First-time Flying Tips for my Friends and Family

Since we recently moved to Copenhagen, a lot of friends and family regularly come over to visit us, some of them are first-time flyers. So I put together everything I consider important as first-time flying tips.

If you are preparing for the first flight of your life, just continue reading and I promise to share only useful and actionable information. I want your first flight to be as smooth as possible and a real experience.

Make sure to read until the end where I share with you two advanced tips only experienced travelers know about.

First-time Flyer Anxiety

This isn’t an article about fear of flying; it’s a practical guide full of actionable tips. But if this is your first time up in the air, you must feel at least some kind of anxiety, and that’s normal. So let’s address that shortly and then jump fast into the practical nitty-gritty of what you actually need to pay attention to. For the more you prepare for your flight, the less nervous you’ll feel.

Simply put, don’t be afraid. Commercial flying is one of the safest ways to travel. Hundreds of people, very skilled and with thousands of hours of practice, will work in the background to get you safely to your destination. You clearly have a bigger chance of something going wrong when hopping on your bike on a safe bike lane inside a closed garden than being part of an air incident if you’re flying on one of the airlines of the U.S., Canada, the EU, or Australia.

Prepare for your flight, plan ahead what you want to do at your destination. Pick a window seat. Seeing what’s actually happening will give you more comfort during your first flight. Focus on what you’ll be doing and nothing wrong is going to come along your way.

Preparing at Home for Your First Flight

Here are the most important things you should pay attention to when preparing for your first flight at home:

Don’t forget to check in to the flight. I think this is the most important piece of advice. For most airlines, you need to do this online about 24 hours before the scheduled departure. Budget airlines will definitely make you pay an extra fee if you forget this.
Download the app for your airline, make sure you can find the boarding pass after check-in. You might want to also add it to your Google or Apple Wallet. Time is long over for printed boarding passes, everyone is going digital these days.
Make sure to have the type of ID with you that you need for your trip. Generally, for domestic flights or flights within the Schengen zone, a government ID is enough. For international flights, you will need a valid passport or even a visa.
Check your ticket for what baggage is included. Most basic ticket types generally cover one back-pack size item that you take with you to the cabin. Most budget airlines let you carry another small cabin suitcase when making a seat reservation. For larger checked-in baggage, you definitely need to pay extra these days.
Don’t leave liquids in anything that you take to the cabin with you. In most airports, liquids in your cabin bag must be in containers of up to 100 ml each, placed together in a clear resealable bag (total about 1 liter). Check your airport’s current rules.
One easy way to save space in your cabin bag is to put on your coat and wear your sweater around your waist, even if the weather is not that cold. This way you can pack more stuff in your bags. For another tip, continue until the end.
For checked-in baggage, a good option is to get a luggage scale and make sure you don’t exceed the weight limit.

Arriving at the Airport

As a rule of thumb, arrive 2 hours early for short flights and 3 hours for international or busy airports, unless your airline/airport says otherwise. Of course it is your responsibility to be at the gate on time, and you should check the average security waiting time at your local airport. Make sure to arrive at the terminal your flight is scheduled to depart from.
If you have checked-in baggage (i.e. large suitcase), then you should arrive earlier and check in the baggage first thing. At some airports, this is still done by airline employees, but many places provide an automated self check-in system. Public announcement boards show you where to check in your baggage, depending on your airline and destination.
Once your baggage is checked in, head to the security control. You are going to need your boarding pass in order to get into the security checking area.
If you don’t have any checked baggage, you can go straight to security upon arrival at the airport. Since check-in is done in advance, online, there is no need to do anything else at the airport.
Prepare for the security check. Put your bags and everything from your pockets, even a used tissue, onto the trays. Also put your jacket and sweater there. Many airports still ask you to put any liquids separately. Follow the instructions of the security crew.

Inside the Airport

Once you’re airside, you are free to spend your time and money however you want. This is the place where most of us buy at least a bottle of water or any other drink, as anything you buy here, you are free to take that into the plane. This will have importance later, make sure to read until the end!
Pay attention to the announcement boards to see which gate your plane is departing from, and get to the actual gate on time. Here are a couple of general rules:
- Gate info is usually published only 60-75 minutes before departure.
- You are expected to be at the gate no later than 30 minutes before departure.
- In some large airports, getting to the actual gate might take 15-20 minutes, consider that.
- If you are travelling on an international flight (except for the Schengen zone), your passport will be checked on the way. Add another 5-10 minutes for that.
Make sure to follow the instructions on the announcement boards or any PA right until you get to the plane. Gates can be changed right until the very last minute, you don’t want to miss out on your plane just by being reckless.
Once at the gate, follow the instructions of the crew. Your boarding pass will be checked once again, and many times also your ID or passport.

Fun fact. On a Schengen flight inside the EU, you're not only free to travel with a single ID, but it won't ever be checked by any official personnel. Only airline crew will check your ID at the very last point, before entering the plane. But they do this only to make sure you have not secretly traded your ticket with someone else.

On the Plane

Depending on the airport and the airline, you might be entering a waiting area after boarding pass check, or just right at the very last minute before entering the plane. Either way, make sure to wait next to the boarding area and follow the instructions. You might be transported to your airplane by a bus or by walking.

When entering the plane, use the front door for rows below 16 and the rear door for rows above that, unless otherwise instructed.
Head over to your seat, put your cabin bag into the overhead compartment fast, and take your seat. If you’re spending too much time wondering around and trying to figure out what to do, others behind you will be just waiting and even the flight can be delayed if too many passengers do that.
Make yourself comfortable in your seat and buckle up. You will be instructed to do so before take off anyways, but it is always recommended to leave your seatbelts fastened during the whole flight.
Otherwise, you are free to get up, use the restrooms or even stretch out your legs on the aisles during the whole flight, except for take off, landing, and turbulence.
Don’t panic about turbulence — it’s a normal part of flying and our planet’s atmosphere. They might surprise you at first, but planes are built to handle far more than anything you’ll feel. And fortunately on many flights you won’t even feel you’re in the air.
Don’t panic about turbulence — it’s a normal part of flying, and planes are built to handle far more than anything you’ll feel.

At Your Destination

Remain seated until you’re instructed to unbuckle. Make sure to take out your luggage and leave the plane promptly, for similar reasons that I’ve written at the boarding part.
Follow Baggage Claim / Exit signs all along your way.
If you have checked-in baggage, wait for it at the baggage claim area. If you have none, you are free to exit.
On an international flight, your passport and visa will be checked again.

Two Advanced Tips for First-time Flyers

Here are two “pro tips” I usually only share with close friends.

One is how you can get premium seating free on a budget airline. This is an advanced tip, and I only recommend it if you’re not faint of heart. If you’re anxious about your first flight, make sure to pick a seat instead, even if that involves any additional costs.

My other tip refers to the fact that you can take basically everything you’ve bought inside the airport area to the airplane. One aspect of this is of course related to security; if you want to transport any liquid, be it some water for your flight or a bottle of wine or beer for a friend or family, you can only do so if you buy it inside the airport, after security check.

But the other aspect is different, and this is what I consider a trick. If you want to take something extra onto the airplane that gets security clearance but simply exceeds the capacity of your cabin luggage, buy a branded bag for a couple of Dollars or Euros in the duty free shop, and put your things in that.

Last time my in-laws sent some freshly picked fruits for my wife, actually a lot of them. Grapes, peaches, apples that I did not want to leave there. As this was an EU flight, I was free to carry those items and didn't have any problems with security. But the delicate fruits would not fit into my backpack, so the airline clerks would not let them on to the plane with me. So I went ahead and bought a large bag for 2.5 € at the duty free shop. Placed the cleared fruits into the bag, and there was no problem at the boarding gate.

I know this last tip is kind of lingering on the thin line of being ethical. I definitely don’t mean to overuse it. But airline employees, especially on budget airlines, are sometimes just too picky, happily looking to set you back with a couple of bucks even if your backpack is just a tiny inch larger than their rack. I think some fresh grapes just won’t hurt anyone. But do this at your own judgment.