SkyLogic

Listen, when your entire job revolves around traveling, you learn a thing or two about what to do and what NOT to do. Some of these are based off of personal experiences as an airline pilot, and others are based off of just what I see around the airport. These hacks will make your travel experience both easier and more enjoyable.

1. Don’t dress too comfortably

Ok, this one may be controversial, but hear me out. Often I see people dressing in sweatpants, sweatshirts, baggy t-shirts, etc. to travel on an airplane. There is nothing wrong with that. However, the feeling that comes with dressing just a little bit nice for a flight is so much more worth it. Rocking business casual just to take a flight is a power move, and your self-esteem will thank you. You will feel much more confident walking around the airport.

Not just travel

In my experience, this same philosophy can be applied to many things in life. Just dressing a little nicer to go to the grocery store will make you feel much better about yourself than showing up in sweatpants.

2. Just get the lounge credit card

I should first note that this only applies if you travel more than ~5-6 times per year AND you normally fly out of a major airport (not small regional airports). If you do not travel this much or if you typically fly out of airports with no lounges, skip to the next point. And I know what you’re thinking; terrible advice. Why should I spend hundreds of dollars a year on a credit card annual fee? And you’re absolutely right. It sounds like a bad financial decision at first, and it can be. UNLESS you use it right.

Why?

Nobody likes sitting around in a busy terminal with people running around to make their flights and boarding announcements going off every minute. Nobody likes paying marked-up prices for mediocre food and drinks. The lounge fixes these issues. Typically you can get much better food for no additional cost (not including the annual fee of course). And you can get drinks at the bar, and sit in a quiet lounge to relax. Travel can be stressful, but this makes it 10x better.

What I recommend

Get the credit card with lounge access that is at the airport you will use the most. For example, if you live in Denver (or often connect through Denver), get the Capital One Venture X card. This is the one I personally have, and the lounge experience has been great. The Capital One lounges have great complimentary food options, full service bars, coffee, to-go food, clean bathrooms, etc. Not to mention a much more peaceful experience than sitting in a terminal.

Do some research on your airport and see what lounges are the best there. There are great options from Chase, Capital One, Amex, and Delta SkyMiles.

Be smart

With any credit card, I would highly recommend paying off your full statement at the end of every month to avoid interest. This is no exception, accruing credit card debt makes this whole idea not worth it, so just do not do that if you can at all avoid it.

Additionally, make sure to make full use of ALL the benefits the card offers. At the time of writing this, the Venture X card still offers $300 travel credit, Hertz President’s circle, Global Entry reimbursement, and more. I was also able to get a hefty amount of bonus miles just for signing up the for the card. Make sure to take advantage of all of these (listed on their website).

The downside

Here’s the issue with these lounges; LOTS of people are starting to realize they want the airport lounge experience. What that means is longer wait times to get into lounges, and also the credit card companies are making them harder to get into by raising prices on the cards, or taking the benefit away from certain customers (like standby flyers). It is very possible they keep this up and continue to make them more expensive or taking away privileges like free guests. BUT in the meantime, I think it is still worth it.

3. Use an app to track your airplane

This is one that I am surprised more people do not do. Often times, airlines are bad about updated flights when there are delays. One very common example of a reason a flight is delayed is because the aircraft is running late from its previous flight. I would recommend keeping an eye on your plane using an app to see how far away it really is, and it will help with planning and timing when you need to be at your gate.

What app?

My go-to app is FlightRadar24. It is free and does what I need it to do. Another great option is Flighty, but they do charge money for certain features. The free version of Flighty is great at notifying you of gate changes and updates to your flight. FlightAware is also free and does the trick for tracking aircraft.

Once you get one of these apps, type in your flight number. Typically you can find the tail number of the aircraft from there, and you can look up that tail number and see where it is and how long it will be until it arrives.

My experience

There have been several occasions where I look up where my plane is, and it shows on the app that it is still an hour away. Meanwhile, the gate is still showing my flight as “On time”. But knowing that the plane is really an hour away allowed me to go to a lounge or grab food instead of sitting around the gate waiting. Be cautious and make sure to regularly check your flight status because often the airline will switch aircraft if there is availability.

This trick is also great in the air if you have inflight Wifi. FlightRadar24 will often show a much more accurate ETA than the in-flight entertainment system shows. That will allow you to plan pick up times more accurately if you have friends or family picking you up. Bonus points if you send them the flight number and THEY use the app to track how far out you are. Of course make sure they factor in the time it takes to deplane and exit the airport (15-30 mins typically).

4. Pack the essentials

There are certain things I keep in my personal bag that I consider necessary whenever I am flying as a passenger. My first blog post (5 Essentials Every Airline Pilot Must Carry) covers what I have. But my recommendation for YOU if you are flying on a passenger is to carry these things whenever you fly (and have them handy in your personal item bag):

Phone charger AND portable charging port

This one is a no brainer. Might as well charge up on the plane!

Sweatshirt or hoodie

Typically aircraft cabins are kept at a cooler temperature, and the air at altitude is thin. For longer flights, I find myself getting a little chilly, especially if I am trying to sleep.

Hand wipes

Listen, airlines typically send cleaners to clean the interiors between each flight. But they are not always going to have time to clean every single surface. Bring some wipes for when you eat food.

Headphones (noise canceling if you got it)

I talked about in the last blog how I love my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Having noise cancellation on the airplane is a game changer.

Food!!

Take my advice, pack yourself a sandwich or a wrap and some snacks for your plane ride. It is a common misconception that food is not allowed through TSA, but you can in fact bring solid foods. Take advantage of this and your future hungry self will thank you.

Water bottle

It is also a misconception that you cannot bring a metal water bottle through security. But you sure can! Just make sure it is empty when going through TSA, then find a refill station inside the airport. Aircraft air is dry and you’ll want some extra hydration.

What else do you pack? Let us know in the comments!

5. Just relax

Last but not least. Travel does not need to be stressful. Leave a little early, give yourself enough time to get through security (and maybe go to the credit card lounge) and get to the gate, and relax. Flying has this romance to it that can easily be overlooked in the heat of the moment.

The friendly skies

Flying is beautiful. Waking up super early and hopping on a plane to see a sunrise is one of those feelings that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Try to look out the window a bit and enjoy the moment. This dance in the sky was hardly accessible to the average person 100 years ago.

Conclusion

Hopefully these helped you out at least a little for your next trip! Let us know in the comments if you have any other travel hacks or things you struggle with while traveling. Until next time!