I only quote “International” because I just returned from a trip to Canada just across the border, but I think the experience will apply leaving to/from the United States to anywhere in the world.
I had traveled to Montreal last year and there was a very noticeable difference in my travel experience. It was definitely much more time-consuming.
Here’s a few of the lines I had to deal with:
- Check-in line, not for baggage, just actually printing out my ticket (20 minutes)
- Baggage line for getting my baggage tagged (50 minutes)
- Customs line for declaring items (15 minutes)
- Security line for carry-on luggage (10 minutes)
- Boarding line waiting for the plane to being boarding (40 minutes due to delay)
This doesn’t include the time involved in driving to the airport and returning a car rental. Wow - that is a LOT of time spent working through the process of just trying to fly between Canada and the States. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
If you want to make your life easier when traveling internationally then make sure of the following: * You have your passport (you’ll need your passport number for customs as well) * You’ve filled out your customs declaration form in advance (save your ticket stub so you can fill in the flight information) * Be prepared to explain why you are entering a particular country (I was receiving training for a particular industry-specific application) * Know in advance which terminal you need to go to before you goto the airport – some countries like Canada have a special terminal for all international travel to the United States; If you have a layover in another city within the same country, you’ll need to goto a domestic terminal * Print out your boarding pass in advance * If you can travel without check-in baggage, then do so – check-in baggage is a huge headache these days * And most importantly, if you aren’t sure about something, then ask about it before you go waiting in a line
It’s all about getting home safely and on time.
The title says it all. If you’re interested in transferring points between various travel programs, look no further.
As I stood in line waiting to check-in my luggage, here are a few things that I noticed (funny how much more observant you are, when you are spending alot of time just standing around).
Interesting Things:
- Those heavy duty “rapid” x-machines run on Windows 98 - I saw the boot-up screen
- Airlines are going to take a big hit on labor expenses - Every single check-in counter has someone behind it; Many TSA workers actually doing work - they had to constantly load the conveyer belts with check-in luggage
Things to look-out for when you are traveling:
- Longer check-in lines
- Shorter security lines - since more people are checking their luggage, there is less to scan in the security lines
- Longer waits at baggage claim - some of the baggage claims were overflowing with luggage where it became difficult to pull luggage off or even find yours
- Plenty of overhead bin space for obvious reasons
- More bathroom breaks during the flight since people are finishing off their drinks before they board
Things to help make your traveling life more bearable:
- Get an EVDO card and never worry about a WiFi connection again - you’re going to spend more time in the airport because it’s harder to time when you need leave from home so get work done while you wait for your flight
- Get an extended battery for your laptop - you’re going to need it - EVDO cards (and any other wireless component) reduce your laptop battery duration
- If you are traveling to the same location every week, then leave a set of toiletries at your client site or hotel - you need to travel light
- Check-in online in advance - that’s one less thing to worry about
- Start flying on less popular airlines to reduce check-in times, since security lines are no longer the bottleneck
- Start flying on a difficult schedule if your job gives you that flexibility - avoid peak travel times like Monday mornings and Thursday evenings
- Make use of that curbside check-in - it’s usually alot shorter, especially if the airline charges $$
Coming soon - I will post what typical wait times are for various airports based on an informal poll of my peers