Seasoned travellers know how to make their trips more comfortable. We have collected a few useful air travel tips.
Pre-select your seats
You often can select your seats when you buy your tickets. Ask the reservation agent. If you have booked through a deep discount company, pre-selection is not an option. Go to the airport two hours before the flight to get good seats. Try pre-booking seats on your connecting flights at the same time.
If you were assigned a bad seat and better seats are empty when the plane is ready for take-off, ask the flight attendant if you can move to a better seat.
Avoid peak flying times
Business people fly early in the mornings and holiday travellers fly on weekends. If you can, choose the middle of the week and the middle of the day.
Ask questions
When you book your tickets, ask:
- If there is any area that is likely to have few passengers
- If your seats fully recline
- If your seat is close to the lavatory or gallery
- If all the armrests between the seats move up and out of the way
More considerations
If you have to catch a connecting flight, consider booking a seat near the front of the plane for a quick exit.
When booking two seats, gamble on more space by booking a window and an aisle seat. Unless the flight is fully booked, it is unlikely that the airline will be too quick to fill that seat. If they do, the person in the seat will likely be pleased to give up the middle spot for an aisle or window seat instead.
Check airline records
You may want to know:
- The airline’s on-time arrival record
- The airline’s safety record
