Photo by Stig Nygaard

Airport Transportation

Travelling to and from an airport can be a journey in itself, often taking longer than the actual flight did. Taxis are typically the most expensive option, in any country, and airports provide great monopolies for taxi companies. There are always cheap ways to travel to/from airports but these are often deliberately not advertised as airports want to make more money from unaware tourists. Fortunately, there are some great resources out there which this article will explore. We will also look at some universal tricks so save time and money on airport transport.

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Photo by brianholsclaw

Most airlines give out false information with regards to check in and boarding times. This is done to ensure passengers are not late. However, it can be quite an inconvenience rushing to be there on time, only to find out that you actually have plenty of time to spare. This article will explain the real check in and boarding times, and how to interpret the false information which the airlines and airports give out. By understanding this, you will save countless hours of waiting around in airports for your flight.

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For most of us, finding out a flight is delayed usually happens after you arrive at the airport.  From this point on, there is little to do but sit around and wait.  Well what if you could predict delays before they even happen.

I’m not talking about any paranormal methods here.  Springwise.com recently published a review of an interesting new application. Using similar technology to advanced weather computers, San Francisco-based FlightCaster has developed a tool to predict flight delays before they even happen.

The application is available for iPhone and Blackberry at a cost of US$9.99.  Simply enter any flight number into the application.  The technology then performs a complex calculation involving historic data, the US National Weather Service, FAA Air Traffic data and FlightStats.com.

For example, if the inbound aircraft is delayed in a snowstorm across the other side of the country, then FlightCaster could work out the chance of the delay affecting the return flight using weather information and FAA Air Traffic data.

The end result is a percentage chance of the plane being on time, delayed by under an hour or delayed by over an hour.  This way, FlightCaster claim, the passenger can make an informed decision whether or not to travel to the airport.  At the moment, the application only works in the USA but it shouldn’t be long before international expansion materialises.

My personal view is that this application is much more useful for planning your time rather than deciding to go to the airport or not.  If you have calls to make, then you can plan extra time at the airport if you are expecting a delay.  Not going to the airport seems a bit drastic and most of the time I would still need to get to my destination, even if there is a delay.  It seems FlightCaster has a lot of potential, but they need to work on their marketing.

Part of the reason why First and Business Class seats are at the front of the aircraft is that this allows these premium passengers to be among the first people to leave the plane.  This then allows them to be ahead of the rest of the plane at the immigration lines and to pick up their baggage and proceed through customs first.

You may have seen the flight attendants stand in the aisle or close the curtain to allow all First and Business Class passengers to leave the plane before a single Economy passenger is allowed to leave.  There is a little known secret that allows any Economy passenger to be among the first people to leave the plane.

Wait till about half way through the flight, when the food and drinks service is over and when the flight attendants are less busy.  You want to let them you know have an urgent reason to leave the plane as soon as you land.  The most common reason would be a short connection to another flight, perhaps with another airline.  Equally as important could be a meeting that you are in a rush to get to, or some other event such as a wedding.  Anything that legitimately means you have a need for some priority in leaving.

If there is space, you will be relocated towards a seat at the front on the plane about 30 minutes before landing.  This means that you get to sit in a First or Business Class seat for this time as well – which is a benefit in its own right.

On international flights, First and Business Class passengers often get Priority Immigration passes.  These allow you to use special immigration lines that are usually shorter than the regular lines.  Most major international airports have this and it can save a considerable amount of time at passport control.  It is worth asking for one of these, whether or not there is space at the front of the plane for you to sit before landing.