Navigating your first airport experience like a boss

Eeeeeks YOUR FIRST TRIP IS COMING UP!!! You are a total newb (short for newbie- I’m tryin to stay hip with the lingo here okay…) and this has you nervously anticipating the day. PAUSE. TAKE A DEEP BREATH and continue reading. By the time you finish no one will even know it’s your first time.

where to go when arriving to the airport

This can be overwhelming and you may have questions flooding your thoughts. For example, “How do I know where to be dropped off at?”, “How do I know which building?”, “Where do I go once we get there?”….familiar? So when you get to the airport there will most likely be a sign that says “arrivals” and one that says “departures”…. follow the sign for “departures”.

From there you should see more signs that say “Terminal” followed by a number. On those same signs, below the terminal should be a list of all the airlines that are within that terminal. Follow the signs for your airline until you reach the building. Upon reaching the building you will see labels for each airlines. Get dropped off by your airline.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING YOURSELF

you will follow the signs for parking instead. However, I really hope if you are driving yourself, you are NOT using airport parking because majority of the time they cost a FORTUNEEEEEE. Instead, do yourself a favor and checkout this website for a MUCH CHEAPER rate, just make sure they offer a FREE shuttle to the airport (majority of them do). Save yourself the hassle, once you park your vehicle all you have to do is tell the shuttle driver which airline you need and sit back with your feet up. Easy peasy and way cheaper than the airport-I’ve never paid over $11/day. They also shuttle you back to your vehicle when you return. Fo’ free!

Once you get TO the airport

Okay, okay so now you are here….what next?! Well that depends, do you have your boarding pass on your phone already? Do you want a paper boarding pass? Are you checking your luggage? Not quite sure what I mean by this?? Take a quick look at this blog to get familiar with the terms.

If you are checking your bags in you have two options…If you are not checking your bags in proceed to option two, as it will cover how to quickly obtain your boarding pass.

1.Have them do everything for you. Go ahead and locate the counters for your airline, but make sure you have your confirmation number and ID ready, The employees at the counter can print your boarding pass, weigh your luggage and then tag it for you. Remember, if you do not have a “contact information” tag on your luggage ask for the paper ones to put on there. That way if your luggage gets “lost” or grabbed by the wrong person, your contact information is on there so it can be returned.

2. Print your own boarding pass. check-in (if you haven’t already), and print your luggage tags. I prefer this option because I find it takes less time. Go to the kiosk located near the counter for your airline, be sure to have your confirmation number ready. Enter in your information, do not worry the kiosk will walk you through it all, it’s super easy-promise. There will be an option to “add checked bags”, if this applies to you go ahead and follow the prompts for that option. When you are finished the kiosk will print out your boarding pass and a long tag for your luggage (again, if you checked a bag).

Take the tag for your luggage, peel the back off then secure it around your luggage handle. There will be a small section that is your tag claim, that is for you to keep. If you have a layover, be sure to also grab a bright colored “transfer” tag and put that on the handle too. The transfer tags are usually found by the contact tags in a bowl near each kiosk, but if you do not see one just ask the employee at the counter for one when they weigh your bag. Again, if you do not have a tag with your name and phone number secured to the outside of your luggage, be sure to grab a tag to fill out for that just in case. Once that is done, head to the counter to have your luggage weighed and dropped off. For my visual viewers take a look below.

After obtaining boarding pass and dropping off checked luggage

Now it is time to head to TSA just follow the airport signs. There will be a little area right before the lines start for you to empty your liquids, so remember to dump them BEFORE you get in line. Just go through the normal TSA line unless you did the precheck online. When you get to the first security they will need to check your ID with your boarding pass. Once they finish, you will be directed to pass through to an area with shallow plastic bins, long tables with conveyor belts, and a walk-though full-body scanner. You will use these bins to put your belongings in…what belongings? Well you will be instructed to do the following..

• take off your shoes (you can leave your socks on)
• take off your jacket, any item around wrists (watches), belts, everything out of your pockets-yes wallets too.
• cell phones
• large electronic items
• bag of liquids
• food

I usually put the first three bullets in one bin, electronics in a separate bin, and then my food and bag of liquids (aka my hygiene bag) in a third bin together, but you can use as many bins as you need and separate as you see fit. When you are done go ahead and line your bins on the table, your carry-on, and personal item too. Just make sure you STAY WITH YOUR ITEMS and push them up until they’re on the conveyor belt approaching the scanner. Sometimes the security can be unnecessarily rude about this rule. When it is your turn you will be told to step into the full-body scanner. There will be yellow footprints on the ground for you to place your feet over while bending your arms and lifting them up. When you are told to step through, do so and the security will tell you to hold tight for a search or let you pass through to get your items. If you get told to step to the side DO NOT BE ALARMED it is protocol and completely normal. I get a quick pat down almost every single time. After, go get your belongings from the conveyor belt, put your stuff back together and stack the bin at the end (you should see them).

once you finish TSA find your gate…the airport will have directories where you match your flight number (located on your boarding pass) with your gate. Again, all of this information will be on your boarding pass, but be sure to double check the screens to ensure nothing has changed. After locating your gate, if you have time, go ahead and fill your water bottle up at the fill stations, go to the restroom, grab some food or just relax until it is time to board.

REMEMBER boarding starts 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO YOUR DEPARTURE TIME.

Hopefully this gives yall some confidence to navigate your first airport experience-hassle free! If you have more specific questions, please leave a comment so I can attempt to answer them.