Re: Flying for the first?
 

-It is ok to tell the self-important person sitting next to you that turning off the cell phone means him too. Or push the call button above you and when the flight attendants arrive, point to him.
-Most travel is summer involves delays of some kind. They are the rule rather than the exception. I just flew back from the west coast. I arrived home only 4 hours late. My husband, on a different flight, arrived home 19 hours late
-If you sit towards the rear, you encounter less crying babies. That said, I once flew with my youngest when he was about 6 months old. The ascent and descent really affects the pressure in their ears. So everyone said, give him a bottle. After the bottle, he had his little head on my shoulder and then proceeded to barf all over the impeccably dressed woman in a business suit next to me. Right down to the leather briefcase she had open on her lap....
-There is a lot of noise associated with the wheels going up and down. It is all normal.
-If you are flying Southwest (my favorite airline), check in online 24 hours in advance to get in the first boarding group.
-It's always good to pack light and carry-on. Bring socks to wear on the plane, especially if you have a window seat where there is often a blast of cold air. (hopefully not coming through the window ;) )
-You will need to show a photo id and your boarding pass to get through security. After security, put the id away. You won't need it.
-Have a great time! Ken is right. It really is amazing.
-

Re: Flying for the first?
 

I have found that on really long flights, (Minnesota to London) it is great to just go to sleep on the plane.

Re: Flying for the first?
 

I've lately been a fan of the train, but some of the concepts remain similar:

1) If your airport has free wifi, get it while it lasts. Unless you've got a monstrous layover, paying for it just isn't worth it.

2) Never, EVER, leave your bags unattended. Uncomfortable as it may be at times (have you ever tried to shoehorn two pieces of luggage, a bookbag, and yourself into a bathroom stall at Penn Station? I've done it), you just don't want to risk having anything removed (or added!) to your bag. (My advice: If you're in the situation of having to take luggage into the bathroom, try and wait for one of the wheelchair-accessible stalls. The extra space is definitely an advantage.)

3) About midflight, take a moment to stretch your legs. It'll help.

4) Gum is good. Matter of fact, food in general is good; most airlines will let you bring your own on board. (Of course, when I flew Independence Air, I was fine with the bag of chips and a soda to hold me over until I landed whereever I was landing. YMMV.)

5) If you're only doing carry-on, the kiosks are generally faster. (I've never tried checking bags with a kiosk, so I can't vouch for that.)

6) Bring some good over-the-ear headphones. Even if you don't have an CD or MP3 player, the person sitting next to you will invariably have theirs turned to 11.

Re: Flying for the first?
 

Does anyone besides me love the smell of airports?
I love it.
And, there are often murals/history/art displays in the airports -
I was looking at one display yesterday morning at 6 a.m. in the Austin airport. It was a tribute to the flying airmen and women spanning the decades. In one display case there was a red satin 'flag' with a poem for Mother printed on it. It was very old with gold and red cording. I had never seen one before and was very surprised and touched.

Re: Flying for the first?
 

You'll have a great time! Just remember to relax and enjoy the experience!

I took a trip with my mom last summer, and while it wasn't the first time we had flown individually, it was the first time we'd gone together.

My top five list of things to have:

1. GUM! or hard candy if you can't do gum. I have a really bad time with the altitude/pressure change, and gum really helps re-balance the eardrums.
2. Benedryl... or other mild antihistamine. Same reason as Gum, it opens up those passages that get blocked with the change in pressure. And for some reason it has an anti-nausea anti-motion sickness effect.
3. Bottle of water. They charge too much in the airport and the air in the airplane is always dry. Avoid the carbonated stuff, my son dropped on after it had been on the plane and it exploded everywhere in the airport.
4. A folder or wallet of some type that can hold your ticket, your itinerary, your id /passport. You will keep having to produce your id and ticket and you'll always want to look at your itinerary and check over and over again if you have your ticket, so it is handy if they are all together, when you tuck it in your carry-on.
5. Small notebook to journal with. My mom and I kept track of where we were, what we ate, what happened during the trip. When we put our notes together with photos and ticket stubs, etc we had a nice memory book.

Happy Trails!

Re: Flying for the first?
 

Gum is certainly key, water helps too. Somewhere I read that you get dehydrated quicker at high altitudes, and I can vouch for that being the case. Plus, if you have foreign citizenship, getting searched becomes much, much more likely, especially if you're going to another country. Every time after 9/11 that myself and my Dad have gone to Canada we have had 'random' baggage searches. (We both have Canadian citizenship) Walk relatively quickly through the metal detector (not suspiciously fast, though) it seems to help. The one time I set one off I moved slowly, and I usually have a belt and change and glasses. Get there with plenty of time too, it seems the closer you arrive to departure time the higher your chance of a 'random' baggage search. As for how long or difficult security is, that varies greatly from airport to airport. (Sometimes within the same airport too) Unless you're flying Air Canada (or is it Canada Air?) bring food, because the plane's is usually terrible. (That is, unless Air Canada's food has gone down in quality from the last time I flew on it)

Re: Flying for the first?
 

one thing nobody has mentioned: squelch your sense of humor at the airport - dont joke around with the security guards or the airline people about guns or bombs or knives...

dont make any snide remarks - anything you say will be taken seriously, and if you make wise cracks about having a bomb you will not be flying on anything in the near future.

Re: Flying for the first?
 

I recommend packing food cause they cost money on the planes now. Also bring plenty to entertaine your self so you can stay sain. sleep is deffinetly an easy task but if you sleep lightly you will need stuff to do. talk to the people around you and see what is that they do maybe you will have something in common.

Re: Flying for the first?
 

Never tell your team advisor its your first time on a plane

Re: Flying for the first?
 

During takeoff, try to visualize the amount of power that the engines must be putting out to move your plane to takeoff speed. Feel the power of the engines push you into your seat and hear the engines race as they increase their thrust. It pretty amazing once you think about it...
Also, while traveling through the air, start a conversation with another passenger. It will pass the time and you will be preparing to land before you know it. I find that talking about robotics will interest people of any age group.
For myself, it helps to bring cartoon books to keep yourself smiling and in a good mood. Makes the flight more enjoyable. Que tengas un buen viaje!

(Spanish: have a nice trip)

Re: Flying for the first?
 

Sometimes you will find something neat like this: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/25257?

Wetzel

Re: Flying for the first?
 

Depends on how long the flight is. But, ALL of the advice above is quite good.

In any case: a whole pack of gum for each ascent and descent.

Pack only the things you absolutely need - medicines, glasses, and maybe a book (long flights) in your carry on. Lost luggage is unlikely, but make sure the suitcase doesn't contain anything you'll need for a day or two in the very worst case.

Don't be frightened. Planes move funny and make strange noises compared to cars and robots. Fact: The most dangerous part of your trip is the car ride to the airport. Clunks, thumps and occasional fast up or down movements are normal. Landings are always bumpy and the plane often tilts to the side at the last moment (to counteract a crosswind).

Don't wear any perfume or other odors. Others on the plane are in close proximity, and may be sensitive.

I like Gabe's comments. Try it, it really is fun. Same on landing: After the plane touches down, it kind-of bounces slightly, and then they put on the BRAKES. Wow.

Arrive early at the airport. 2 hours waiting is better than missing the flight.

Once you're cruising, you'll want snacks - but avoid sugary snacks, they will make you hyper and trapped in a seat with nowhere to burn off the energy. Water too. Get up and walk around, it'll do you good. Just like being on the ground, there's little sensation of flight usually.

If you must use the restroom on board, early in the flight is less unpleasant than later. Interesting experience, though. Keep your hands clean! Germs abound.

I agree with the advice to tell the flight attendant as soon as you sit down it's your first. Most passengers - especially the business types - are experienced and can help explain what's about to happen if you get frightened.

Dramamine, if for any reason you have even slight motion sickness.

Get a window seat. I have flown all over the world, and it never gets uninteresting to look out (except over clouds). Even in the middle of the ocean, you see the occasional ship.

Good luck and enjoy the trip.

Don

Re: Flying for the first?
 

I will say first that I hate flying and prefer not to............one reason you've never seem me at the Championships ;)

I've only flown when the company I work for needed me to but, it is kinda cool, especially what Gabe and Don said. When I was at O'Hare taking off to go back to Connecticut (Bradley) the plane taxied for 20 minutes. The plane actually crossed one of the highways in Chicago by crossing an overpass! I watched the cars pass under us from my window. You can feel the tar joints as the plane keeps crossing them. The plane would start speeding up, hitting the tar joints harder and harder and I'm thinking here we go we're about to take off when it'd slow down again and turn. This went on for 15 - 20 minutes, by this time I started thinking the pilot was going to drive all the way to CT! After turning for the countless time the plane started speeding up again and I suddenly became aware of the fact I couldn't feel us hitting the tar joints anymore. I looked out my window and the ground was dropping away, the wheels were no longer touching the ground. We could then feel being pushed back into the seat as the nose of the plane went up.

On another flight the pilot tuned the conversation he was having with the control tower to a channel on our headsets, we could listen as they were talking during takeoff and landing. He would also come on the PA at times and tell us what cities and bodies of water we were flying over.

Re: Flying for the first?
 

In the not so distance past, several of the airlines would give a little pin in the shape of wings to first time fliers and children. That might be a neat keepsake - ask your flight attendant if they still give out wings. I think you have to be good but I'm not sure ;)