10 Airport Secrets Never Told to Passengers (Avoid this SCAM!)

10 Airport Secrets that will make you MAD, help you SAVE MONEY and navigate the airport like a PRO in 2024. These are the things airline and airport staff DO NOT want you to know. Stay tuned to learn about hidden airport amenities, sneaky airport travel hacks and tips to save money when you travel.

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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 Must-know airport secrets
00:13 Secret #1: transportation rip-offs
00:41 Money saving trick
01:11 Secret #2: drop off and pick up zones
02:10 Secret #3: Your items are being SOLD
03:08 Secret #4: Airport lost & found trick
03:49 Secret #5: The cheapest place to eat
05:01 Secret #6: These are hidden away...
06:03 Secret #7: SNEAKY money traps
07:40 Secret #8: Secret free amenities
08:35 Secret #9: Airport slots (they matter!)
09:31 Secret #10: TSA and baggage thieves

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[danielpilachowski]

Tsa can do anything they want. They have Unlimited power. I have mobility problems. Iask then to please scan my elastic belt that was on my trousers, i was forced to remove my belt, my pants almost fell down and it took me 15 min to put my belt back on. Tsa officials laughed at me. TSA is untouchable.

[justinparrtech]

The arrival vs. departure hack is 100%. I traveled extensively for about 10 years, and this was a MAJOR time saver! You get dropped off in arrivals, take an escalator, and BOOM, you're in departures. In many airports, the walk from arrivals is shorter, because they know they can't sell you anything.

[paymans]

Great tips. Here’s some more to add to those:

On the tray, put your valuables on the very last tray just as you are ready to go through the scanner. I’d even add to put your wallet, watch, any jewellery you may be weeks, your wallet, AirPods etc inside the pouch of your backpack or hand bag 💼 and close them. I also always keep my passport with my boarding pass on my hand as I go through the security screening. Only once or twice was I told I can’t take them and after I told them I will keep them with them with me, 70% of the time, they let me go through the scanning with my passport in my hand.

Safe travels. ❤

[ulvesparker]

I spent a whole day in Schipol during Christmas time one year because of Schengen visa time limits (long story). I felt like that Tom Hanks character stuck in transit limbo. The thing is, I had a wonderful time! They had a free mini-Rijksmuseem with fine art, an indoor "park" with fake trees and chirping birds, a free e-library, a quiet meditation center, observation tower, great shopping and restaurants, a capsule hotel with showers, and a Dutch culture center. I explored every meter of that airport and discovered lots of free stuff.

But now, I am hooked on airline lounges. I use miles, and I tend to get my full value. Food, drinks (incl. beer and wine), snacks, shower, free wifi, and sometimes a snooze on a comfortable lounge chair in the quiet area.

[MarcPagan]

From a pilot - good stuff

Especially if making a pick up after 6p or so, telling your friend or family that you'll be picking them up at Departures level,
and if dropping prior to 8a, you'll be dropping them of at the Arrivals level.

Food?
Buy huge bags of nuts from Costco, then break down into desired travel sizes/baggies.
Ah, and bring a refillable empty water bottle - plenty of places to fill up for free once past security.

[ivermectin]

You speak very well for someone who is hearing impaired. My sister was deaf and spoke similar. I still sign every time I’m speaking with someone.

[MrRezillo]

The first tip: walk "a block" out of the airport to call in a cheaper Uber. Good luck with that; I've never seen "a block" anywhere near the airports I've been too. You'd have to walk quite a ways - with your luggage - to get off of airport property for a cheaper Uber rate. Did I miss something here?

[jamess]

Free shuttle to get off airport grounds is a game changer!! Perfect!!

[Crusty_Camper]

A couple more tips from a retired Customs Officer.
1st, beware of zippered baggage that you are checking in. Unless it has a rigid frame, it can be opened even if the zipper tags are locked together. Thieves do this by pulling at the small section between the tags and opening it from there.
2nd, When travelling through any airport, keep yourself to yourself. Do not engage in casual talk with anyone who is not known to you. If that person is "of interest" to the authorities, you may be stopped and questioned if they think you are an associate. It happened to me once at Montreal. Another passenger asked me which carousel the bags from London would come on and I told him. The bags came up, he selected his and mine was close behind. As we walked away from the carousel, a loud voice called out, " Stand still, you two!". Two hours later, I was finally on my way, I have no idea what the interest was in the other guy. So seriously, don't talk to anyone unless you have to.

[Travelclosely]

TIP: For electronics like laptops Phones or cameras it is always better to send them last through the screening.. if you send them first before you clear the security.. you might give a chance to someone to pick your item and leave 😢

[stevenperri]

What happened to "do not sit here?"

[SybilKibble]

FYI: There is a free bus to LaGuardia airport in NYC. You take one subway train (E) from the stop next door to Penn Station, then get off at the Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av stop. Go up to street level and to the LaGuardia bus bay, ring the bell right before your terminal and it will drop you off right there.

[MaddogCapt]

My wife’s wallet was stolen at ORD while she was receiving extra “scrutiny” due to her prosthetic hips activating the metal detector. Fortunately, her ID was not in her wallet, so the trip was not delayed. A police report was filed but the perp was never apprehended. Her stolen credit card was used within 30 minutes (to pay for gas near ORD) after it was discovered missing and before the police report was filed. That tells me that the thief’s shift ended shortly after the card was stolen.

[kathydurow]

I used to do some accounting work for a chain of airport souvenir shops. Their lease charged about 25 - 30% of gross sales with a fairly large fixed minimum amount. So increasing prices/sales simply meant paying even more rent if the store earned enough to pay above minimum. And one of the requirements was to fully refurbish every 3 - 5 years adding a cost of 6 digits plus every time. These costs were much higher than normal commercial costs outside an airport.

[yspegel]

Lucky I'm used to regular fasting up to 4 days and see traveling by plane as a good moment to do so. Saves lots of money and preventing me to consume bad food.

[BHKCh]

I've done the airport shuttle before. I had a return flight from Las Vegas McCarran cancelled and rescheduled for the next afternoon, so I booked a hotel within walking distance of the rental car garage and took the rental car shuttle.

[letterbox]

Happy Easter, Megan! Thanks for looking out for us and giving us these insider tips and valuable advice. It is comforting to know you are on our side.

[cpgravenor]

My best friend now ships her bags, and presents by UPS or FEDEX before hand, as she is tired of items going missing, bags opened, and all the fees.

[koenven]

The taxi surcharge is also applicable for rental cars. Last time I was in the US I was picked up by my uncle who lives there and I was able to rent a car about half an hour away from the airport. It was half the price for the exact same car (and the same went for the insurances) compared to renting at the airport.

[Albanwinter]

I had a TSA person almost yell at me because I wouldn't let my tray go through the x-ray until I was ready to go through the body scanner. "Ma'am, quit pulling your tray back." "I'm not ready to go through the body scanner yet." "Ma'am that doesn't matter." And for the only time in my life I retorted back to a TSA officer. "I am not... getting anything... stolen. That tray is not going through until I do. I am not an idiot." (I said something to that effect.) Some people actually chuckled and a few nodded knowingly.
I watched a theft happen right in front of me once. Right in front of the person being stolen from even. Why? Because they had insisted that the person let the tray go through before the person was ready to go through the body scanner. Since then I have never allowed them to pressure me to put my tray through until I'm ready to head through the scanner.