The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step – Part 2

Time of departure approaches

We’re irresistibly moving towards the date of our departure. We’ve packed our bags, and had planned the cheapest route to the departure airport even before that. If you don’t fly from a nearby airport, you shouldn’t ignore the transfer costs. If you have the chance, then the easiest thing to do is to ask your relatives or friends to give you a ride to the airport, or you can drive there yourself, but some airports have a high parking fee. Public transport is definitely one of the options that usually takes the longest, but you can take advantage of group transfers. The last option is mostly cheap, but usually linked to increased travel time as the van rarely goes directly to the airport because the driver has to pick up other passengers along the way. Even when you’re heading back home from the airport, the van won’t be waiting for you – instead you’ll have to wait for the van, sometimes for up to two hours. And when you’re eagerly waiting to jump into your very own bed, you’re sitting in the van, while the driver drops off all the passengers. In this case, you’ll have to decide between the comfort of your own car and the price of public or group transfer. It depends on what matters to each individual and how much time they have to spend.

At the airport

We’ve arrived at the airport. Back in the “old” days, we’d first go to the check-in counter, but now online check-in is available in most cases. It’s free, while check-in at the counter comes with additional charges if you’re flying with a low-cost airline. Online check-in is especially useful when you’re travelling only with your cabin baggage, since you simply have to print out your boarding pass or save it to your phone, avoiding the queue in the process. If you’re travelling with checked baggage, though, you won’t be able to avoid the check-in counter. Sometimes the queues are long, but it depends on the size and occupancy of the airplane. Another advantage of an online check-in is that some airlines allow you to freely choose your preferred seat (I like to pick a window seat), while some low-cost airlines don’t let you choose a seat without an additional charge, instead randomly selecting your seat themselves. During the Covid-19 pandemic that hasn’t been an issue, since no plane I’ve flown with was full, so could freely pick another seat after boarding.

Waiting for the plane to take off

The current situation has resulted in airports being almost empty, so there are no long queues at security checks, which are done in a couple of minutes. But it wasn’t always like this, especially at major airports where long queues were often typical. If you have a Diners Club card, you get an access to a special waiting lounge at the Vienna Airport, where the queues are considerably shorter and meant for business and first-class travellers, the number of which is far smaller compared to economy class travellers. Hence, the shorter queues. After making it through the security check, there’s still an hour or more of waiting ahead at the departure lounge. There are plenty of shops and restaurants to choose from, but the prices are pretty high. You can simply sit down, browse your phone, do some reading, or observe other travellers. I personally find it very fascinating to observe people from various parts of the world when at the Dubai Airport. I immediately recognise people from Asia and Africa simply by their looks, and I also recognise Muslim pilgrims, African women in their colourful robes, and I could go on.

Most airports also have waiting lounges where you can spend time until departure in a more relaxed environment while having a snack or something to drink. Of course, all this comfort doesn’t come for free, and costs around 30 euros, plus some credit cards provide free access when fulfilling certain requirements. Diners Club card holders, for example, can enjoy free access to these waiting lounges if they make purchases totalling to 2,000 euros in the period of six months. I highly recommend this option and it’s something I choose myself. Despite all the comfort such a waiting lounge provides, you still have to pay attention so as not to miss the boarding, which starts approximately one hour and thirty minutes before the plane takes off. Distances at major airports can be quite large and sometimes you even have to take a bus or special trains to reach different terminals. You have to take all this into consideration in order to arrive at the gate in time, show your boarding pass and ID card, walk down the pier directly to the airplane or take the bus to the location where the airplane is parked. All this is followed by boarding the plane, searching for your seat, making yourself comfortable and waiting for the take-off.

Boarded at last

European flights are quite short and usually last up to two hours, so time flies fast when in air. You can bring a book with you (not one too thick or too heavy, though, as it will be difficult to carry around) or a travel guide, so you can read information about the destination towards which you’re headed. Long-haul flights also allow you to take a nap, especially if it’s an overnight flight. I prefer it when the plane’s not full and I can stretch over three seats, but that rarely happens. But it does sometimes! After all, it’s better to feel uncomfortable when lying than to sleep in a sitting position. Large airplanes also come with a mini TV for each seat, where passengers can watch films, listen to music or play games. A certain amount of time on long-haul flights is also dedicated to food, since such flights come with meals that are included in the plane ticket price. I remember the days when even European flights had service that included a hot meal, unlike now when you can be grateful if you get a small sandwich or a drink. Time flies when you’re watching stewardesses serving food and waiting for them to finally place a tray on the small table in front of you. Still, ten hours on an airplane is quite a long time, so passing the time on such flights is a combination of all the activities I’ve mentioned above. That’s how I killed time on my long-haul flights as well, like the one from Chile to France, the one from the Netherlands to Taiwan, or the one from the Emirates to Australia.

It’s how you can arrive at the destination airport rested and, after all the entry formalities, end up at the arrival terminal. What happens next, however, is the subject of the next article.