Airport Secrets They Don’t Want Us to Know

Have you ever wondered why you need to arrive at the airport two hours early? And why the walkway through duty-free shops usually veers to the left? We'll reveal how they're trying to trick you while you remain unsuspecting. 🌍🛫 #TravelTips #AirportHacks #FlyingSecrets

[tiny-paws]

Not arriving 2 hours early sounds like terrible advice. Unless you're at a tiny regional airport, security & check-in lines can get long and can take up to an hour or more to get through. And some international flights start the boarding process 45 minutes to 1 hour before the scheduled departure time. And if you arrive only an hour before flight, well... good luck getting to your gate on time.

[h.r.]

O'Hare 3hrs before
Atlanta 3.5-4hrs before
San Antonio 45min before.
Really depends on the airport.

[dons]

Bad advice, since 90% of us are using carryons instead of checked luggage, ALWAYS get boarded as early as possible

[CGRREDACTED]

2:02 do not I repeat do not ever board last! Do you know what happens when you board last? you get no overhead compartment because some other person has decided they don't wanna check their luggage and gonna bring it on board and use the overhead luggage bins of someone else, then your flight attendant will say "that's OK we can put it under the plane for you." the one thing a light traveler never wants to hear so now your inconvenience and we'll have to wait for your luggage they come out of the carousel rather than have it with you like everyone else and be able to just exit the airport. Trust me do not ever board last.

[Barbara-uh]

Im a standby and am always 2 hrs early. Flts change, gates change, give me time to settle in..hook up wifi and chill.

[oakstrong]

I just did a round trip between Thailand and Cambodia. I arrived to checking point 2 hours before: I barely had time to buy a bottle of water after security check (no free water) despite not having to wait at all at the check-in, passport control and bag/body scan. Both countries the boarding closed (supposedly) 45 mins before take-off: it is now a standard for passengers having to sit ground bound, rather than the flight being delayed because of waiting for a late passenger. There was quite a lengthy walk the gate in Thai airport but not Cambodia, which made me wonder how come I still didn't have any more spare time - it is so rare there is anything I want from duty free shops.

I usually want a window seat, so I want to board first: then I don't have to squeeze past other passengers nor they keep squeezing past me. If I have an isle seat, I try to board last. I only worry about cabin luggage if it is a long flight, otherwise everything I need (and a bit more) fits under the seat.

[macforme]

From the advice given in this video I don't think the writer has flown since 1963.

[DebDebbiesWorld]

I fly back and forth across the country EVERY MONTH. every 2-3 weeks to be exact. I ALWAYS get there 2 hours early and it has saved my butt on MORE than one occasion. telling people NOT to arrive then, is HORRIBLE advice.

[KassiaPoties]

BAD ADVICE!! ALWAYS arrive 2-3 hours before the ORIGINAL departure time of your flight!! Even if the airport is considered to be small there is always the possibility they will have moments of being extremely busy when getting thru TSA. If a flight is delayed before you get to the airport, STILL GO TO THE AIRPORT AS IF IT'S NOT DELAYED. A delayed time can change at any time. EVERY AIRLINE has a checked-bag cut-off time. Find this out in advance.

[aprilstilskin]

I like boarding last and letting them check my bag. I'm short, and when I was a size two I could cram all my clothes into a small carry on. I hate managing and stowing it overhead, which is not easy for my bad shoulders. When the overheads are full, they check my carry-on/luggage, and I don't even have to pay the checked bag fee. Because my bag is carry-on size, they don't put it at the baggage claim, but they have it waiting right beside the exit when I disembark. I've never had to wait. Another advantage to this is if I have to switch to another plane, I don't have to wrangle my heavy carry-on size baggage and run through the airport with it to the next flight. It is moved to the other plane for me with all the other checked baggage, which I got for free since they ran out of overhead space. Usually checked bags cost $50 each.

[mengchou]

Never board last. You risk running out of overhead compartment space and may end up having your luggage checked in by the airline. You travel light so you have only a carry-on; you don’t want to wait at the carousel for your “carry-on” luggage.
Also, yes, you can fold the clothes in “travel friendly style” but don’t forget that folding nicely and neatly does not make the luggage lighter. You need to consider the weight as well. Majority of the airline has weight limit for carry-on.

[henriquegar]

I don't like boarding last because people have taken my seat and the airlines actually gave our seat to a late comer. We had to argue to be seated together. I board asap

[Fiawordweaver]

A very rude loud woman took my seat on united. ( both of us in our 50’s) The united flight attendant made me take a different seat and treated me as if I was the problem. The loud rude woman laughed at the outcome. Never flew united again.

[divasmusic]

WARNING: Always keep prescription medications in the original prescription bottles. TSA does not require this but different states and countries may have laws regarding medication. You do not want to take the chance of your drugs being confiscated.

[reylandvilla]

Don’t board last… no overhead space.. unless the rare case that you don’t have carry on luggage…

[TheAmandhyana]

In Europe, at international airports, 2 hours in advance is standard and is the minimum time you should arrive in advance.

[spivackl]

Ok, heres some actual tips. 1. The people in the airport have very minimal communication with the people inside the plane. When they anounce "no more cary on bags in the overhead". It's not actually full. it's just almost full. I dont like to check my bag. So if they give me a tag for it, and tell me to turn it over to the guy at the end if the gangway, i just rip the tag off in the gangway and bring my bag on anyhow, i always find room for it.
2. The people at the gate are less money hungry than the ticket agents. If the outside ticket agents want more money for an earlier flight, get the cheaper one and then go to the gate of the flight you want and talk with those guys, if there's room, they'll usually switch you for free.
3. Its amazing how much you can minimize lugage expenses by putting stuff on your person. I try to limit myself to the caryon and the personal item and have zero lugage expence. You can wear 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts even double up on underwear. After security you can stick tons of stuff in pockets. Wear a jacker (more pockets!) Now, if you dont want to actually wear all this stuff on your long flight, bring along some cheap plastic bags (the kind you get at Wal-Mart) that can be scrunched up and take up zero room. Then go to the lavatory take, off your extra clothing, put it in one or more plastic bags. You can always squeeze these into the corners of the overhead bin.
4. Speaking of which scruntchy type bagage is always easier to fit inside the baggage sizer than stiff baggage.
You should make these videos!

[remley]

As a truck driver of 23 years who has hauled secret, classified and explosive freight for the Department of Defense, I can say that turbulence in an airplane is equivalent to hitting a bumpy stretch of road, but you don't want to go over a bumpy road with sweating dinomite. Sweating equals free nitroglycerin and I've done that in Louisiana and Texas on I 10.

[WadmanP]

Don’t board early because who’s going to be in your seat??? Have you not seen what’s going on? Yeah someone could be in your seat and may not be willing to move.
More common, boarding last means the overhead bin at or near your seat could be full.

[vpnsood]

I would like to share my experience I have been a medical escort for the past almost 7 to 8 years and taking a lot of flights both domestic and international. From my experience I can tell you that arriving at a busy airport in India for a domestic flight 3 hours and for international flights 4 hours this is not a bad idea you can be relaxed and you do not get worked up and tense. Of course, once you get the boarding pass and check in and security and past the passport control, you have ample time with you to sit back relax go to the food court go to the shopping areas duty free and have a walk. When the boarding time comes its quite relaxing for me at least to board in the end because you don’t have to stand in the queue and then you know jostle at the aircraft gate. Ye, if you have too much of carry on luggage with you to the cabin it can be a problem because the overhead bins they tend to get filled up very fast and but in my experience if you are carrying moderate amount of carry on luggage, generally the air hostesses and stewards they help you with the space in the overhead bins also it might be a few seats in front of you or behind you and which translates to little bit of delay when deboarding but that is only 5 or 10 minutes extra and that has been okay with me yeah.