Longtime Flight Attendant Provides Tips to Make Flying a Breeze

By Yehudit Garmaise

Summer is here, and it is time to get out and explore, but flying can provide trying and  exhausting experiences.

To make jetting off to your most desired destinations a breeze, we compiled the best flying tips from a longtime flight attendant Kristie Koerbel and from those of us who love to explore at BoroPark24.

Travel light: Every hardcover book and extra pairs of shoes soon become heavy weights, take up precious space, and can make your suitcase too bulky to easily slide into overhead compartments. 

Wear comfortable shoes: You think you are just going from a car or a train to an airplane, but travel days involve a lot of walking through airports and to get to transportation. 

Eat before you fly and bring easy-to-eat snacks: Unless you like $10 bags of chips. 

While traveling with frozen kosher foods: “Triple wrap the chicken or other foods before freezing, take them out of the freezer right before you leave, and stay calm when TSA takes out your dinner to inspect it,” said Sari, a frequent cross-country flier. “Also, you can’t bring liquids, but you can bring milk if you freeze it first.”

Fly as early in the day as possible:  Flight cancellations are common this summer, but the first flights of the day rarely cancel, Koerbel told the New York Times.

Make sure to have your flight’s confirmation number easily accessible on your phone. You usually cannot check in without it, and it can help you easily check on whether your flight is on time or delayed.

Download the app of the airline you are flying: to track your bags, your flights, and rebook, if necessary. 

Bring a sweater: Koerbel reveals why airplanes feel so cold. “For people who struggle with airsickness, heat makes it worse.” To prevent airsickness, keep Dramamine in your travel bag.

Bring earplugs or headphones: to drown out loud children and people who listen to their phones without headphones. 

Leave early: at least two hours before domestic flights and at least three hours before international flights to prevent panic and potential tears. Kiosks won’t let travelers who check less than 45 minutes before take-off check into flights. Allow extra time for traffic and lengthy trips on public transportation.

“Be nice,” said Koerbel, who reminded travelers to stay positive and calm. “Our goal at all airlines is to get you to your destination. We are overworked, understaffed, and tired. We will not help you if you are mean."