Super-fast Tips For Avoiding Airport Hold Ups

Airports are notorious for holding you up. It’s just one of those things we all have to deal with. Check-in, security, and boarding the plane all add up to make what seemed a simple journey into a long and drawn out affair. However, there are ways to get through an airport quicker. Follow these tips to make your experience a lot nicer, quicker, and make you feel like you have got one up against 'the man'.

Image Credit: Nick Harris/Flickr

Choose A Fast Airport

The good folks over at Credit Monkey have put together this handy list of the fastest airports in the country. Each of the airports in the Top 10 score very well for on-time departures and lowest delays, meaning you are less likely to be held up when traveling from them. The winner, by the way, was San Jose Airport in California. 

Check-in Early

Check-in right after you have packed your bags, and before you even leave for the airport. Print your own boarding pass out, and miss out on all those queues. You can expect this to shave an hour or so off of your travel time on busy airport days. If you forget, don’t panic. Most major airports have electronic booking points dotted around everywhere. You will still save time by using them.

Use The PreCheck Program

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) runs a ‘precheck’ program, aimed at frequent flyers. It gives you the chance to miss out on the usual security lanes and go through much quicker in over 120 airports in the country. Find out more at the TSA website.

Wear A Jacket

Wear a jacket to the airport and you can just put all your things in the pocket and have it scanned. This means you will save time by not having to pick up your coins, phone, tickets, pocket lint, and anything else you brought with you from the tray after security. Simple tips are often the best - and this is certainly a good one!

Charter A Jet

No, seriously. Jet charters are often seen as the preserve of the rich and famous, but things are actually very different. Sure, it costs more - anything from $700 to $5,200 per hour - but if you are flying on business it is certainly worth thinking about. There are separate private jet terminals in most major airports, so as soon as you are through security you will miss queues for boarding. Some private jets can be cheaper than commercial airlines. If they are flying empty on a return leg, for example, they often offer very enticing deals.

Use A Fragile Sticker

Using a fragile sticker could save you a whole bunch of time at the other end. Ask the airline to put a fragile sticker on your case, regardless of whether you have anything fragile in there or not. You'll need to sign some disclaimer forms, but your luggage will be kept on the top of the pile, looked after properly and will be amongst the first onto the luggage belt.