A first flight has the promise of mixed emotions framed as a symphony. It is more of an adrenaline-filled mixture of excitement and fear, a combination of restlessness and concern. Behind every day dream of flying to the clouds and landing in a different city, there is a doubt of the unfamiliar. What are the boarding pass? What occurs in security? How do turbulences feel? The whole procedure, so familiar to well-travelled citizens, may appear to be an elaborate and daunting process covered with terminology and customs that are unmentioned. This guide is supposed to be your reliable friend, a familiar voice that gives you a tight grip to be your guide through each and every scene of the process, since you purchased a ticket up the time when you step out of the airport in the destination. This is to put a damp cloth on the whole matter and turn the fear of flying into a feeling of certainty and a feeling that when you wish to do it you will not want to find something that you could have totally avoided but has happened because of the fear of flying. A flight is allowing the world to open up in a phenomenal way as no other thing can do, and some research and practice will ensure that your first flight becomes the thrilling, exciting, amazing event it is supposed to be.
All the preparations and planning of the trip go on not in the day of travel but some weeks or even months prior, in the digital and quiet world of preparation. This is the first stage which is important because the decisions you make at this stage will determine how the rest of your trip goes. The initial thing is to purchase your ticket. This can be done either on the web site of an airline or in a third party travel aggregation web site where prices can be compared between a number of different carriers. As a newcomer, it may be easier to make a booking with an airline company, as all the necessary information and guidance will be gathered in a single location. The only rule to remember at this step is that you have to type your name as soon as it is written on the document of the official photo identification issued by government that you will be using (a passport, a national ID card, and so forth). An accidental mistake may lead to serious issues in the future. After you choose your flights, you will get a confirmation letter where there will be a small but important part of information: your booking reference/PNR (Passenger Name Record). This is a six-digit code by which you are identified in regard to your trip; this code must be handled through care.
Having made your booking, your job now is to learn the rules of luggage, something that can prove you a lot more complicated than you would think. There are three types of bags that are normally related to air travel. The first one is the checked baggage. This is the bulky suitcase which you will toss at the check-in counter. It rides in the cargo section of the aircraft and it is there in the cargo section that you will not see it again unless you reach your destination. Because airlines impose limits on both the weight, and the size of these bags, and because you will have to pay a fee per bag, in almost all cases, unless you are flying under a more costly fare type, you will be obliged to pay a fee per bag. The second type is the carry-on bag who at times are referred to as hand luggage. It is a less bulky suit case / duffle bag which you carry on board the plane with you and place it in an overhead cabasse above your chair. There are also size and weight limits in this which you should check at the site of your airline. The third subgroup is a personal item. It is a small bag including a backpack, laptop bag, or a purse which has to fit under the seat in front of you.
First flights require a careful preparation of the case, which is determined both by comfort rules and security regulations. Your carry-on case is in regard to the majority of your items: the majority of your clothes, shoes, and toiletries. Nevertheless, it is not only dangerous but it is a bad idea to put valuable or irreplaceable stuff in the checked-in luggage. Such things as jewellery, camera, laptops, and necessary medications ought to be with you in the carry-on bag always. It is also a good suggestion to bring a clothes change and some simple toiletry stuff in your hand luggage so you have backup in case the carried luggage is delayed. A strict international rule, which is referred to as 3-1-1 rule (or 100ml rule), must be met when liquids are packed in the carry-on. It implies that all liquids, gels and aerosols has to be of 100 millilitres (3.4 ounces) and less. All these smaller containers should then be re-packaged into one larger bag of see-through, resealable plastic, of anywhere between a quart and a litre. Only one of these bags will be allowed per passenger. Liquids other than those in bottles of 100ml and below have to be packed in your checked luggage.
Phase four is the last preparatory activity that occurs within the twenty four hours of your time schedule on the flight. It is at this time that the airline switches on to online check-in. This means you can confirm your position in the flight, pay possible baggage you have checked just by your computer or even your phone. This is highly encouraged since a lot of time will be saved at the airport. When you finish your online check in, your boarding pass will be given to you. This document will be the most significant one on your traveling day. It is the pass that you use to clear the airport. You may want to print at home, or, more recently, you may keep a copy of it in your phone of a wallet app. Place your travel documents where you can get them easily before you go to sleep: your government Identification or your passport, your boarding pass (should you have printed it), and a copy of your flight confirmation. The relief on the day of your flight will be very high with these organised.
It is the day you will be taking your first flight. The trick to a stress free start is to provide yourself with as much time as possible. It is commonly advised that one arrives at the airport two (domestic flight) and three (international flight) hours before a flight. This maybe appear to be a lot, but it is a useful allowance of traffic, very long queues, or any eventuality. As you get to the airport terminal, the first thing to do is to locate the check-in locations of your airline. One is to search the huge spot screens with all the departing flights. Identify your flight number and departure, you will get information on the screen about what desks or so-called “countners” to visit.
When you have a heavy luggage to put in check in luggage, then you will be required to go to the check in counter of your airline. In this case, the airline agent will require your ID as well as weigh your baggage so that it does not exceed the limit. They will place a tag in it and then it will just go off to the conveyor belt, and set off on its journey as well to the plane. The agent will then verify that you are checked in and like in the case of lack of a boarding pass, your paper boarding pass will be printed. When you are travelling with only a carry-on bag and you already checked online and have a mobile boarding pass, you can skip all these check stations and go straight to the next big step the security check.
It is not always an enjoyable experience, especially when it involves the security scanner, the most threatening component of the airport visit by a first-timer, and it is simple as long as you are ready. When you get to the queue, you should carry the boarding pass and your identity in order to present it to the first officer. Even at the time when you are waiting on a line, it is a good move to prepare. Remove heavy outer-garments, such as jackets or hoodies, and make sure there are no belts with big metal buckles. After you get to the end of the line, there will be some plastic bins, which will pass through a conveyor belt. Here is where you will put everything you would want the X-rayed. Put your carry on bag in one bin. Any large electronic devices, including laptops and tablets, have to be put in a separate bin. Put your clear bag of liquids and your jacket along with any items in your pocket such as your phone, keys and wallet in a different bin. Place these bins into the conveyor belt.
Then you will be told to use a walk through screening machine. This shall just be a small metal detector or a bigger body scanner. All you can do is to obey the no-nonsense instructions that will be given by the security officers, they might want you to keep your feet just apart, and they may want you to raise your arms high and keep it down a few moments. That is only normal. On the other end, you are able to pick up your bins with your personal effects. Get your own time, and get all your things, place your laptop inside its bag, and put your liquids inside your carry-on. Whenever people drop something, it is most likely that they have dropped it here, so make sure you check twice before leaving.
After you have gone through the security, you are in the so called “airside” or the back part of the terminal. The next thing you should do is to locate your gate of departures. Examine your boarding pass, there will be a gate number on it such as “B27.” Determine which area to go to at the terminal by looking at the enormous signs that read the various gate rooms. When you are walking, you will realize that the sign gate numbers will approach yours. It is also a good practice to look again at the departure information screens to ensure that your gate number is still the same since it can change in the last minute. When you have found your gate, then you can relax. You have passed the most difficult stage of the airport process. Now you can go to the restroom, take a bottle of water or check the shops. All you need to do is to get to your gate area well before the so-called boarding time as printed on your pass.
The boarding progress is going through the airline to the airplane. Approximately 30-40 minutes prior to the departure, an airline representative in the gate will proclaim commencement of the boarding process. They will not contact everybody at the same time. They are assigned in groups or in zones instead. Your group number will be indicated on boarding pass. Once you are paged together with your group, you will enter the queue, and the agent will scan your boarding pass once again; then you will walk the jet bridge and enter the plane for the first time in your life. When you are getting in, locate row numbers on bins. Locate your row, after which you will find your designated seat which is labeled with a letter (usually A and F would be window seats and C and D aisle seats). Put your carry on bag in the overhead storage on board that is above your seat and place your personal item on the floor and slide it as far to the underneath of the seat in front as you can. Get in your seat, buckle your seatbelt– which operates in the same manner as a car seatbelt- and have a look at the safety information card in the seat-back pocket.
Now all is set by you to test the magic of flight. You will listen to the cabin doors shutting with a loud bang and safety demonstration by the flight attendants. You will soon experience the slight bumping as the aircraft gets pushed away off the gate and the engines will also make a wail of getting started. Then, the plane will drive slowly to the runway. When the turn to board the plane comes, then it will line up on the runway and there will be moment of pause. Then you will hear the engines rearing to life. That is take off run. You will receive the stunning and ecstatic boost into the back of your seat, and the plane will accelerate so fast along the runway. Then after some seconds you will get a sensation that the tip of the plane is rising and after that a fantastic sensation when the wheels are set off the ground and you are now in air. When flying, your ears could start to pop. This is usual and it is as a result of the air pressure that changes. The sensation can be relieved simply by swallowing, yawning, or by chewing gum so as to equalize the pressure.
Sea life is an experience of its own. When the plane has finally gotten its cruising altitude, the captain will most of the time switch of seatbelt sign, and a ding sound will go off. This implies that one can safely move about the cabin such as to use the lavatory. The toilets are quite small yet functional. The door often has a slideable or pushable latch to lock the door that also activates the light. The flush itself is normally a button, and it is rather loud and operates through suction so it can be alarming the first time but this is completely normal. You will face some turbulence during the flight. It is just that the plane is traversing region of turbulent air like a car in a bad road. It is absolutely natural and safe aspect of flight. The aircraft can shake or drop several seconds. The pilots get a lot of training to handle it and the planes are made to take extraordinary forces that are so much more than the turbulences they will ever face. In case turbulence is anticipated the captain will turn on the seatbelt sign and you will have to go back to your seat where you should fasten your seatbelt.
Drinks and snacks will be served using a trolley driven by the flight attendants around the aircraft. On short flights within the country it is typically a free soft drink and a snack such as pretzels. In international flights that are long to complete, a full meal service is normally provided. Neither are you restricted to eat any of food and non-alcoholic beverage that you have onboard. Do not forget to be a good neighbour. Armrests are the most frequent bargaining tool; an unwritten rule is that a passenger occupying the middle seat has the priority with regard to both armrests. And in case you need to recline your seat, then just do it gradually and look behind you to see you are not spilling the drink and breaking the laptop of the person behind you.
When your flight is about to reach the city, the captain will inform that the airplane is making the first descent. You will also get to feel the plane start to turn downward and also notice a change in engine sound. Your ears can once more start popping, so get ready to swallow or yawn. The wings will make a lot of clunk sounds and the whirring sounds as you fly towards the end. This is the extension of the flaps and the slats of the plane; these are panels which allow the plane to fly safely at low speeds during landing. The ground gets nearer and nearer, slowly at first, and then with a bump (or a bump, bump, if you are lucky to be seated near the wing tip) the wheels touch down on the runway. As soon as the aircraft has touched the ground, the roar of the engines will be very loud again. This is not the aircraft setting-off once again; this is the reverse the thrusters, so to speak, and they serve as an enormous brake to assist in rapid deceleration of the plane. The aircraft will then taxi out of the runway and fly towards the intended gate in the terminal. You should also keep your seat belt fastened until a plane has stopped at the gate and the sign of the seatbelt is switched off.
After hearing the ding, you may stand up and collect your items out of the top shorts and move to the line in order to get off the plane. You believe you are all set and have passed all the hurdles as you get off the plane but no, one or two more hurdles. In your case of a domestic flight, all you need to do is to follow the directions to go to the baggage claim. In the baggage section you will once more find screens with your flight number that identify which “carousel” or baggage conveyor belt you will receive your baggage on. Check proper carousel and wait. The bags might need to take some time to appear at all, be patient. Just get it (your bag) off the belt when you see it and you are free to leave the airport.
In case you have landed on an international flight, there are two more steps before you are to claim your baggage. The first one is the so-called Immigration or Passport Control. In this case, there will be a line of people who are to talk to one of the officers who will verify their passport and the necessary visa. They can simply ask you few questions like the intentions of your trip, and the duration you will be staying. It is a usual security check. Once you have immigrated you will go to baggage claim to get your luggage. Your last stop with your luggage is at the customs. Unlike in most countries, when you are a tourist and all you had brought along is personal belongings, in most times you will simply walk through the green channel, which implies that you do not have anything to declare. Once this is done, you will walk through the last set of doors and enter the arrivals of the airport. You have made it, officially.
Your initial flight will be a rite of passage, a step to a bigger more interconnected world. It is a procedure which is full of new sounds, new sensations, as well as new procedures. However, when you divide it into the following manageable steps, i.e., planning and packing, going through the airport, undergoing the flight itself, and getting to your destination, the whole of the experience turns into nothing but a set of simple, rational steps. You have been challenged by the unknown and that has been conquered. You have now both knowledge, and you have the confidence to fly. The sky is not the limit anymore, but the inception of another journey to be achieved.
