The stress that can accompany travel on ground transportation pale to the anxiety of air travel.
But thanks to Redditor pumpboy, you may find yourself traveling with ease.
The Orignal Poster asked:
"What are your airport tips and tricks?"
You arrive at the airport. Now keep in mind of the following.
Information From The Source
"Don’t just trust the gate number on your phone app, always double check with the airport screens."
– googooachu
Checking The Gate
"Don’t even trust the gate number at the gate. I showed up five hours early at the appointed gate. Waited around with no one else showing up. Then the people behind the counter grabbed their jackets and purses and left, even as the display still showed my flight."
"I went around the corner, looked at a screen, and found my flight had been moved to a gate at the other end of the airport. Ran through the airport and caught my flight 15 minutes before it was due to board."
– tangcameo
Announcements
"Also listen to all announcements near your gate. On my last flight everybody was confused because the gate changed but the screens in the airport would not change. They had to announce about 5 times that the gate changed before everybody started to move. I had a notification on my phone from the airline saying the gate changed before they ever announced it."
– Jsully05
Being Early
"Its better to be 3 hours early than 3 minutes late, airport food is cheaper than paying to book another flight."
– Fuzzwuzzle2
Restrooms on land are better than the ones on planes.
One Last Trip
"Always pee BEFORE you board."
– mikedashe
Unpredictable Waits
"Can't emphasize this enough."
"Oh well, we should be up in the air soon enough, I can hold it until then." "The fasten seatbelt sign has to go away at some point, right?"
"These are not acceptable thought processes. I've had these bright ideas only to get in line, and board, then have to wait another 45 - 90 minutes before I get to go pee. When you get in line, make sure you're in condition to hold it for a while. It's not always this bad, but it could turn that bar any moment."
– OwlCoveredInSnow
Here are some tips about carry-ons and water bottles.
Stay Hydrated
"At the security line, put all your things (phone, wallet, watch, belt, etc) that will need to be removed in your carry-on. It makes it much more efficient rather than taking each individual article and placing it into the bin."
"Bring an empty water bottle and fill it at the fountains. Air travel dehydrates you and most of us don't drink enough fluids anyway."
– kukukele
Beware The Bottle Pressure
"Once I filled up my water bottle in the airport. Later, while in mid flight, I flipped open the spout for the first time since filling it and I guess because of the pressure difference and my bottle being air-tight as the plane ascended, opening it instantly caused half the water in the bottle to come shooting out, blasting straight up like a geyser, hitting the ceiling of the cabin and coming down spraying all the strangers around me. I sheepishly apologized."
– bcmachine
Stay Cognizant Of Access
"In your carry on or especially in winter, it’s often easier to put it all in your coat pockets."
"And also pack with access in mind, especially when travelling abroad, sometimes you have to take out your laptop sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you have to include the charger. Sometimes iPads count. Just make sure they’re all in easy to access places."
– PhiloPhocion
A Hat Trick
"I often wear a ball cap and put everything from my pockets into that. Security will often tell you to empty your pockets into your carryon, but I rarely have the space. They’re always reluctant to hand out the tiny dog bowl sized bins which would be perfect."
– pfranz
Keep It Simple
"I always pack a smallish collapsable bag and when I'm sitting by the gate waiting to board I put in the things I want to access during the flight ( book, a couple snacks, headphones) from my carry on so I dont have to dig around in the carry on during the flight."
– Curlytomato
These tips may save your sanity.
Know Your Worth
"if you get bumped from a flight because the airline overbooked and you have to wait more than two hours then you are entitled to up to 4x your fare. Certain restrictions apply but point is dont let them take advantage of you."
– AussieBlender78
Seek An Advantage
"Always try to book an early flight. My father-in-law used to travel a lot and worked in an industry connected with the airlines. He said that the schedule board usually resets between 3 and 6 in the morning, so if there are late or cancelled flights causing a chain reaction in other areas that all tends to drop out of the system when it starts fresh the next day. I’ve never had a flight that left before 8 am that was noticeably late or canceled unless it just wasn’t safe to fly."
– gemurrayx
General Summary Of Tips
"I used to board 2-4 flights every week before COVID. Here are a few things:"
- "If you can then arrive early."
- "Have 2 bags. The backpack should contain all the stuff you would like to be available at moment's notice during the flight. The bigger trolley should only be opened once you have deboarded"
- "Stay away from the line that contains old people, kids, families. Queue up behind business travelers. There is an excellent scene in Up in The Air where Clooney profiles different kind of fliers. All of it is true."
- "Flight attendants have heard every single excuse for an upgrade. You can try but good luck. However, if you do get one than stop bragging about it. It might get them into trouble."
- "Flight attendants also like small gift like little bags of treats. If you are on a longer flight this is always an option to cheer someone up and make their day."
- "If you are frequent flier get a pair of noise canceling headphones."
- "Always check in as soon the window for check in opens. Usually 24 hours before the flight."
- "A small powerbank can make a world of difference."
- "The lounge is worth the money if you have a long layover or you are a frequent flier."
- "Always keep a small bag full of regular OTC medication you may need."
"Edit: Since someone mentioned wine I recalled that you can always fill a venti/trenta Starbucks cup with an entire bottle of wine. Edit -2: This is illegal as people have mentioned below and do it at your own risk. In my profession, a lot of people are functional alcoholics."
– satya314
Dispense With Social Graces
"Airports are lawless wastelands, like Fallout 3. There are no rules, all social miscues you’ve been taught to avoid are no more. Want to sit on the floor? F'king do it. Pizza and beer for breakfast? F'king do it. Fasting walking past old people to get in line faster? F'king do it. Survive."
– DogmeatIsAGoodDog
Hold On To Personal Belongings
"Never leave your bags unattended, never leave it with someone, I know it’s good to be human and be helpful but never carry anyone’s luggage for them. You don’t know who’s carrying contrabands or not and can easily put you in a jam."
– kevinokai
Yes, traveling is stressful for passengers. But airline employees and TSA agents put with the same, if not more, amounts of stress dealing with a whole slew of irritable passengers who take their aggression out on them.
I try my best to be kind towards them as they put up with a lot of B.S.
Who knows? Your friendliness may cause airline attendants at the check-in counter to conveniently "overlook" the maximum weight limit for your check-in luggage–like it happened to me once when I took the time to acknowledge their name and flashed them my pearly whites.
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Uber Drivers Reveal The Most Bizarre Passenger They've Ever Given a Ride To
Don't hold out for a good rating.
Being a driver is not an easy job and it certainly isn't a safe job. People be crazy. A lot of the time we as passengers are nervous about getting into the car of a stranger but imagine the nerves of the drivers, they are in contact with strangers (who could be complete whackos) consistently for hours on end. We've all seen the videos of passengers gone crazy on a loop. If I was a driver, I'd own stock in mace.
Redditor u/foosh124 wanted the Uber drivers out there tell us a few tales regarding their most "unique" passengers by asking.... Uber drivers of Reddit; what's the creepiest, weirdest, and/or most bizarre passenger experience you've had?
Keanu Reeves Leads Stranded Plane Passengers On An Epic Road Trip Because He's Too Good For This World
Stranded 100 miles from where they needed to be, passengers on a United Airlines flight might have anticipated an aggravating journey home.
But the unexpected company of actor Keanu Reeves turned their road trip into a most excellent adventure.
Keanu Reeves might be the greatest argument in favor of human cloning. This man needs to be preserved for future generations.
On screen, Reeves might be your average international superstar, but off-screen he seems to be anything but. While most know the 54-year-old actor for his body of work, the legends surrounding real life encounters with the John Wick star are slowly outgrowing his Hollywood fame.
The latest involves a group of stranded airline passengers traveling from San Francisco to Burbank, California. When their United Airlines flight was diverted to Bakersfield for an emergency landing passengers were left stranded 100 miles from their destination.
Amidst the group of grounded travelers was Reeves, who, like everyone else, was now stuck in an empty Bakersfield airport looking for a way to get home.
But instead of being bothered by the delay or arranging private transport home, Reeves decided to make the most out of the situation and lead his fellow passengers on an epic road trip.
Even though it was Keanu, the story might have been too incredible to believe on it's own.
Fortunately fans were there to document the entire adventure.
When the plane was grounded, passengers found themselves in an empty Bakersfield airport 100 miles from Burbank.
So Reeves stepped up, talking with the airline and letting others now what was going on with their luggage and travel arrangements.
Many opted for a courtesy bus offered by the airline to take them on the last leg of the trip.
As everyone waited for the bus Keanu offered to take pictures with fans.
I mean, near death experience followed by fans annoying you for pictures. Doesn’t get much worse.— Amir Blum [Unboxed] (@Amir Blum [Unboxed]) 1553391346
During the bus ride back to Burbank, Keanu entertained his travel companions with facts about Bakersfield.
He then played music from local artists through Youtube on his phone.
At the end of their journey, Keanu said goodbye to his travel partners, saying it was a "pleasure to meet you."
Then this hero walked off alone to get some food at a Carl's Jr (insert sunset here).
@keanusgf celebrities, they're just like us! https://t.co/RCzeQkACyi— crysta timmerman (@crysta timmerman) 1553527001
The moral of the story?
If you are going to get stuck on a bus with anyone, make damn sure sure it's Keanu Reeves.
@keanusgf He should feel right at home on a bus https://t.co/Xb1uuRkjdi— 𝙴𝚍𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚘 (@𝙴𝚍𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚘) 1553525756
@keanusgf Stranded on a bus with Keanu Reeves? God I wish that were me.— jessica | tengen uzui's fourth wife (@jessica | tengen uzui's fourth wife) 1553497224
Had it been any other celebrity the implausible adventure might have been too wild to believe.
But the legends of Keanu's down-to-earth kindness and approachability seem to get bigger every year.
@keanusgf He donates most of his salary and rides the subway while in New York. One of a kind really. He’s excellen… https://t.co/t1T73hl7Zh— Paulina Plazas (@Paulina Plazas) 1553522887
@keanusgf HOW does this man get better every year. HOWWW?!!!— She 10 toes down for Democracy 💛🐝🦂 (@She 10 toes down for Democracy 💛🐝🦂) 1553553106
Forget about action heroes!
For his next movie, Keanu should be starring as himself!
And if you're in the mood for another excellent adventure with Keanu Reeves, you're in luck. Reeves and his co-star Alex Winters announced a sequel to the film that made Reeves a household name is in the works. The next Bill and Ted installment is set to debut in 2020!
If you can't wait that long, you can get Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey in multiple formats here.
People Are Applauding The Pilot Who Ordered 23 Pizzas For His Passengers After Being Stranded On Runway For Hours
Pizza has the power to save the day.
We all know this, but the following sweet story only emphasizes this fact of life.
Passengers on an Air Canada flight were stranded for hours on snowy tarmac Air Canada Flight 608 left Toronto bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Monday evening.
Inclement weather forced the flight to divert to Fredericton, New Brunswick. The passengers were stuck for several hours and were growing progressively more cranky, as passengers in such a situation are apt to do.
Then the pilot decided to order pizza.
Jofee Larivée, the manager at Minglers Restaurant and Pub in Oromocto, told reporters he received the call for 23 pizzas topped with cheese and pepperoni.
"We told him we could have them made in an hour or hour and a half," Larivée said, adding that she and her staff were "laughing all night" because no one had ever delivered pizza to an airplane before.
The team made the pizzas and brought them over.
The passengers were pleased!
Passenger Philomena Hughes praised the pilot's action:
"It was something that could have been very stressful; he made it a lot easier. There was lots of help, there were a couple of Air Canada Jazz pilots that were traveling on the plane and they were helping to pick up the pizza and distribute it. Everybody chipped in, so he didn't want to take the whole credit for himself."
She wasn't the only one who loved this:
@bill_karsten @AirCanada Pizza is cheap but buys a lot of goodwill. Trust it was not even AC fault, can’t fight the weather. Well done AC!— George (@George) 1551830785
@bill_karsten @AirCanada @yfcairport when A/C gets it right, they get it right !!— 🇨🇦Chatty Cathy Cody🇨🇦 (@🇨🇦Chatty Cathy Cody🇨🇦) 1551747760
@bill_karsten The pilot was very kind to think of his passengers and kindness goes a long way. People decided to pi… https://t.co/DtsqZIy27B— Rose Shar (@Rose Shar) 1551843159
@bill_karsten It appears that the pizza was greatly appreciated. I wish travelling public had a true understanding… https://t.co/a7Cw6iSeXZ— Smisk (@Smisk) 1551965797
@bill_karsten Great customer service!— Craig's Car Care (@Craig's Car Care) 1551879463
Kudos to you, sir. That was lovely and thoughtful of you––and it gave all of the passengers a great memory for years to come.
Flight attendants are heroes. Let's be honest, when we fly, we're a bunch of babies. We need and need and... NEED! And if you think about it so have the rest of us as passengers. People! Get your behavior in check for travel! Please!
Redditor u/sophmorph wanted the employees of the sky do discuss a few things by asking... Flight Attendants of reddit, what's the most ridiculous passenger you've ever had?