Air travel can be a stressful experience. Here are a few things to make your experience a little less stressful, and help you make your flight on time.
Air travel is always a stressful experience, at least to some degree. The amount that it costs to travel on most airlines on top of the preparation process is both things that tend to heighten anxiety levels. Then there is the thought of missing one’s flight that can really get your head spinning.Â
Since seats on a later flight are most likely limited by the time yours departs without you, you are most likely going to be stuck waiting around at the airport for a while or, worse, missing your trip entirely. That means all the money you spent on your trip, as well as the other preparations you so meticulously made, were all for nothing.Â
If you want to avoid such a scenario playing out when you are about to take a trip, it is a good idea to make yourself aware of the more common things that could potentially make you miss your flight. Here are three such things that you should be aware of so that you can take all necessary precautions to make it to your gate on time.
1. Parking
Driving yourself to the airport sounds like no big deal. However, you should know that airport parking lots can fill up quickly, especially during peak travel season. Even if you allot a certain amount of time to hunt for a spot, you might find yourself searching longer than you anticipated.
Do yourself a favor and reserve a spot online before you head to the airport. You can even check Atlanta airport daily parking rates so that you can know ahead of time just how much parking will cost you.
2. Check-In Cutoff
Once you arrive at the airport, you will need to approach the right counter to check-in for your flight. You might not know, though, that there is a cut-off time for checking in, and if you arrive past that time, you won’t be allowed through.
It is advised that you check in no later than an hour before your flight for domestic travel and two hours for international flights. Include the time you might spend waiting in line when you budget your time since a long line can make you late. You might even be able to check-in for your flight online up to 24 hours before your flight is scheduled to depart.Â
3. Tight Connections
The potential to miss a flight isn’t limited to your first leg of travel. Rather, it is common for travelers to miss connecting flights when they are scheduled to depart too close to the arrival time of your first flight.
Flights can be delayed for a number of reasons. Inclement weather, technical difficulties, and prior delays are all things that can stop your first flight from leaving on time. If you have planned for a connection that is too tight, then you will most likely miss it if anything goes wrong with your first one. Make sure to schedule your connections with a long enough stretch of time to avoid being stuck with only part of your journey completed.
