- Broken trains connecting two terminals
- Passport left at security
- Delayed flights
- Lost luggage
- Inconveniently located bathrooms
- Only Bring as Much as You Can Carry: Including checked luggage. This is especially true if you have some time constraint to meet: connections with different airlines, somewhere to be after you land, or a connection after landing in the US from a different country. If you're running late, the last you'll want to do is look for a luggage cart. Even if you manage to find one quickly, you can't take the carts up escalators, or on the moving walkways, meaning you'll have to push it everywhere yourself anyway. Unless you're travelling a group, with people who can help you get from point A to point B, it's better to make sure that if you have to, you can move around quickly. If you can't, you may have packed too much anyway!
- Consolidate What You Do Bring: This is related to the previous point. Take as few bags as possible. Large international airlines have pretty loose carry on restrictions. You can usually take a carry-on, and a "personal item" (anything from your purse, to a laptop case, to a small backpack), plus a host of things that are not considered to be either (coats, cameras, pillows, etc.). There have been many a time when I've pushed this leniancy to the limit, and I've always regretted it. Now I strap everything to my pack and anything I can't carry in a backpack and my purse/laptop bag I put in my stowed luggage or leave it at home.
- Wear Comfortably Clothing: I've read articles that say wearing nice clothes will increase one's chances of being upgraded to another seat. While that might be true, the chance that I might be stuck in uncomfortable clothes in economy class is too great for me to even consider wearing something 'nice' and uncomfortable. It's become less common for people to dress in their pajamas and such for flights, even international ones (though I still wear sweatpants), but you can easily get away with comfy slacks and a t-shirt. I've always had time to make myself more presentable before I meet someone after I'm done flying, but nice clothes and make-up won't fix a bad mood if I've spent 5+ hours being uncomfortable because I wore silly clothing.
- Try to Look (and act) Friendly: Even if you’ve just gotten off a 14-hour flight where the kid behind you kicked your seat the whole time and your personal entertainment screen was broken, try to avoid taking it out on the airport staff. This should really go without saying, but if you’re friendly people are more likely to be nice to you and forgive you for minor infractions like forgetting to take off your belt before walking through the metal detector or showing up at the last minute for boarding the flight. If you’re mean, or look mean, you’re probably going to face more delays as the security agents pat you down and ask you several hundred questions about that bottle of toothpaste you forgot to put in the clear plastic bag.
- Keep Everything In One Place: This has been especially useful during two occasions: when the airline has lost my luggage and when I’ve gotten stopped at border control. I used to think that the little claim-your-luggage ticket was useless, and threw it away. While the airlines don’t really need it in order to locate your bags, it considerably shortens the time you have to spend in the lost luggage office. In some US airports, they even have little kiosks allowing you to track your bags in real-time, so you know before you wait at the luggage pick-up for a half hour that your bags are still in another country.
As for border control…This varies from country to country. Germany and Italy did not seem concerned in any way, shape, or form that I’d been in and out of the EU a lot over the past year. The Netherlands showed moderate interest, and asked me a few questions, as did Malta. The United Kingdom pretty much treats me like an illegal immigrant every time I enter their country. To be fair, I am usually visiting my boyfriend, which often raises a red flag, since my obvious intentions are to get married to escape from the horrible living conditions of the US (false). Anyway, they calm down much more when I show them additional documentation: my return flight information usually suffices, but I’ve also been asked for proof that I formerly studied in the UK and now study in the US, bank statements, hotel information, and a complete itinerary of my stay. It’s nice to have all of those things handy, instead of having to fumble around in your luggage to find them, or worse, being rejected for entry. - Book On One Carrier: The only time I’ve had a major freak-out is when I booked half of my flight with one carrier, and half with another. My first flight was delayed by over two hours, which would mean that I would miss my second flight. Since the latter was with a different carrier, even if I was refunded for my first ticket, I would have to purchase a new ticket for the second flight, or pay a hefty change fee and the difference to make it later (with no guarantee that I would make the later flight either). After many frantic calls and running around the airport, I ended up booking an entirely new flight with a different carrier because it was cheaper than changing my second flight. Those problems aside, it’s a major hassle to pick up your bags and re-check them during a transfer, which you have to do if you’re flying with two different carriers. (This point doesn’t apply for airlines that are part of some sort of group/alliance. Lufthansa, US Airways and United, for example, are different characters, but because they’re part of the Star Alliance they treat luggage/cancellations/connections as being a single airline).
- Get an Aisle for Short Flights, and if you can Sleep Without a Window: This wasn’t always my preference, but flying more often has made it a much more appealing option. On short flights you want to sit by the aisle so you can grab your bags and get out before you get stuck behind someone. On longer ones, it’s much easier to get up to stretch or use the lavatory if you don’t have to climb over three people to do so. Plus if you have long legs, sometimes you can use the aisle to stretch out when people aren’t walking up and down it. The only downside is that it's more difficult to hide your carry-on if it won't fit under the seat, and you don't get to look out the window if there's a view.
- Drink All the Water: On longer trips, flight attendants will often walk up and down the aisles with water in between their other services. Since cabins are so dry, it’s good to drink as much as you can to minimize the affects of dehydration and jet lag. Plus if you drink a lot, you’ll have to get up more often to use the lavatory, making you stretch even when you don’t want to.
- Sleep and Eat Based on the Schedule of Where You’re Going: This can be really difficult, especially when the lights are on/off at a different time than you would like. But this mitigates the affects of jet lag, and makes it much easier for you to get on schedule at your destination.
- Bring Stuff to Do: There’s no telling when you’ll be struck with insomnia, when the in-flight movie/entertainment will malfunction, or when the battery on your iPad/laptop/Kindle will go dead, so bring some sort of fail-safe entertainment like a book or a magazine. If worst comes to worst you can always read the airline magazine, but it’s not likely to keep you entertained for the whole 10-hour flight.
All in all though, flying isn't as bad of an experience as a lot of people make it out to be, and as long as you follow common sense, you're unlikely to encounter any real problems.
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