For First Time Flyers
A series of articles about what it's like to fly on a jet airplane.
In the Flying Basics series of articles, each step of the air travel journey is described in detail. More articles are added to this series from time to time. If you have a fear of flying, you haven't flown in a long time, or you are a first-time flyer, these pieces may help you understand and prepare for a comfortable flight.
Flying Basics - An Overview tells you the steps involved in taking a commercial scheduled flight on an airline from one place to another in the same country. Like all the articles in the Flying Basics series, the basic example is a flight where there are no stopovers or delays, no aircraft changes, and the flight lasts about four hours.
Each of the steps is the subject of a separate more detailed article.
Flying Basics - Booking tells how to buy a ticket for a flight.
Flying Basics - Seat Selection tells you first, not to be too stressed about seat selection. No matter where you sit, you will arrive at the same time as everyone else on the plane. Having said that, the article describes how to find out what seats are available and how to go about asking for the seat you want.
Flying Basics - Packing encourages you to pack light for a flight if you possibly can. There are tips on sorting items into your checked and carry-on baggage. There is a list of things to consider when packing, including the weather at both ends of your journey.
Flying Basics - Weather Info tells how to check on the weather conditions and the weather forecast at your place of departure and at your destination.
Flying Basics - Weather Matters is about what to do with the information you have about the weather. Weather affects your packing, but it also has the ability to cause a delay in your flight, or even a cancellation. Your in-flight comfort depends upon the weather high up in the sky. This article talks about how the weather matters to you, the traveller.
Flying Basics - Airport Security At every airport arrivals area you can hear passengers complaining about the security screening they went through when they got on the plane. No one enjoys the process but if you are ready for it, it's quite simple and easy. The main reason people complain is because nobody likes standing in line. Oh well, it's part of travel these days.
Flying Basics - Packing for Events Maybe you're going to a wedding or a formal event and you want to know about taking a wedding gown on an airplane, or whether you can take champagne in your luggage. (I wouldn't recommend it, but if you do take it, don't put it in your checked luggage. You are better off to buy the champagne at your destination.) This article also has a little information about carrying cremated remains on a plane. Different airlines have different policies about cremains.
The Flying Basics series is mainly written with the first-time flyer in mind. If you are not a first-time flyer you may still find it useful, because the rules and the whole business of flying has been changing a lot in the past five and ten years. Airport security procedures have changed, and with the ability to book your ticket and select your seat over the internet, the whole check-in process at the airport is different than it used to be.
If you have a fear of flying, I hope that the information about what's involved will help you to relax. Knowledge is power.
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