posted by Travel Cat on May 8
This is the beginners guide to going on a long haul flight on a Charter plane, which means it’s full of sunshine seekers off for 2 weeks of doing nothing! Scheduled flights are much more civilised and customer friendly and run to a timetable like buses - whereas Charter flights are all about the money, so be prepared to have the staff wheeling their trolleys up and down the plane almost every half hour with something to tempt you with!
So lets start here from the minute you book your trip, which leads on to the next post from when you in the Departure Lounge buying your Tax Free shopping…..
Getting the paperwork
Normally the paper work will arrive in dribs and drabs depending on how much in advance you booked it, but you normally only receive the actual tickets 2 weeks before you depart.
Make sure you check all the details on every piece you receive, especially the first set of documents (usually printed by your travel agent) as this is where changes can be made free of charge. If you fail to spot even 1 letter wrong in the spelling of your name for example you could be charged around $70/£35 to get it corrected outside of this time window.
Before you go
Make sure you have checked details from your airport and flight company regarding hold baggage weights as there can be penalty charges for overweight luggage. You can combine luggage weight with more than one person in your party, but each individual bag cannot be over 32kg in weight. Also check their hand luggage requirements of size and contents. For security, there are a large number of items that you are not allowed to carry on to the plane, so unless you want them confiscated at security, make sure they are in your suitcase!
Leaving for the airport
Make sure that you have unplugged and switched off everything in your house you don’t need for the time you are away, and leave everything you do need on, preferably on a timer so as not to waste electricity and to make it look like someone is actually in if security is an issue for you.
It is advisable that you have your passport, your travel tickets, and visa or entry documents and any booking details in a separate folder to your hand luggage, as you will probably need these at various points during check-in and take-off and you will save time if they are readily accessible and all in the same place. Keep your house-keys in your hand luggage as well as anything you may need on the plane such as medication and food etc. It is possible your luggage will not arrive at your hotel with you, so you must carry anything essential with you.
Outside the airport
Before you enter the airport itself, have your last cigarette! In most developed countries you may not be allowed to smoke inside the airport itself. Some do allow smoking in certain areas, but you should check in advance for these as it may not be an option. Either way, once you are walking down to your departure gate you cannot smoke again until you have cleared customs and found your way out of the airport in your destination country which could be in 5 hours time, could be 12.
Check-in desk
You will need to head for the departures terminal and find out what desk your flight is checking in from, and get over to their queue - making sure you have the correct flight number showing on their desks and that you are not in the wrong part - they normally have separate economy, premium and first class check in desks so watch the monitors for a few minutes to see all the options. Here you will need to weigh-in your bags for the hold and answer a few security questions about your luggage.
You will need to present the staff with your passport and tickets here. This is where you can ask for window or aisle seats as they are about to allocate your position on the plane. Check the seating arrangement for your plane before you get there as your seat placement can affect your in-flight enjoyment - if you want to sleep, make sure that you are not in a seat that blocks access to the aisle for other passengers otherwise they are going to keep waking you up getting in and out, alternatively if you like to keep getting up, make sure you don’t have to keep climbing over other passengers to do so.
You can book certain seats in advance, mainly for extra leg room on charter flights, otherwise it is a first-come first-served basis. If you turn up late to check in, you may not even get seats together with your party. Sometimes not a bad thing! The assistant here will then tag your luggage and send it off to the hold then issue you with a boarding pass, showing your seat numbers.
Security Checks
Now you have to make your way to the security checks which lead to the departure lounge. Some airports have shops and restaurants outside of the security gate and you can stay out here for a while and use these facilities, but your shopping won’t be tax free and you won’t be able to see details about your flight such as delays and departure times. It is always advised that you are in the departure lounge as soon as possible after checking in and definitely an hour before your flight time as shown on your ticket.
To get through security you will need your passport only, and you will usually be filmed or photographed as you go through here. This is the stage where they x-ray your hand luggage, shoes and personal belongings including your coat, and where you yourself pass through a metal detector. You empty your pockets of coins and mobile phones, etc, into a tray and this passes through with your bag. Basically anything metal should come off of you. If you set off the metal detector you will be asked to step aside and be checked more thoroughly with a hand held device.
If there is a doubt over what is in your hand-luggage you will be taken to one side for security personal to individually check the items in your bag. It could be as simple as too much liquid, a pair of tweezers or just a shadow formed by the way it was packed. Anything ‘illegal’ here such as flammable items, blades or just too much liquids (including your personal toiletries) will be taken from you here as you cannot take them on the flight and it is too late now to put them in your hold baggage.
However, once through these checks you are in the departure lounge and can relax.
