way to give away the seats for free (like to company employees for ex) or do _something_ so that it serves a minimum of purpose. This is such an irresponsible, avoidable waste of resources and source of pollution.

[susan]

We’ve, more than once, on flying back home to Seattle, landed on time or slightly before then had to wait 20-25 minutes for our gate to be cleared

[jhollie]

When I was in the Marine Corps, I would fly from Oakland to San Diego frequently to see my parents. Flight time was 55 minutes (1977). Today, the same flight is now 1:20 minutes. Ca must of stretched in the years! This is ridiculous.

[markk]

Probably anyone who's flown more than a dozen times has had a flight delayed at least a little, but the most aggravating practice is airlines outright lying about super-long delays by pushing the "new" departure time by a small amount, several times. I was once scheduled for a 95-minute layover in Chicago that ended up lasting over 4 hours (longer than either of the 2 legs). The gate agents edited the time every 15 minutes. That meant nobody was comfortable even leaving to get food. Cranky doesn't begin to describe how we all felt. This was in the early 1990s, meaning no smartphone help for anything.

[bforshay]

United has a new tactic. No humans available at the service center on the concourse. Scan a QR code and try to connect. BUT, the connection didn't work 3 tries and finally had to give up and get on. Good luck!

[oiwtrks]

I miss the good old days when airlines treated passengers like honored guests. Now, it is all a shell game with the passenger treated like cargo.

[davidmoores]

I just tried the trick of texting myself the fight number and it works. Thanks! And I love your dog!

[southbound]

Yes, always enter your flyer program numbers. I am a Skypass member with Korean Airlines and fly once per year to MNL. Last year I neglected to enter my Skypass info when I booked. Last year I was pissed because they wanted, for the first time, to charge me to select my seats. The price, $50 per segment! I need an aisle seat because of FU (frequent urination). I did not select my seats. This year I entered my Skypass number and was able to select my seats without an extra fee! I researched and found that Skypass members do not pay extra to select seats.

[jacko]

Megan, if I ever see you at an airport, ( possibly YYZ ) I'm gonna give you a huge hug for all the info you're giving us. Keep it coming, you're awesome!!

[dtchouros]

Sometimes the airlines just don’t care. When my daughter’s dad (my ex) was dying and she was trying to get back in time to see him, every single step from booking to deboarding was a cold “no”. When she was finally able to book, we literally had thirty minutes to get her to the hospital (across a major city) before the doors got locked. This hospital was known for their no-exception visitor policy. I picked her up at the door, my husband drove separately to get her bags. There was no time and she would not have made it. The flight crew would not even allow her to exit early. She had swollen eyes from crying. It was solely due to other passengers (a dad overheard her request and passed the story along and they all let her through) that cleared the way that allowed her to make it to the hospital in time. We got to the hospital with less than five minutes. He died that night. I will never forget. From booking, to checking in, boarding, everything - they offered absolute zero support and even made things more difficult. I know some may lie but it literally took one look at her to know she wasn’t.

[Nathansmithphotography]

Megan you never cease to amaze! Great info as always!

[deandecoursey]

Megan, you were lucky that your family medical emergency happened before you left your home. Try getting home half way around the globe (Thailand) after your brother dies unexpectedly. You have to leave quickly, so you don’t have to play games with the airline by hanging up and calling back to speak with a different agent. If they don’t give you any consideration on changing dates (they wanted $1, 640 to change a basic economy ticket that had cost me $673 total) or a refund, you still have to buy a one way ticket to get home. I did find one on Qatar airlines for $620. It took me 11 months after getting home, and 4-5 emails every week, verifying the death certificate, his and my birth certificates (listing our parents) and a local obituary to “prove” to Singapore airlines that my brother did indeed die. Since then, I’ve flown 5 times to Thailand, and none of those on Singapore airlines. It’s not likely that I’ll ever fly them again!

[birbluv]

Thank you so much, Megan. I always learn new things from you. The advice not to check in your luggage too early sounds wise. Regarding asking for special consideration over the phone, i have not had to do that, but i always try to be friendly with the phone agents. I try to make their day a little better, and i am just so glad to be talking to a real human being. Another thing about flight attendants - there was a recent article about how poorly they are paid, with some based in expensive cities having to live out of their cars! Their job is never easy.

[paolodicarli]

I use the Airlines app and it is clear soon whether the flight is on time or not. I agree that asking the Airline is always a win-win option. In the European Union 🇪🇺 Airlines are obliged to refund customers and pay compensation after a 3-hour delay, but few exploit this possibility. Airlines are trying to change this piece of legislation. Thanks for all the pieces of advice, really helpful 😊

[Mr.DJones]

Thank you for your time and posting. I like that you put your dog in the video.

[cupidhart-james]

I NEVER get on public WiFi. I have unlimited cellular data, and will stay on cellular at the airport and other places.