Phyllis Stoller’s personal Holiday Travel List
Some 122 million Americans are expected to travel this Christmas. Headlines make this wonderful time sound terrifying. Ignore headlines, they sell ads. Go with this simple list of travel hints.
Spend time on the seating chart. It is in your airline app. Recently there are complaints from people who thought they had window seats and they had an airplane wall instead. Note: closer to the flight, seats can open up. Keep looking daily; you might snag a better seat.
Get to the airport with extra time. 3- 3 1/2 hours is minimum. This applies especially traveling on a Friday or during bad weather.
Airport food is expensive. DOT expressed limited interest in controlling prices. “Street pricing plus” allows airport restaurants to charge higher prices. Average meal cost is now $20-25.
Lounges: expect lines. Priority Pass reports a 31% increase in traffic. Your $650 Platinum card might put you on a longer line than Business Class or high status passengers. For some lounges pre book.
Bathroom accessibility is an issue Remember 2 things- First women on line do not always check if stalls are empty. I have walked the stalls, and found some unused, while women are clueless on line. Second, the cleanest stall is the first one.
Pay attention to departure boards. Gates change. In an airport, like Atlanta, your new gate might be a distance away. Learn to use your phone for updates. Put flight information directly into google: Airline code + number ie. DL624 for Delta flight 624. Flight status and gate appear instantly.
Check in on your phone as soon as available. Get boarding pass on your phone. Screen shoot it. The photo is helpful if the airline changed your seat. Seating can change, if the aircraft changed. The printed proof might help if unhappy about the new seat.
Hoping for an upgrade? Your airline app has an upgrade list. If you are 1 or 2 on the list, and there are empty seats on the seating chart, do this: Go to gate staff and ask about upgrades- nicely please. Show them the seating chart and upgrade list. This notifies staff you are watching. It is my experience they do not always honor upgrade lists. (Reminder, make sure your cell phone is the contact number for a reservation. If they call you at home, fuggedaboutit.
Finally do not pack and check in wrapped packages. TSA might have to open them. Or worse someone might help themselves to your grand daughter’s new sweater.
Happy Traveling from The Women’s Travel Group.
For the last few rooms on Ixtapan,
Contact us here immediately https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/contact/
