What you need to do for a better flying experience

Christopher Greco
Jul 10, 2017 · 7 min read
Having the right mindset aboard a plane makes the experience smoother.

I’ve flown nearly 600 times in the last 6 years. I’m glad that I can say that I have had many more good air travel experiences than bad ones. Then again, coming home makes any flight a good one! My hope is that the insights below may make your flying experience smoother and hassle-free.

Let me start with my most memorable story…

Our flight was landing in Atlanta, slightly delayed. Over the intercom, the flight attendant announces: “We have a military family seated in the very back of the plane. They’ve had a long flight coming from Japan and have to make a tight connection to get home. To support our heroes, we kindly ask that you remain seated after we land to allow them to exit the plane first.”

You would think the 180 or so passengers on that Airbus 300 could follow those instructions, right?

I’m sure you can guess what really happened.

The minute the plane docked at the gate, almost every passenger shot up, some mumbling how they too had a tight connection to make. Maybe they did. But it seemed like the whole plane had to make a tight connection.

Across the aisle from me, a WWII veteran sat, looking down, shaking his head in disappointment. His wife held his hand, gently tapping it in a consoling kind of way.

Another veteran in civilian clothing sat right next to me. His high and tight haircut gave him away as military. He turned to me and said, “This type of shit happens all of the time to us.”

After the “tight connections, too” passengers had cleared the plane, around 50 of us remained. It was a show respect for the military family. As they exited, we clapped and thanked them for their service.

Air travel triggers a change in people’s behavior.

Cramped quarters, tight connections, fear of flying, and even feelings of inequality stemming from class-based seating likely all contribute to these sad examples of human behavior.

I’ve witnessed a lot during my time in the air. I try to give my fellow passengers the benefit of the doubt. I chalk up the selfishness, anger, and irritation I’ve seen to the fact that nearly 60% of Americans haven’t flown in the past year and 18% have never flown in their lives. They are anxious and unprepared for circumstances that will likely occur on a plane (like the toddler behind them kicking their seat or a delayed flight making them miss their connection). Even slow internet connections can set people off.

When you board the airplane with the right mindset, you realize almost any negative circumstance that happens doesn’t have to ruin your day or the day of the passengers.

In hopes of making your next flight go more smoothly, here’s my short list.

1. Safety first, customer service second

As much as airlines want you to have a good experience on their planes, your pilot and crew’s number one priority is safety. I fly often and while I’m not scared of cruising a few miles up in the air, I do occasionally think about the risks even though they’re low.

On a flight returning to the US from Europe, I watched a passenger with an open palm violently hit the back side of the seat in front him when that passenger reclined. The passenger in front of him stood up angrily. They weren’t even speaking the same language, literally, only making the chaos worse. A few minutes later, the captain came out dawning his cap and holding a long black Mag Lite. He pointed the Mag Lite in sort of a threatening way at each of them while lecturing them that safety is first and that this was “My Plane with My Passengers.” He made it crystal clear that nothing was more important to the pilot than the safety of all passengers and the crew.

An airplane is not a five-star restaurant where you can give the chef and wait staff a piece of your mind because your steak was overdone. The bottom line is that when you are 37,000 feet over the Atlantic, the pilot is not going to take small measures to ensure passenger safety.

If you fly with a mindset of respect for the pilot, crew and fellow passengers as well as an understanding of their priorities, you’ll have a much better experience.

2. You are not general manager of the sky

In my many in-flight experiences I think I have seen almost everything.

There was the time a woman was removed from a flight (not physically removed, however) because she yelled into a flight attendant’s face for not properly handling the urn that contained her mother’s ashes.

A guy sitting next to me placed his dirty bare feet on the wall of the bulkhead in first class. One passenger placed his bags underneath the seat in front of mine while another passenger in first class refused to put his man-purse under the seat in front of him to make room for another passenger’s roller bag in the overhead bins.

Each of those times (well maybe except for one), I had to resist any instinct to put on my manager hat and take care of the situation. Each flight is staffed with a well-trained crew that is equipped to handle any issues that pose a threat to the safety and comfort of you and your fellow passengers. Step back and let them do their jobs.

3. The first Monday morning flight is your best bet

That early wakeup may be painful, but a 6am flight on Monday morning has been my flight of choice for years. It beats waking up on a Sunday morning knowing that you need to schedule your day around flying out. Plus, when Monday morning rolls around, only the hardy few take that flight along with me, so airport traffic is minimal and flights depart on time.

Your fellow passengers are often other frequent flyers, so you’re usually surrounded by high performer go-getters and people who have done this plenty of times before.

Your flight attendants offer great service because most of the other passengers are asleep and the airport and onboard wi-fi is fast. I may be exhausted by Monday night, but my day is much more productive. I try to follow up an early morning like this with a solid 8 or more hours of sleep the next night.

4. Give up your seat to someone more deserving

Seat space on airlines isn’t getting any bigger. American Airlines announced that they were shrinking economy legroom from an already tight 31 inches to an even tighter 29 inches — only one-inch larger than low-budget airlines like Spirit. As airlines try to add more seats to increase their bottom line, those stuck in the back often endure uncomfortable seating.

If you’re lucky enough to get upgraded, especially if you’re a Delta Diamond Medallion or AAdvantage Elite, pay it forward. Be willing to give your more comfortable seat with better service to veterans, the disabled, or the elderly. They deserve it.

5. Choose an airline and stick with it

Getting status on an airline as quickly as possible means you’ll get preferential treatment during your flights. While airline credit cards such as Delta Skymiles or Citi AAdvantage help with waiving baggage fees and priority boarding, the only way to get preferential treatment is to fly with the same airline as much as possible.

As long as it meets my company’s travel budget, I choose layovers as opposed to direct flights, take longer haul red-eyes to earn more miles (and get sleep), and purposely choose the middle seat if it means I can stick with my preferred airline.

If you choose an airline but then have a poor experience or two, just remember that every other airline screws up too. Having status with the airline simply makes the screw-ups (and all of them have them) less painful.

6. Purchase TSA-Precheck

You will save precious minutes at the security screening by having access to special lanes at the airport. Leave the laptop in the bag and with your shoes on, walk through the metal detector.

$85 for a 5-year membership. The government should double the fee just for the convenience.

7. Embrace the peace and quiet

This may seem contradictory in light of all the hassles we’ve already talked about. But those hours on board a plane is one of the few times you can completely disconnect from non-personalized, mostly irrelevant media these days.

Avoid watching useless hours of in-flight entertainment. The content is no where near what you have at home or can stream.

Instead, put on some headphones with relaxing music, an audiobook or podcast (download these before your flight). You should make use of at least half of the flight to read, listen, write, and plan. Take advantage of the mostly tech-free hours and don’t waste them.

A few products to ease your journey

To wrap things up, here are my travel essentials that will help you improve your 500mph commute:

  • Water — Most of us don’t drink enough of it and flying for several hours in a cabin pressurized at 6,000 ft (depending on your aircraft), you will exit the plane more dehydrated than you entered it.
  • Beats Wireless Headphones — There’s something about the deeper base on these things that calms the nerves.
  • Tumi Eye Mask— They enhance your ability to get R.E.M sleep. These are critical for the red eye.
  • North Face Pullover or Brooks Brothers Vest — These are versatile for both keeping warm on cold planes or rolled up as a lower back pillow.
  • Patagonia carry-on - This is an essential bag for overnight trips. When you’re doing more than an overnight, it still serves as an effective bag for your laptop and headphones and other essentials. Most importantly, it fits in all overhead bins and under the seat.
  • Wintergreen or spearmint gum — Bad breath can affect all of us. Chewing gum can also help you cope with pressure changes.
  • Wool socks — Especially important for a red-eye and winter months. Cold feet makes for an uncomfortable plane ride.
  • Book of your choice (analog, not digital)

Looking for more travel insights? https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgreco/

Christopher Greco

Written by

Success isn’t final, Failure isn’t fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts. - Churchill

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