21 airport hacks to make flying easier

Whether you’re an experienced flyer or a relative novice looking for advice for flying, our airport hacks cover everything from getting to the airport, how to get smoothly through check-in and security, keeping your belongings organised and flight tips to ensure you stay comfortable on the plane. Read on for everything you need to know when it comes to what to do at the airport. 

Arrange a transfer to the airport

Start your holiday as you mean to go on – stress free! Instead of worrying about traffic, which route to take, where to park and drop-off fees, let someone else handle the hassle, so all you have to do is be ready with your luggage.  

You can book a taxi, although that brings its own questions, including how much to tip a taxi driver to the airport in the UK, but Titan’s escorted tours include a VIP door-to-door travel service, so you don’t even need to worry about that. 

Take a photo of your parking spot 

If you’d prefer to drive yourself, and you’re not planning to use a meet-and-greet service at the airport, one of our top airport tips is to take a photo of your parking spot. Airport car parks can be huge, and while it’s easy to think you’ll remember where you left your car, it’s no fun spending ages wandering past rows of semi-identical cars in the dark on your return if you’ve forgotten an essential detail. 

Book an airport hotel 

One of our top airport tips for first-time flyers, as well as anyone getting an early morning flight, is to book a night in an airport hotel beforehand. There’s no worry that you’ll be late arriving, plus a lot of airlines have a twilight bag drop, so you can make the most of the quiet time in the evening and avoid the early-morning queues at check-in. 

If you’re nervous about flying and anxious about where to begin and what do you do when you get to an airport, you can also spend the time checking out where to go first thing, to help calm any concerns. 

Check in online 

It’s become standard for airlines to encourage you to check in online before you fly, often as much as a month in advance. And it’s well worth taking advantage of this. Not only will it speed up your airport experience, but you’ll be able to confirm your seat and have all your paperwork ready and waiting.  

Some airlines even charge a fee to check in at the airport, while if planes are overbooked, those who haven’t checked in in advance may be the first to be bumped to a new flight.  

Personalise your luggage 

With millions of people travelling every day, and a limited number of suitcase designs in the world, it’s easy to discover your luggage looks identical to many other people’s. Even if you think you can recognise your own luggage, many cases have been wrongly picked up from the baggage carousel by people looking for similar designs. 

To avoid long delays trying to get your own case back, especially if you only discover the mistake once you’ve left the airport, it’s a good plan to mark your luggage with something easily identifiable, such as colourful ribbon, a bright strap to go around the case, even a sticker.  

Download your boarding pass 

During the check-in process, you should be able to download your boarding pass to print (or show on a device if you prefer). If you’re wondering, ‘What do I do at the airport if I’ve checked in online and printed everything already?’, it’s nice and easy – simply head to the bag drop area for your airline, where staff or machines will check your documents, then head straight to security.  

Organise your bag for security 

After standing in a long queue for security, it often feels like everything happens very fast as you have to take various items out of your hand luggage to put into the trays, so our top airport security tips are to keep a few key items easily to hand.  

While regulations on liquids may be changing for UK flights, for now all liquids must be below 100ml and stored in a clear plastic bag. You should be able to pick one up at the airport (although some charge £1 for these) but it’s much more straightforward to do it in advance. Keep laptops/tablets accessible too and ensure they are switched off but have enough battery charge to turn on if you’re asked. 

Any portable battery chargers must also be in your hand luggage, although you won’t need to take these out. 

Remove batteries from devices 

It’s safest to remove batteries from any battery-operated devices before you pack them, whether in hand luggage or in your checked luggage. If these accidentally switch themselves on, it can cause a security alert and airport security will not compromise safety just to ensure you don’t miss your flight. 

For items such as electric toothbrushes, which often don’t have batteries, it’s worth putting these into a carrying case, as the buttons are very sensitive and can easily switch themselves on otherwise. 

Dress for security 

As well as taking liquids and devices out of your hand luggage, you may need to remove your footwear, so stick to shoes which can be easily slipped off. If you’re wearing sandals, bear in mind you’ll be walking barefoot unless you bring a pair of socks to wear. 

Heavy metal jewellery, watches or belts with metal buckles may set off detectors as you walk through the scanner, delaying you and potentially holding up the queue. While you can remove the items and put them in a tray, it’s best to avoid wearing them at all, or in the case of watches, pack these into your hand luggage to retrieve on the other side. 

Mark your medicines clearly 

If you need to travel with any medication, it’s best to keep this in your hand luggage to avoid it going astray, but always make sure it is clearly identifiable. It’s best to keep it in the container or packaging it was prescribed in, so it’s clear what it is.  

The same applies to non-prescription medication, such as dietary supplements, to avoid any suspicion that could result in delays.

Pack a water bottle 

Bring an empty water bottle with you to fill up once you’re through security – it must be empty at X-Ray to comply with liquids restrictions. More and more airports now have water fountains, usually near toilets, where you can fill up your bottle to avoid having to buy more. 

Take a portable charger 

When you rely on your devices for everything from storing your boarding card to keeping you entertained on the flight, the short battery life of some electronics can be more than a little annoying.  

Free plug sockets are like gold dust at the airport, and special charging stations usually have a fee. Taking a fully charged portable charger or battery pack is the simplest solution. Try to ensure your devices are charged before you board the plane as some airlines ask you not to use these after take-off. 

Divide up your hand luggage 

With limited hand luggage allowed on flights, carry-on bags can often be filled to the brim, which makes finding anything tricky – not ideal if you need to get at travel documents, money and phones quickly.  

Consider a travel wallet to keep your passports, boarding pass and other documents organised, as well as picking hand luggage with several compartments so you’re not looking through the whole bag to find your wallet. Using little bags or small packing cubes to store important items also helps make things easier to spot. 

Bring (or buy) snacks 

While some refreshments are usually available on board, you’ll be limited in choice, as well as to when any food and drink is served. Having your own snacks ensures you always have something to hand if you feel peckish, plus it can even help to beat jetlag if you eat at specific times on long-haul flights.  

If you prefer to buy something at the airport rather than bringing it from home, make this your first task – along with getting water – after you’ve cleared security. 

Check your gate and the distance to it 

If you’ve allowed plenty of time for dropping your bags and clearing security, you may have a short wait before finding out which gate your plane departs from, although some airports will tell you well in advance.  

As soon as you get the information, it’s a good idea to find out how long it will take to reach it; while some may only be a short stroll away, others may require you to use several sets of escalators or lifts, and even be accessed via a shuttle. If the information isn’t clear, ask airport staff how long it will take, and book airport assistance if you have difficulties with mobility. 

Prebook wheelchair assistance 

If you have reduced mobility or are in a wheelchair, one of the most essential airport tips is to arrange assistance in advance. If you’re wondering, ‘do you have to book wheelchair assistance at the airport?’, it’s actually your airline or tour operator who should deal with this and pass the information on to the relevant airport department.  

Ensure you provide this information at least 48 hours in advance (usually at the time of booking), including return flight details. They will also need to know details about your specific impairment or mobility difficulties, and whether you are planning to bring your own mobility device, such as wheelchairs, or if you travel with an assistance animal. 

Book an airport lounge 

Even once you’ve escaped all the unavoidable queues at the airport, you’ll be faced with a string of new lines to wait in, whether that’s queueing for drinks, in the airport shops or for the toilets. Add in limited and often uncomfortable seating, and one of our top pieces of advice for flying is to avoid it all by booking an airport lounge.  

With limited spaces in the airport lounges not reserved for specific airlines, it’s wise to confirm this in advance. No more wondering what to do at the airport, instead you can relax in the knowledge you’ll have a guaranteed seat, plus food and drink to enjoy. You needn’t even worry about airport lounge tipping, as it’s not expected. 

Avoid getting distracted 

After navigating all the various stresses of the airport, it’s tempting to sit back with your favourite music, audiobook or podcast and let the background noise of airport announcements wash over you. 

But many a traveller has missed their flight by being so distracted that they fail to hear boarding calls, flight delays or gate changes. Some airports don’t now even make these announcements, so it’s down to you to keep an eye on the screens. 

Don’t rush to board 

With pre-booked flight seats, there’s no urgency to be among the first to board the plane, especially on a long-haul flight where you’ll be spending hours in your seat. Ultimately everyone will get on board, so standing in a long queue to take your seat first is best avoided.  

Instead, sit back and wait until the line is shorter, then board the plane when most people have already taken their seats and are no longer blocking the aisles. If there is limited space for your hand luggage, the cabin crew can usually help. 

Dress for the plane 

Once, dressing for the plane meant wearing your smartest clothes to enjoy the luxury of flying. These days, it means being prepared to ensure you’re always comfortable. The temperature on a flight is hard to predict and can vary – often it’s warm when you first board or on night flights to help people sleep, but you can also find it gets surprisingly chilly if the air conditioning is turned up high in hot countries or at high altitude.  

The best outfit includes layers to deal with every eventuality, including a light cotton scarf which can double as a pillow or blanket, as well as cardigans, jumpers or hoodies which can be put on or taken off as needed. 

Take some sleep aids 

Whether you’re hoping to nap after an early start or you’re facing a long-haul overnight flight, planes are not the easiest places to sleep, especially in economy class, where seats only recline a small amount. Taking a lightweight pillow is a good idea, such as an inflatable pillow which you can easily inflate or deflate and fit into hand luggage, or a small comfortable travel pillow. 

An eye mask is also a good option for day flights when the lights won’t be dimmed, as well as ear plugs again the background noise of the cabin.