Tips for flying for the first time
Traveling by plane is not strange to all people. However, you should pay attention to prepare carefully, especially some related documents to avoid troubles making you miss your flight. DichungTaxi hopes that this article "The first time flight proceduces" will help you have a perfect journey.
Brief:
What should you prepare before going to airport?
- Buy flight ticket
- Needed documents
- Luggage
- What should you do at airport?
- Check-in
- Departure procedures
- Security checks
- Boarding
- Landing
- Immigration procedures
- Take your luggage
- Go out airport
In this article, DichungTaxi try to update all newest information and procedures when traveling by plane. However, this article may be not completely exact to all cases, if you need any further assistance, DichungTaxi is very pleasure to answer you all. Now, let's get started with the first step.
What should you prepare before going to airport?
Buy your flight ticket
You can book flight ticket directly from aviation firms or some agencies. Booking through agencies or a long time in advance is usually cheaper.
If you are online regularly, you can save more on firm's promotions. However, this flight tickets are limited in some cases such as short suitable time, luggage weigh restriction, no refunds or cancelations.
Necessary documents
Before going to airport, you must prepare the following documents:
- Flight ticket
- ID with domestic flight and passport with international flight
- Visa if your arrival needed
Now some countries are visa-free for Vietnam citizens within 30 days such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Kyrgyzstan, Panama, Ecuador, Jeju Island (Korea), Taiwan....
- Cash to pay tax at departure airport.
Some Asian Airport such as Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi), Don Muang Airport (Bangkok)... require airport charges and fees if departing from. Usually this charge is counted by this country's currency so you need to have some cash available to avoid money exchange at airport.
Luggage
Due to security issue, you are not allowed to bring dangerous items such as knives, scissors, explosive materials,... In addition, each aviation firm has other regulations of prohibited items, you shoud read more information of firm you bought your ticket.
Your luggage you have is seperated into hand/cabin luggage and checked luggage:
- Hand/ cabin luggage is what you bring by your side boarding. The hand luggage may be limited on weigh, height and amount, dependent upon each firm.
- Checked luggage which is usually heavy, bulky, refers to the items of luggage delivered to an airline in the hold of an aircraft. This luggage is limited by airlines with regard to size, weight, and number, usually dependent upon the fare paid, or class of ticket. Luggage exceeding the limits is required additional fee.
After preparing, you should go to airport at least 2 hours in advance with domestic flight and 2.5-3 hours with international flight to check-in ontime.
What should you do at airport?
Check-in
At Departure area, you go to departure counters of the firm you buy your ticket. Check-in time ussually start 3 hours and end 40 minutes before departing. If you want to choose your seat, you should queue up early. You can choose window seat and aisle seat if available.
In addition, business class and First class tickets have seperately check-in counter. Only when the passengers of this class checked-in already, other class tickets can check-in here.
Counter staff will check your ticket, ID or passport/visa, and your luggage's weight and dimensions.
After that, you will receive boarding pass, your related documents and ticket stubs of checked luggage. Boarding pass includes your information, departure lounge, seat number.
In case of transit, the staff may check your connecting flights, so you should pay attention to not confuse boarding passes and they will notice you whether your checked luggage automatically follows or not.
If airport charges other fees, you should pay in advance to save time.
Departure procedures
You need to do departure procedures with international flights. Sercurity check is before or after this step depent on airport.
You show your passport/visa to customs staff to mark or take out out-date visa/ related documents.
Security check
Your hand luggage is scrolled through scanner and you will go through an checking gate. Metal things such as keys or mobile phone, ... you should take out and put in trap to scroll through scanner.
After this step you are completely finished all procedures. You can go to departure lounge written in your boarding pass.
Boarding
Before departure time 30 minutes, you will queue up to departure gate, you give staff your boarding pass and they will take boarding pass sturb and return left part of your boarding pass to you. With the big airport you will go by bus to airplane.
On the flight
When boarding, you need to sit on the seat number written on your boarding pass. You can contact the staff by push a button above your seat. When the plane takes off/lands off or bad weather, you need to fasten you seat belt and do not use electronic devide.
Prepare for take-off...
Before your plane takes off, there are some procedures to go through that may be alarming if this is your first time flying, but all of these are completely routine and contribute to safety on board. You'll be shown how to buckle your seat belt, what the different lights on the seat ahead of you mean, and what to do in an emergency. Remember, every flight has to go through this process, partly due to the existence of first-time flyers like yourself!
You may be worried about the sensation of taking off, as the thought of a heavy metal object suddenly taking to the sky can seem unnatural. While you may rationally understand the laws of physics behind the event, it's worth preparing yourself for the feeling, which is a bit like being in a car when someone accelerates very quickly, pushing you into the back of your seat.
After about 25 seconds you will feel the plane start to lift, and if it's daytime, you'll see the ground getting further away - you may find it fascinating to see your town from the air for the first time! It's normal to feel some bumps while the plane is still climbing, so don't worry - see our article on airplane turbulenceto find out more about the facts behind those common bumps.
After a certain point, the plan reaches cruise altitude which is usually the highest it will get. Generally speaking the higher you go the smoother the ride, so this is when the captain will tend to turn off the seat-belt signs and you can get up and stretch your legs or visit the loo.
Food and Entertainment
Depending on your airline and duration of the flight, you may be served one or more meals on the plane, as well as drinks (including a limited amount of alcohol) and snacks. You'll already know if these refreshments are included, as you'll have been asked about your dietary requirements when you booked the flight. If you weren't asked, food and drink will normally be served but you will have to pay extra for it. Don't worry if you forgot to bring cash: most planes are now equipped with electronic card readers.
If you're flying budget, don't be too disappointed if the entertainment is limited to a single, tiny TV screen and some scratch cards - for this reason we recommend you bring your own books, music and anything else allowed on board that will help you to pass the time.
Landing off
It's upon to your flight, if:
- You transit where is not related to next destination (different visa), for example from Hanoi to Amsterdam, transit at Singapore: HAN - SIN - AMS, if you have boarding pass of connecting flight (SIN - AMS), you can go to departure lounge, in case of you need to check-in connecting flight, you should go to transfer desk to ask and check-in.
- You transit where is same visa with next destination, for example from Hanoi to NewYork (American), transit at Los Angeles (American): HAN - LA - NY, you need to do immigration procedures at LA before going connecting
