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Reply With QuoteYou will be fine, Ive made that trip before except I live in Lakeland, FL and visit my dad in the Abingdon, VA area...I think you picked a great time to come and it's waaaay safer than driving!
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First time Flying My family and I are flying for the first time ever.. We are leaving the tri-cities in Tennessee next Sunday heading to the Sun Shine state(Orlando).Well, we are flying to Orlando then taking our vacation in Coco Beach..Wish we were already there (lol) A little nervous here!! Does anyone have any advice? What to expect.. Tell me we will be fine..
Re: First time Flying You will be fine, Ive made that trip before except I live in Lakeland, FL and visit my dad in the Abingdon, VA area...I think you picked a great time to come and it's waaaay safer than driving!
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Re: First time Flying Don't worry! As I'm sure you've heard, statistically flying on a plane is safer than traveling in a car. I should know, I'm an airline pilot. I've never had an aircraft accident or anything close to it in 16 years of flying. Last year I flew over 700 hours of flight time, which is the equivalent of flying from the west coast to the east coast round-trip 70 times. Just relax, enjoy the ride, and look out the window to see the country as you've never seen it before!
The best part of flying is when you are actually on the aircraft, so try to enjoy it! The worst part is getting to the aircraft (bag checking and getting through security). Be careful with what kind of bag and contents you try to carry on. There are specific size requirements of the type of bag you can carry on, as well as strict guidelines of what items you can carry on. You may want to check your specific airline's website for size of bag to carry on, and also check out the Homeland Security site HERE for what you can carry in your luggage in the cabin. You can put just about any ordinary goods in your checked luggage, but not your carry on luggage. You don't want to get to the security checkpoint and have them make you throw away your $50 bottle of perfume because it is larger than 3.4oz. Do not try to take a bottle of water through security, they will take it away. However, you can take an empty water bottle with you and fill it up at the public water fountain once you pass through security.
I don't think any airline provides free food on board anymore (unless you're in First Class), so you may want to bring snacks if you think you'll need them (only dry snacks, no yogurt, liquids, or such). Most do sell snacks on board, but they are expensive, and very small. Almost every airline provides free water and soft drinks on board.
Depending on the airline you are riding, there may be video entertainment. Some airlines charge for this, some don't. Yours is a relatively short flight, so it's hard to tell if entertainment will be provided. If they do, bring your own headsets just in case they charge (IPod or Walkman type headphones or earbuds). Most airlines in-seat entertainment systems support those (some airlines don't, so YMMV; also, some airlines, like United, give you free earphones to use, so it depends on the airline).
Final word of advice, airplanes are usually cold during the flight, and a lot of airlines don't provide blankets anymore. I would suggest putting a cardigan in your carry on bag and don't wear shorts on the plane. Also wear easy shoes to take on and off, if possible, because you will have to take them off when you go through security.
Try to have patience when going through security and have a great time on your trip. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to PM me. Have a great time!
Re: First time Flying You will be absolutely fine. I never flew as a child and only a few times as a younger adult, and now I fly at least once a month!
Things to know. Don't take anything you don't absolutely need. Chances are they will charge you a fee for your checked luggage ($20-$50 each, so be ready for that). You can look up your airline on line and see the details.
There's no fee for carry on, but space is limited so anything bigger than an overnight bag is probably too big and if you can't lift it over your head to put in the overhead bin, it is DEFINITELY too big. For the things you take on the plane with you (carry on), no liquids. No bottles of water, no cans of Coke. No gels. No toothpaste, no shampoo, no deodorant UNLESS each container is less than 3 oz. and you can get all the containers into 1 quart sized zip lock. Your airline's webpage will also tell you how much carry on is allowed (usually one bag and one purse or briefcase.)
Get to the airport 2 hours before your flight takes off. That seems like a long time, but you may have to stand in line to check your checked luggage. You'll have to get your boarding pass and you have to go through security. That can suck up an hour easily. When you get to the counter (whether you've checking bags or not), most airlines have a computer screen for you to check in on. Follow the directions and if you get lost, flag down the counter person to help you. Don't feel silly, lots of people don't know how these work and they'll be happy to help you. They need a picture ID for every adult. Keep the ID out for going to security. Keep your tags for your checked luggage safe just in case it gets lost or you have any issues.
When you go through security, you have to take off any coats or jackets, remove your shoes, take off any big jewelry (wedding ring is usually fine to stay on) and remove any keys, cell phones, change or belts. I'll also warn you that some underwire bras can set it off. Put all the loose stuff into a bin (they have little bins if you just have coins or something small). Don't bring a laptop but if you do have one, you have to put your laptop in its own bin by itself. Ipods, cell phones, your jackets, shoes, all of it goes through the metal detector in the bins. If you've brought the small liquids and gels in your carry on in the zip lock bag, take the ziplock out of your case and put it on top to go through the machine.
They randomly do extra checks on some people, don't get freaked out. Just do what they say and you'll be done in just a minute. Get your shoes back on, collect all your stuff (don't forget keys or cell phones!!). You can put your ID away now.
Now that you're through security, go find your gate. Somewhere near your gate will be food, restrooms, etc. so you can get a coffee, water, drink, snack, etc. Get something to eat on the plane if you're going to be more than a couple hours. They don't even do peanuts or pretzels anymore! A couple weeks ago I flew 5 legs from Portland to Des Moines and back and didn't even get a friggin pack of honey nuts! Boarding is a half hour or so before the flight leaves so don't wander off. Listen for any changes or delays (sometimes they have you go to a different gate). Don't leave your stuff unattended, they'll confiscate it and that will cause a big problem.
You will be able to get a soda or juice or water on the plane on most airlines. Be sure to listen to all the safety instructions on the plane, keep your seat belt on at all times. When you get up, be sure the seat belt sign is off and come right back. If you get any motion sickness, take some Dramamine an hour before take off.
When you land, wait until the plane is at the gate and the seat belt sign is off before you unbuckle. Lots of people jump the gun with this and it is very common to get a good bump coming into the gate. Once you're stopped and the sign is off, you're good. Be careful getting your stuff out of the overhead bins and watch out for other people pulling stuff down over your head that aren't being that careful.
When you get off, follow the signs to baggage claim, pick up any bags you checked (it can take a good half hour for bags to come through). If any bags are missing, file a claim with the clerk. I'll say I haven't had a lost bag in ages, they're getting pretty good at this, but it does happen once in a while. Be sure you put a tag or ribbon or something on your bags so you can pick them out from all the others. Most bags do look alike.
When you come home, you'll be old hat experts and just reverse the same things!
Enjoy! If you've got small kids let me know and I can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about flying and car seats, strollers, and diaper bags!
Tess
Re: First time Flying Just one thing to add. If your flight is not direct (i.e. your first leg flies you to the airline's hub, then you change planes, and then your second leg takes you from that hub to your final destination) DO NOT GO TO THE BAGGAGE CLAIM TO GET YOUR BAGS -- your bags are automatically moved to the second plane for you.
Perhaps that sounds obvious -- at least to all of us that have flown before. However my niece just flew for the first time and she thought she was supposed to get her bags and then recheck them for the second leg of her trip. She almost missed her connecting flight. She was so upset that no one ever mentioned that you didn't need to get your bags. She had taken long bus trips for years and of course on the bus you have to claim your baggage and have it reloaded for each leg of your bus trip so she just assumed this was true of airplanes as well.
Re: First time Flying You all have such good information.... let me add a couple comments...
Dress comfortably. Nothing to tight or that doesn't have some stretch to it. Some people have some swelling in their ankles and hands when flying.
Take gum. Not for you breath but for the pressure changes that you might feel in your ears.
Be sure that you have your tickets and ID where you can get to them easily but that they are safe.
Childern should have something to do on the plane. A book to read, quiet games to play between them or maybe nap. That is my favorite when flying... I like to nap.
Also with childern you might want to pack an extra snack and juice boxes.
If you childern are small you might prepare them for the flight... get some books about flying and read them together. You might want to ask if you and the kiddoes can go on the plane and meet the flight attendents and have the flight attendent explain the safety rules to them personal. Your childern may be more nerves about this than you know.
If your childern are older.... and they have cell phones...you may want to put the phones in your carry on for the flight... NO texting in flight.
I love to fly... I have flown all over the world in everything from puddle jumpers in Alaska to huge transoceanic flights to Spain. I still am jumpy when we first get off the ground...I know it will be ok...just some about all the energy makes my tummy turn over.
Have a Good Time.... We want a postcard and pictures!!!!
Re: First time Flying The first time I flew on a commercial plane I was 47 and flew to China by myself changing planes in Japan. I was scared to death. I shouldn't have worried airports are easy to navigate. Take something that the kids will eat on the plane and have fun. When you do something that makes you nervous it's a real confidence booster. I was hooked on traveling after that trip and have been to some amazing places since.
