Travelling is probably one of the scariest thing especially if it's your first time - more especially if it's your first time alone. Going through airports can be very intimidating but once you have a general idea of what you have to do there, it will hopefully lighten up your load.
While airports may have their differences, I found in my years of travel that the procedures are generally the same for a lot of them.
Domestic flights are relatively easier compared to international flights so let's get this out of the way first. There's only four major things you might go through when taking domestic flights.
Departures
1. Check-in
For local flights, you'll only need to be around two hours earlier than your scheduled departure. There's no need to rush because the longest queue you might be in would be the check-in counters.
Make sure you know the exact terminal your check-in counter is. You can find this in your travel itinerary or your "ticket". Present a copy of your government-issued ID to the counter. They rarely ever ask for a printed copy of your itinerary but it wouldn't hurt if you present one as well.
Get your boarding pass where you can find information on what boarding gate number you will be boarding and your boarding batch number. If you are checking in your luggage, you can find a sticker tag at the back of your boarding pass.
2. Security Check
I will be uploading a separate and more detailed post about security checks but the main thing to remember is to pack your liquids in 100mL or less containers and pack them in clear quart-sized bag. You might have to take this bag out when going through security.
You also have to take out laptops and gadgets larger than laptops and place them on a separate tray.
Avoid wearing heavy metal on your clothing.
3. Boarding Gate
As mentioned, this information is in your boarding pass. You can explore the airport and have a meal but be sure you are at your boarding gate a few minutes before your boarding time. This information is in your boarding pass as well.
Be mindful of the announcements. Your boarding gate may be changed at times. I would not advice having music on full blast on your earphones when you're at the airport.
4. Boarding
Your boarding batch is on your boarding pass. The ground crew will announce the boarding procedures before boarding.
Keep your seat number in mind and upon entering the aircraft, your flight attendant will let you know which side of the plane your seat is on.
Arrival
Arriving is pretty simple. If you do not have any domestic transfers, just follow the arrows that says baggage claim. The carousel number where your bags will be claimed will be announced before you deplane so pay attention especially if you have checked in bags.
If you have a domestic transfer, follow the arrow that says domestic transfers or transfer desk. You can always ask the security personnel in the airport if you're confused.
If you have an international transfer, follow the arrow that says international transfers. If you are travelling through an airport like NAIA where the terminals are very far from each other, you might need to take the bus. You can ask the transfer desk for assistance.
On my next blog...
Fo the next part of this two-part post, I'll go through the typical processes for international travel. Stay tuned!
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