Spending too much time at airports
thezvi.substack.com
thezvi.substack.com
This is really bad advice. You should search using a flight search engine like Google Flights, not a single OTA, and book directly with the airline unless an OTA has a much, much better deal. The $10 that Orbitz might sometimes save you comes at the cost of having to talk to their customer service, not the airline’s, if you want to change your trip.
I imagine the “basic economy” tickets are basically first in line for being bumped.
Every airline wants tech-incompetent grannies to buy their tickets, therefore the UI is simple enough that any HN reader should be able to trivially navigate it.
Example: You search for a flight from YWG to BKK in business, and it wants to route you YWG-YVR-KIX-BKK, which is basically fine. The flight time from YWG-YVR is under 3 hours, so it'll show you fares where that leg is in Economy, but YVR-KIX is in business, which is also, fundamentally, fine, although it would be nice to filter that. A short hop being Economy to get you on to the long leg in Business is usually acceptable. HOWEVER, it will ALSO show you fares where KIX-BKK (a 6 hour flight) are in Economy, and it won't allow you to filter this, so this messes up any ability to sensibly filter flights by price. If I am searching for a flight in Business, please allow me to filter out ones where *9 hours* of that flight is actually in Economy.</rant>
I recently had a five month period where I took a plane ride every single week for work. A “frequent traveler” so to speak.
To me, the big difference between basic economy and regular is the ability to cancel (for a credit) up until the flight takes off. When you travel once in a while, this isn’t worth that much. When you travel every week, it’s huge. For example, when I travel (round trip) 3-5 times a year (which is my normal cadence), I’m not gonna really care if I booked an 8pm flight but last minute decided that I have time to get on a 6pm. An extra two hours not-at-home is no big deal, maybe even a good thing. When you travel every week, the ability to change later minute is huge (and contrary to popular belief, I found that it is often the case that last minute flights are the same price or cheaper, depending on the route, though it can also be wildly more expensive).
In addition to changing my mind about when to leave, don’t get me started on delays. If I saw my flight was delayed two hours (which often means that it’ll end up cancelling or taking off 6 hours late), I’d immediately book an alternative (if I could find one at a decent price) and then cancel one of them right before departure.
Aside from this, seat selection is important, especially if you travel a lot (the lifestyle is hard enough to begin with). You can usually buy seats in basic economy and the whole thing will be cheaper, but assuming you are going to do that, then the difference is gonna be $25-30 which is basically the “right to cancel” fee.
Why? I don’t fly that much, especially for work, and I’ve never had a problem getting to use my credits from cancelling flights. The price difference between credit-refundable and full refundable is usually significant and doesn’t offer me anything.
- simplifies expense filing
- if paying with a personal card (vs a corporate card), i'm not floating extra cash that is now converted to a credit
- full fare is less likely to get bumped on overbooking
- more miles / credits towards status
The issue is boarding priority and you may not have overhead space and still be forced to gate check your carry on (for free).
In the case of Delta, it’s a combination of not being able to choose your seat, no refunds or airline credit for canceling or changing your flight and no miles earned toward future flights.
I can’t speak for the other airlines.
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/basic-econo...
> Carry-on bags are only free on flights* to South America, across the Atlantic or to international destinations across the Pacific.
> On all other flights, you must pay to check your bags in the airport lobby. The bag fee starts at $35.
After all of the stars aligned around mid 2021, we moved to Orlando and started flying more.
Our default choice is still to fly Delta domestically because of familiarity, status, lounge access and we don’t mind a layover in ATL since it is our former home, familiarity and lounge access - Delta has nine lounges in ATL.
If we really just want to get somewhere without layover. I will look on flights from -
https://flightsfrom.com/{Airport code}
And see what airline has a non stop flight. The only airline I refuse to fly domestically is Southwest because of non reserve seating until next year.
But it’s rare that we will choose an airline that’s not Delta.
Internationally, we prefer Delta or SkyTeam airlines like Virgin or AirFrance.
We don’t shop based on price, the only time we compare flights is for convenience, we don’t fly first class or anything. But we just don’t like the hassle of flying airlines besides Delta.
Of course if we lived in an AA or United hub, it would be different. So substitute Delta for airline where you have status and/or a cobranded credit card that gives you some minor convenience.
This one really bothers me. The Portland airport mandates all food prices to be the same as at the businesses off-airport locations. As a passenger that makes it really great. As a free-market worshipper I have some concerns about this but it seems to work really well in practice and we get excellent options. Unfortunately, other airports don't rely on free-market competition to result in great offerings either but instead usually have most vendors operated by the same concession company like HMSHost, SSP Group. This gives a captive audience to a quasi-monopolist. It's the easiest situation to avoid a monopoly or cartel situation and foster competition, yet most airports seem to either be operated by people who don't care, crooks or idiots.
Free market in a location owned by the government where the government gets to control who the vendors are and what the customers are allowed to bring in? Thats not a free market to begin with.
Keep in mind that the venue owner has overhead for each and every vendor, awarding a concessions contract to a single entity simplifies things for the organization that owns the airport. There’s also a limited amount of space in an airport and having one concessions company storing food for all of their ‘restaurants’ in one location instead of having a dozen or more tiny food storage areas simplifies things for the airport yet again.
[0] https://www.mspairport.com/business-at-msp/business-opportun...
But it's the government (via the TSA) that gates not only customers, but also the employees (as they must at least be able to pass through the TSA, though admittedly the bar isn't tremendously high), and at government-owned airports, they control the tenants / shops as well
To call it a free market misses all kinds of behind the scenes details
Get an airline credit card for one based in your city and checked bags are no longer a cost. Aside from a few minutes to drop and pick up. Usually there are other perks like food and beverage discounts on the plane, etc. I fly to the Caribbean once a year on the miles we accumulate.
Unlike the in-seat entertainment, the movie on a personal tablet won't be interrupted by announcements which I almost never want to hear.
If you want to spend most of your time reading, a Kindle may have advantages but I'm more inclined to travel with a tablet. The newer magnetic keyboards are actually pretty good but I'm at fewer conferences and the like these days where I'm taking notes and I actually have found that I've adapted to just using a phone for many purposes.
You actually give me an idea that I have an old iPad and a laptop stand I never use (probably a work thing I didn't think to return) and I may give it a try especially given I mostly use just a few sites.
What I think I would really like is a detachable keyboard with laptop-style hinges (and maybe a secondary battery). There seem to be a few devices from about a decade ago with that kind of design but they died out in favor of flexible connectors and kickstands.
A more hybrid design seems to make a lot of sense but it just seems to involve compromises on both the laptop and tablet ends. Even the Apple tablets with keyboards probably don't have a lot of advantages over the Air unless you're watching a movie or reading a book on a flight or train.
It would still be pretty compromised as a laptop, but better in that role than current tablet keyboard solutions.
Perhaps I’m too precious but economy class is awful compared to business class. Lie-flat seats are a significant improvement over economy. If you are spending your own money, sure, stick to economy so you can spend your money on other things that are more important to you… but someone else’s money? What conceivable reason is there to choose economy if someone else is paying.
Not taking advantage of someone else's generosity.
If that's not good enough, don't think the someone else doesn't notice being taken advantage of. They won't say anything, but in the future you may be "overlooked" for other opportunities.
Your sponsor then may say "no worries, we'll take care of the upgrade cost!" then you're golden. In any case they'll respect your integrity.
Companies also tend to overlook excessive travel expenses if the employee is bringing home the bacon. But don't put hooker expenses on it! (Yes, I've seen this happen.)
Then on the other hand, you don’t have to choose the cheapest airline possible, so you can choose the one where you have status and get automatic upgrades (Delta Platinum Medallion in my case) and a higher chance for upgrades.
Of course you can pay for the upgrade yourself. But why would I spend my own money to do so. They are so strict though that every time my receipt after flying showed I was in an upgraded seat, I had to also send in the email as proof that my upgrade was free because of status.
Most likely because they were tired of being defrauded. As usual, it only takes a few bad apples to sour things for everyone.
Later, when submitting expenses, the upgrade had to be marked as a personal expense, to be netted against per diem or paid back directly.
Early in my career managers did a very poor job of explaining that this was allowed.
I frequently took my wife with me on work trips and we would stay a few extra days. I would buy her ticket separately, have separate receipts when we ate out so I could have mine reimbursed and put the extra days as personal in Concur.
Our favorite chain hotel is Embassy Suites where you got a good free breakfast and an afternoon happy hour with free alcoholic drinks so she would benefit without it costing the company.
Funny enough, since expenses reimbursement approval was done by a department outside of the US, they consistently disallowed my hotel expenses because it showed two people in the room even though it didn’t cost more and was within policy. I just had to tell the hotel only to put 1 guest.
I know the hotel check in thought I was having an affair with someone even though my wife was standing right there with me.
One would think that the employer would recognize or remember this kind of “sacrifice.” Or that, somehow, asking for less money will lead to a more sympathetic judgment of what was accomplished. But my experience and that of many others I have observed tells me that this rarely happens.
Those who pay, pay what they can and always ask for the best that can be done. My advice is to accept business class when it is offered and to negotiate with vigor in every aspect of your professional life.
I disagree. It's chiseling.
If you don't like the deal you're getting, negotiate with your employer. If an agreement cannot be reached, it's time to part ways.
Disagreement does not make chiseling justifiable.
If you tell your friends and coworkers about the chiseling, they'll smile and nod, but they won't trust you any more.
The issue is quite simple. There is a certain budget that the company, person, or institution is willing to spend on a specific goal. If the money isn't spent on you, it's spent on someone else or something else. Since we're not talking about volunteering, my main goal is to maximize my return while maintaining my integrity and professionalism (e.g., without stealing, lying excessively [we all lie a bit, come on], or operating outside the ethical norms as dictated by common sense).
If the C-suite is flying first or business class, I feel encouraged to fly business or first class. If nobody is flying first or business, flying not in economy would not be ethical. But if they insist...
While I do enjoy my automatic C+ upgrades at time of ticketing because of status on Delta, I’m short and average size so main cabin doesn’t really bother me especially if I can get an exit row seat. It wasn’t bad flying nine hours to London two months ago.
Thanks for the unpleasant reminder that people like you exist.
Free food, drinks, booze, superior in every way. If I know I have access, I’m not too bothered with spending extra time, or minimizing my airport time. The absolute minimum should be fast track tho.
Edit: Also, the real benefit of upgraded class when boarding is guaranteed overhead luggage space, if you only have carry-on luggage.
Even though most domestric lounges are hit-or-miss, it's a way to trick myself into getting to the airport 30 to 45 minutes earlier than I would. That way, if I'm running late, worst case I miss the lounge or cut short the time.
For those complaining that lounges are overcrowded with mediocre food, it's true and getting worse. However, it's buffet style - select a healthy salad option with a reasonable protein. Non Priority Pass options are somewhat worthwhile -- United Clubs have gone through a massive upgrade post Covid and so far haven't been too crowded. They also allow access upon arrival, if you really need to fire off some emails and hydrate upon landing.
As for in-flight, for former gaming geeks, try classic emulators. They won't require internet and drain very minimal battery life on your latop.
The adjacent hack is to bring an empty water bottle in your carry-on, which you fill once you clear security. Then, you have a full bottle of water and can decline everything from the "beverage cart" on your flight, meaning you never need to worry about managing a precarious open cup of liquid and ice sitting on your in-flight tray.
This includes - Clear, TSA, status for priority check in, lounge access and status for earlier boarding so I can already be situated in my seat with my luggage if I just have carry on.
In ATL, my former home airport it’s not as bad because you have more business travel.
That's what I did for a day-long layover in Istanbul. I took a short self-guided tour of the city via tram, then returned to the airport in the evening and paid for the lounge until my 1 am flight. It was like 20 Euros, absolutely worth it (this lounge had a shower).
I've taken the freebie lounge access on those rare occasions I have a business class ticket, but only if there is no line. If it's a zoo, what's the point? I can sit in one of the empty gate areas with no one around me until it's time to get on the plane.
That’s especially true in ATL with a lounge at each gate for delta more or less. I still don’t know where the Centurion lounge is in LAX as often as I’ve been there.
The Reserve easily pays for itself with the once a year round trip companion pass good for anywhere in the US, Caribbeans, Mexico or Central America and the hotel credit and the Platinum the same with the credits.
My wife and I have averaged around a flight per month since Covid. With a lot of random trips back home to ATL where Delta has nine lounges
I find it handy to include a carabiner on the water bottle lid for hanging off the back of the seat.
Also beware metal water bottles, as they will sometimes deform if sealed during elevation change.
N00b here - is that actually where the optimal prices emerge, rather than many months prior? I used to wonder why the optimal prices didn't emerge the day before the flight, because I'd assume airlines would rather fill a seat with lower profits than waste the space, but I guess that could cause forecasting issues if everyone waited until the last second.
On other hand if someone like travel agency has pre-paid for seats in block, selling them at any price will lower the losses. So different actors have ways to act differently.
1) as the flight is released (e.g a year in advance or more)
or
2) about 5 weeks out.
If they haven’t been able to sell the seat yet, the airline is in a big hurry.
If they have sold almost all the seats, the last 1-2 will often be crazy expensive though.
High risk.
I waited till the second to last day and the price was 240, one day later it hit 200. (definitely a gamble, the flight seemed maxed out when I was boarding).
The longer time you spend there the more $$ you leave there: shops pays a huge rent, and I have no doubt one statistic Airport use to raise rents is the average time we spend inside the airport (by the number of passengers, of course).
Security, and supposed security, is part of it.
https://www.themirror.com/travel/american-airlines-removes-m...
This is reasonable advice going to the source airport or NYC where subways run 24/7.
Be mindful at the destination though, when trains may not be running etc. I've had a number of close misses at SFO when the last BART out was just past midnight and a slight delay would leave me spending 4 hours there or $100+ in cab fare.
People's preferences really do vary widely, don't they?
There's nowhere I feel less safe than a security checkpoint, and nowhere I feel less relaxed than a high-pressure commerce zone clamoring for attention I don't want to give and trying to squeeze me out of money I don't want to spend.
But there are people who voluntarily go to Las Vegas, on purpose, because they think they will enjoy it: so, we are clearly not all alike.
Depends on where you are. Certainly, flying from Ireland you can get some really good spirits (particularly whiskey) for much cheaper than you would in the rest of the country. That's mostly because of our absurdly high duties on booze though.
Are you US based, perchance? I'm based in Ireland and remember the first time I got in a plane on the states and saw the absurdly large carry-ons that people had. I guess I'd just do that if I were in the US but as I cut my teeth with Ryanair I tend to optimise for smaller cabin baggage and a checked bag for work trips.
> And carry-on can often be an issue when arriving in US at least for liquids and potentially having to reclear security.
This is totally fine as the duty free people put the spirits in a specific bag which they let through security.
But I basically never do the budget airlines.
I find air travel mostly unpleasant, but if it's a given that I have to go through the ordeal of security and the flight, I find extra time sitting in the airport quite pleasant. Everybody regards you as in transit and unreachable. Nobody around you knows you or wants to talk to you, and it's easy to find a spot where the only sound intrusions are announcements and nearby conversations. It's so easy to sink into focus on work, or even a book.
Many times I have exaggerated my concern about making a flight so I could catch an extra hour of solitude in the airport.
OTOH, I have had pretty good, though expensive, food at some airports. Certainly not all of them have that option.
First, I never ever ever use a third party portal. If things go wrong, now you have to deal with customer service from two places. I know American charges fees if you make changes to your flight that you book through a third party portal.
Second, flights are more expensive two weeks out, and this isn’t pre 2020, as far as I know, unless you buy the cheapest ticket, all airlines let you make changes or cancel flights for an airline credit, If you book directly.
I’m not sure what he is referring to specifically as “basic economy”. But on Delta it means - no refunds not even airline credit, no seat selection, and you don’t earn miles for flying. Economy is the lowest I will go.
I do care about frequent flyer programs. My home airport until 3 years ago was ATL so of course we flew Delta. It’s still our preferred airline because we end up in ATL a few times a year and the only airline that flies into my parents city in south ga is Delta.
With Delta with status (and lounge access via credit card especially in Atlanta) makes everything better.
The issue also is not the variability of time at the airport especially with digital ID, Clear, TSA pre check and even with a check bag either using curb side check in (again Delta in our case) or Sky Priority check in (thanks to status), it’s the time to get to the airport and not worrying about traffic. Being at the airport killing time with my computer, tablet or phone - even if I didn’t have lounge access - is better than worrying about Atlanta traffic when I lived on the other side of the metro area.
> You have a safe upper bound of how long it takes. I agree that adding 30% is mostly safe enough for taxis
That’s true for the most part.
He also mentions not checking bags. I agree with the sentiment. But that is diametrically opposed to buying the cheapest seats where you are last to board and not worrying about status which would get you earlier boarding.
I used to hate business travel, then took a role that required a fair bit of it. Getting used to the routine, finding ways to be efficient, and realizing that even the occasional irregularities aren’t so bad gave me a perspective that while I don’t love it, it’s far more tolerable than how I used to view it.
Still, as you say, some bad travel stories with delays and missed connections but you're better prepared to roll with those punches.
This has been my experience, too. Some airports have a half-assed process where it's partially self-service and partially done by a human. In Denver, they have booths outside to check bags. You scan the QR code, pay in the app, and it prints your tag at that booth for the worker to take. Convenient right? Wrong.
I'm second in line, so I scan and do the whole process, then the worker leaves to help a disabled woman. No problem I thought: I'll just go to another booth to have it re-printed. Nope, apparently once you print the tag, employees can't do anything about it and you're forced to buy another checked bag or hope that the original worker comes back (I'm not taking that chance if I have a flight to catch)
That said, I'll sometimes intentionally show up early just to wander around if the airport is interesting or interestingly weird, like how LHR funnels you from security straight into an upscale mall before you can get to any of the terminals.
If you are talking about gate checking, I am yet to meet an airline that forcibly gate checks you AND charges you for doing so.
1 - bypass queues - if possible, get fast track. Generally not that expensive.
2 Place to sit - Lounge access. If you have a long layover, 50 bucks will buy you decent food and a place to chill.
I could have slept in an hour longer and drove 4.5 hours directly to Montreal instead of going to Boston first with the connection.
Get/Bring:
* TSA Global Entry and Pre-Check
* AirTags for your bags
* A sticker or luggage tag to make your bag stand out
* A dedicated set of travel-sized toiletries. Never unpack them, they live in the bag. Replenish after each trip. Huge time saver when packing and unpacking.
* A few bandaids, and blister-pack single doses of Sudafed and Ibuprofen in your toiletries bag
* Wrinkle release spray
* Dress clothes packed in dry cleaner plastic bags to minimize wrinkles
* Travel packs of disinfecting wipes
* Packing cubes
* Dedicated indoor hotel slippers
* Noise canceling headphones or earbuds
* A power bank
* A dedicated set of chargers and cables for travel. Never unpack them, they live in the bag.
* An extra-long charging cable. Hotel outlets are in weird places sometimes.
* Airline loyalty membership. Have a strategy - favor one airline alliance (e.x. Star, OneWorld, SkyTeam) for status perks and miles, or favor direct flights, or cost.
* Hotel loyalty membership. Have a strategy - favor one hotel chain (e.x. Hilton, Marriott, IHG) for status perks and points, or favor location, or cost.
* Car rental loyalty membership. Skip the checkin line!
* Some combination of a travel credit card, an airline credit card, and a hotel credit card. Make a spending plan to maximize the rewards you care about (e.x. airline status, points, cash back, free hotel nights at resorts).
* At least one backup credit card incase your primary is lost or stolen. Keep it separate from your wallet or purse.
* For work trips: your work’s travel agency number saved in contacts.
* An international roaming plan, Google Fi, or a pre-paid international eSIM (e.x. Airalo)
* A water bottle
* Your entertainment of choice for flights: An iPad, Kindle, paper book, Nintendo Switch, laptop, melatonin gummies, etc.
* Apps: Airline, hotel, rental car company. TripAdvisor. FlightAware24, Loungebuddy, Terminal Buddy, At Your Gate. Microsoft Translate with offline language downloaded. Kindle, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, etc. with offline downloads. Google Maps with offline maps downloaded.
* At least two devices logged in to your accounts (your phone, and then a laptop, iPad, backup old phone, etc). Also, give a travel buddy Account Recovery permissions. Don’t get locked out of your accounts if your phone is lost, broken, or stolen.
* A pop socket or kickstand case for your phone
* Photos of your drivers license and passport saved offline
Do:
* Charge all of your devices the day before you trip
* Download offline maps, books, movies, trip itinerary, tickets, reservations to at least two devices before your trip
* Fill your water bottle as soon as you’re through security
* Drink lots of water on flights. Airplanes have very dry air. The dehydration can give you headaches on long flights.
* Minimize or avoid alcohol on flights, especially long flights. You will get dehydrated. Save the drinking for when you land.
* Switch clocks to your destination time zone as soon as you get on the plane
* Get up and stretch every few hours on planes. Don’t get DVT.
* Unpack as soon as you get to the hotel room. Hang clothes and spray with wrinkle release immediately.
* Sleep and wake on your home time zone if possible (especially for domestic travel).
* Plan a list of restaurants to try. Especially for work travel: You won’t have time or energy once you’re there to research, and will fall back to junk food or the hotel bar if you don’t have a better option.
* Have a plan for laundry. For short trips, I bring enough stuff not to do laundry. For longer trips, I avoid cotton, bring detergent and a clothes line, and wash in sinks daily.
Other tips:
* Earlier flights are on time more often than later flights.
* If an early flight gets canceled, you have a lot more rebooking options than if it’s late in the day.
* Booking direct means direct help. Expedia/Priceline/etc don’t have a help desk in the airport. Sitting on hold on the phone after your flight is canceled while other people scoop up all of the open seats is a bummer.
* If your flight for work travel is canceled, your work travel agent can easily book you on other airlines. The airline’s help desk might not be as willing to do this.
* Don’t check bags, if possible. If you have to change flights after going through security, it gives you way more options. Also, no risk of bag being lost and it saves a bunch of time on arrival.
* Many travel credit cards have rental car insurance. If you rent often, get one.
Sources
* https://www.reddit.com/r/TravelHacks/comments/1067y0t/new_to...