If you’re planning to fly to a foreign destination on holiday this year, the one major obstacle you’d need to overcome before getting there is the airport! Majority of people find airports unpleasantly crowded, slow and expensive to reach. However, there are some simple ways you can use to ensure a smooth airport experience. Let’s go through some of them below.
LOOK FOR A CONVENIENT CAR PARK
In case you would be driving to the airport, it’s important that you keep a close watch on the different parking offers made available by agency and airport websites. In most cases, the deals start appearing normally within a week of the departure date. These deals involve reduced parking rates for short-term car parks and/or even valet parking services. You can expect an ultra-smooth experience if you’re travelling through one of the most celebrated airports of the world. The rates for these car parks is normally between two-times the price of a long-term space to around £ 20. While for some it’s a heavy price to pay to save 30 minutes or so, but if you’re someone who dreads the wait for the transfer bus, and doesn’t want to lug his/her suitcase from car to terminal and back, it’s definitely an amount worth shelling out.
In case you would be driving to the airport, it’s important that you keep a close watch on the different parking offers made available by agency and airport websites include parking access which offers great deals at safe off-site lots. In most cases, the deals start appearing normally within a week of the departure date.
AVOID WEEKEND TRAVEL
Airports are normally most pleasant and at their quietest best between 11 AM to 4 PM on weekdays. Booking a flight during these times can also be a pocket-friendly affair as the fares would be comparatively cheaper.
USE LOCAL AIRPORTS
Small regional and local airports are normally cheaper and more convenient to travel through compared to the big international ones. There are fewer queues, shorter check-in times and the parking costs are not over the top – a reason why they have risen tremendously in popularity over the years. You won’t even need to walk miles from the security point to the departure gate. Your luggage will also be retrieved more quickly.
So, if you stay in London, you’d be better off using the City Airport or even the one in Southampton, instead of Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or Luton. Talking about London, please avoid doing these 10 things when travelling in London.
CHECK-IN IN ADVANCE
Majority of the airlines allow printing out of the boarding pass in advance or even allow travellers to have the details ready on their mobile phones. Check-in is one aspect of airport experience which has become far more bearable in the recent years. Although there are many advantages of early check-in, please note, you might not be able to avoid a queue if you’re travelling with checked baggage. The only thing you can do in that case is arrive very early, ahead of everyone else. Better still – travel with the hand baggage only.
USE SHOP AND COLLECT SERVICE
Nowadays everyone tries keeping his/her hand baggage to the bare minimum, and hence airport shopping has lost its appeal over a period of time. However, some airports like Edinburgh, Stansted, Gatwick and Heathrow provide ‘Shop and Collect’ service as per which if you’re travelling within Europe, you can pay for the goods and have them stored at the airport, and collect them later upon your return.
