5 Ways to Fly Smarter

I heard the chime indicating a passenger had pressed the flight attendant call button. I stopped what I was doing in the galley and leaned around the corner to see whose green call light was illuminated. “I'll get this one,” I told the other flight attendant. I walked over to the woman in row 7, her eyes wide with concern. “Yes, ma’am?” I asked her. “I had a 40-minute layover, but now that we're delayed, it's only 10 minutes,” she explained. “Am I going to make my connecting flight?”

It's a tale as old as the airline industry. As a flight attendant, I get this question or a question like it weekly. Tight connections have to be one of the top causes of stress when it comes to air travel, but they aren't the only cause. From the moment passengers purchase their tickets to the moment they step off the airplane at their final destination, there are a plethora of factors that can make the flying experience either a dream or a nightmare. Read on for some tips to ensure yours is the former.

Pay attention to the details. Years ago on one of my first flights, I remember desperately trying to get a flight attendants’ attention, because I thought I was going to miss my connection. Thankfully, I had just forgotten to factor in the time difference from Seattle to Houston. Today, I get to bring relief to panicked passengers making that same mistake. Unfortunately, I also sometimes have to confirm their fear that they probably won’t make their connection. Many times, this can’t be avoided. Weather happens. Maintenance issues happen. In this industry, the possibilities for a delay are endless and often unforeseeable. But you as a passenger do have some control. Passengers who don’t fly often make the mistake of purchasing their tickets without considering connection times. Does this sound like you? You’re scrolling through bookings on some third party booking site when you find a great deal on a ticket. You click “purchase” only to later discover that you have a 45-minute layover in your connecting city. Maybe you panic right then, or maybe you’re inexperienced and think that will be enough time. I’m here to tell you that 45 minutes is pushing it. I recommend giving yourself at least an hour and a half between flights. Two hours is even better. That said, I personally detest spending more time in airports than I have to, so I try to keep my layovers under three hours.

Download the app, and check in early. Whatever airline you’re flying, they probably have an app you can download. With this app, you should be able to check in and download a mobile boarding pass as early as 24-hours prior. Some airlines even allow you to change your seat through the app, so checking in early with an app can help you to avoid that dreaded middle seat. Another benefit to the app is the quick access to flight status it provides. Every day at work, I am asked by a passenger if I know what gate we’re arriving at or which gate their connecting flight departs from. I have a hard time remembering where I am half the time; I definitely don’t know what gate you’re supposed to go to. But you know who always knows the answer to those questions? The app! Ah, technology.

If possible, pack light. Okay, this one is for me, too. Since I started my job as a flight attendant nearly three years ago, I have gotten packing light down to a science. For work, that is. When I’m going on vacation, I suddenly feel the need to pack every pair of jeans, every sweater, and every bathing suit—just in case! So why pack light? First of all, it’s less to keep track of. If you can avoid checking a bag, you’ll get to experience the luxury of walking straight from the aircraft to the airport exit (unless, of course, you’re traveling internationally and need to go through customs). Envy will seep from your fellow travelers as they watch you from baggage claim. Secondly, you won’t have as much weighing you down as you hike through airports and shimmy through airplane aisles. And third, you’ll have more room for souvenirs! I should note this advice is more for those not traveling with children. I don’t have children, but I witness the struggle of traveling with children every day. I have no advice for you because it seems like you need all of that stuff.

Bring snacks! I was ten years old when I boarded my very first flight, my best friend by my side. The day before, my mom went out and bought us our favorite snacks (mostly candy) and slipped them into our backpacks for our short flight from Corpus Christi, Texas to Dallas-Fort Worth. Two decades later, I still vividly remember sitting in that small jet with my best friend, munching my snacks and watching the houses and cars below shrink to the size of ants. It was a sensational experience for ten-year-old me. Now, as an adult with bills to pay, I bring snacks when I travel to avoid blowing my life’s savings on airport food. If I know I'm going to be traveling all day, I go to the store the day before and buy all my favorite snacks. And yes, candy is still my favorite.

Stay hydrated. This seems simple, and it is. But I cannot stress enough the importance of drinking water while flying. Dehydration is no joke. I once went a whole day at work without drinking more than a few sips of water. The result was one of the worst leg cramps I had ever experienced in my life and about 20 minutes of writhing in pain on my hotel room floor. If you want to avoid leg cramps, headaches, bloat, and just a generally terrible feeling, DRINK WATER. Drink plenty of it. Yes, you will have to use the lavatory on the airplane, but if you’re flying longer than a couple of hours, you should be getting up and walking periodically anyway to avoid another serious risk while flying: blood clots.

Bonus tip: Be kind. I know that from the moment you walk through security, you’re bombarded with rules and reminders of things you cannot do. I know it feels like you’re losing control. I know how dehumanizing it feels to be herded like cattle through security by over-zealous TSA agents and then pulled aside for additional screening for no apparent reason. I know what it’s like to be snapped at by a cranky gate agent. I know what it’s like to be squished between two large, burly men in the middle seat on a long flight. I know what it’s like to have a flight delayed, delayed, delayed some more, and then canceled late at night. But hear me out. Nine times out of ten, the person you’re mad at has nothing to do with any of that. TSA agents have tough jobs, gate agents are like the punching bags of the airline industry, and flight attendants have nothing to do with anything that happened before you stepped onto the plane. So as much as you want to take your frustrations out on someone, I implore you to be kind. You don’t see what’s happening behind the scenes, so I’ll tell you. We’re all human beings like you, trying to navigate this wild world we’re all living in. I love my job, but some days, I am so exhausted that the thought of working another flight is almost unbearable. A few months ago, I was working a flight as the forward flight attendant (the one you see when you first walk onto a regional jet). We had arrived at our destination, and I was bidding passengers farewell as they exited the aircraft when a little girl no older than four or five years old ran up to me and wrapped her little arms around my legs. She looked up at me and said “You’re so pretty!” I remember feeling the complete opposite that day, but this little girl’s words carried me through the rest of a long, exhausting day. Kindness goes a long way.