Being a first time traveller involves a lot but with a little bit of research on how the airport and airline system work , you will find things very easy. We have put together some tips to aid first time travellers on what to do so as to hurdle over any difficulty when trying to catch their first ever flight.
1) Never, ever take the first row of a 2-row exit seat configuration. That seat doesn’t recline. The second row does.
2) Never, ever pick a seat next to the galley or the bathroom. Even if it’s a bulkhead seat. The space in a bulkhead is no better and you will smell toilet or hear chatty stewardesses or deal with those looming from the bathroom throughout your flight.
3) Window seats in bulkhead can (and often do) have a section of door sticking out, into your seat. This will suck up a fair bit of the seating area and you will think you’re getting an awesome place to crash, only to be disappointed.
4) If you fly international and there are 4 middle seats and 3 along the windows (747-400 for example), pick the middle section. Worst-case, there is only ever one person stepping over you or one person you have to step over.
5) Bring a jacket to the airport. When you get into the security line, start by putting all of your crap into your jacket pockets. Leave your shoes untied when you leave the house. Nobody cares. You look fine. You’re not there to meet people anyway. Then you only need to remove the jacket to empty everything into the bin.
6) Buy a pair of shoes without laces. Not just for security, but also to slip them on and off quickly in your seat. This way you can get up to walk around or use the bathroom without having to lace up your kickers every time.
7) If you want decent coffee on the plane, buy a few reusable tea bags and just ask for hot water. You can also do a mean espresso-like concoction this way.
8) Never take the sleeping pill until you hit 10K feet.
9) A MacBook Air fits in the seat-back pocket perfectly and the battery will last 8-9 hours. That plus an iPad or similar tablet on international flights means you rock your own entertainment.
10) Set your screen background to something totally funny. You make the snoopers laugh and they stop looking at your computer for the rest of the flight.
11) Don’t get a hard or somewhat hard-shell rollerboard. A dufflebag with wheels will crush down more easily.
12) Start by investigating flights on Google. Use the search term “Flights from SFO to SHA” or something similar.