26 Facts You Didn’t Plan For About Air Travel

From one infrequent flier to another, it’s hardly worth worrying about, right? You’d be surprised. The outsiders’ guide to the uncommon flier.

What do I need to know about air travel? That’s the question I often asked fellow travelers as my party and I flew Southwest airlines to reach a conference late. Quick and painless, we thought it felt. Security was my biggest question, yet reader, they let me take through food. No, security was not problematic. But did you know that Southwest flight staff get precedence over handicapped customers for Radisson hotel shuttles? Neither did we. Did you know that they think a little free chocolate makes up for poor service? Neither did we. I even discovered that my luggage went missing! Welcome to a 31-hour trip with Southwest from Reno, Nev to Philadelphia, Pa for the National Affiliation of College and University Residence Halls NACURH 2016 conference.

1. Bag Check-in Was Easy

11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 23, 2016, my party of delegates from the University of Nevada, Reno arrived at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. With tickets pre-purchased, we showed our IDs at bag check-in, and we were good to go. Meanwhile, I stood there in line munch on Archie’s burger and fries with my belongings beside me. When we got to the desk, I took a bag tag and filled out my contact info to place on my bag handle.

2. No Wait to Security

After checking in our luggage with Southwest on that Thursday morning, my party continued through the airport on our way to security. We navigated mazes near devoid of people. Considering we came to the airport two hours before our flight time, the lack of waiting quite surprised me.

3. You’re Allowed to Bring Food through Security

By the time my party reaches security, I have my pillows, blanket, and jacket under one arm and my to-go box in the other. As I happily munch along, we figure I’ll have to throw away my food. But as it happens, the clerk checking us into the security area just has me set down the food so she can scan my ticket, then she cheerfully hands it right back. (I do, however, have to down my entire water bottle, however.)

4. Security Was Quick and Painless

Despite the fact that I had a thing in most every cargo shorts pocket of mine, moving through the security convey belt sections felt easy enough. I set the bedding things I held into one bin, I set my backpack beside another, I took my laptop out of the pack and set it in a bin, I took off my shoes and set them in a bin with the mountains of trinkets from my pockets, then I took off my belt and buckle to proceed through the body scanner. While I couldn’t hold my shorts up while I passed through the scanner, I didn’t particularly mind. The Sci-Fi pod did a quick swoop, then I stepped out to a security official. He smiled and gave me the OK to go collect my things. (Pro Tip: empty your pockets into your backpack ahead of time, and empty that water bottle ahead too!)

5. Plenty of Outlets at the Gate

Contrary to popular belief, few issues arose when glancing for a power outlet at the airport gate. I found plenty open ones and promptly went to charging my phone and its battery pack (while scribbling down this story!) Of all five airports this trip took us to, at not one did I find trouble getting to a power outlet. (Granted, we had not traveled during a particularly hectic holiday season.)

6. Our Flight Was Delayed to where We Would Miss Our Transfer

We hear over the speakers about our flight facing minor delays, so we wait longer. Now things get weird. Our scheduled plane from Reno to Las Vegas encounters malfunctions, so the flight we have gets delayed for hours.

7. We Wait in Line 2 Hours to Modify Our Flight

Knowing we would miss our connection, my advisor waits in a growing 2-hour wait line to see a clerk about changing our flight. Since we have a conference to attend the next day, we negotiate fly to fly that night Phoenix, Ariz. Instead of Las Vegas. Southwest puts us in hotel rooms in Arizona.

8. Savvy Consumers Camp the ‘Buy Tickets’ Button Online

As it happens, Southwest boards passengers by purchase order, 15 at a time. Therefore, people who want to pick seats first, reload that purchase site until it lets them buy. Even in the first few minutes, 40 purchases went just like that!

9. We Can Leave for Food and Come Back

With our new flight scheduled, my party just leaves the airport, gets some Taco Bell, then comes back by 6 p.m. We have to come back through security, but otherwise, the process feels painless.

10. Missing Child Alerts Sound like Tornado Sirens

While we continue to wait for our flight, numerous cell phones suddenly ring with a loud, obnoxious sound as though a Tornado Watch had been announced. Instead, the notice was for a missing child. Still, the event felt quite peculiar.

11. Flight Attendants Perform for You

Finally, we boarded our plane. As the plane began to taxi to the runway, the flight attendant mimed a little show for us. I expect the act came out of the days flying was more about showmanship than simply getting from Point A to Point B. Still, there at the front of the cabin a scarf-wearing attendant silently acted out how to use flight safety mechanisms while another gave a voice-over – all this while the engine hummed and the plane crept to the runway. Seeing the show for the first time felt surreal, frankly.

12. Wi-Fi’s Not Free; Is Airplane Mode Even Enforced?

One might as well expect it, but plane Wi-Fi on Southwest comes at a price. Luckily, data seems to work alright in most cases. I had no idea how or if attendants could check whether our devices were in airplane mode, but I decided not to push it. (I had this journal on me, anyway.)

13. Labeled Checked Bags Go Missing Anyway

When my party arrives at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, we get our handicapped passenger in a wheelchair then march to luggage pick-up. In time, the others’ suitcases appeared. Mine never did. We spoke to the missing luggage desk, who assumed my luggage must have gone to Philadelphia on the original flight we transferred from. Thus, I went the night without my allergy medication, toiletries, or even a change of clothes.

14. Southwest Rapid Rewards Are Easy to Sign-Up For

While we walked from baggage claim to shuttle services, we took our flight tickets and registered for Rapid Rewards off our phones. The process was quite straightforward, so if you happen to fly Southwest, do get in on those benefits! (Not a sponsor, just wanted to point this out.)

15. Calling Ahead to Request a Shuttle Doesn’t Guarantee a Spot on It

We take the advice of airport staff and call the Radisson hotel to request our shuttle. We let them know we have a handicapped traveler among us. When that shuttle arrives, however, the driver goes right past us. Numerous others swarm from around the platform and start boarding where he parks. Because of our handicapped situation, we cannot mobilize to the shuttle quickly enough to get a spot. We explain to the driver about our situation of flight changes and Southwest’s room reservations for us, but he returns our pleas with an indifferent shake of his head. He says he will get us on the next passing. So we wait.

16. Southwest Flight Staff Gets Precedence over Handicapped Passengers for Hotel Shuttles

Between the time it takes for the shuttle to come back, a mass of black-and-white outfitted professionals arrive at the platform – flight crew members. When the driver rolls up again, he pulls past us again, and the flight crew swarms him. Without even a mention about his promise to us, he helps flight staff load their luggage onto his vehicle. Frustrated, we insist to the driver that he promised us a spot on this shuttle. He replies indifferently, leaving us standing there once more. Twice now, two parties went right past us, despite both Southwest’s and the Radisson hotel’s knowledge of our handicapped passenger. So much for customer service.

17. Evidently Chocolate Makes Up for Outrageous Service

By the time we arrive at the Radisson, the hour nears midnight, and the hotel staff does little to accommodate for us. Our advisor explains the situation to our desk attendant, who looks visibly upset about the news of service. In response, he offers each of us some bars of chocolate. He also says the bar’s open, but we’re not 21-years-old, and we frankly don’t want his business. Meanwhile, someone from flight crew approaches the desk to express complaints about what looks like an impressive dinner in the room. Southwest forces us to stay overnight in Phoenix when we should be at our conference already, and they don’t even offer us a meal. I may not be an expert on customer service, but my parents certainly raised me with the idea that you make right when you wrong somebody. I’m not sure how chocolate equates to having called ahead for a shuttle, then watching twice that shuttle discriminatorily pass you by and take first the passengers who came second and third.

18. No Time to Sleep-In; No Food

We rose at 4 a.m. to get set for the 6 a.m. flight Southwest put us on. We could have already been at our destination today, but instead he we were getting set for another plane. The Radisson did not have breakfast of course, so those of us who wanted food had to buy it at the airport – great, more service to the industry that’s just been swindling.

19. Flight Crews Vary a Lot between Flights

Turns out different flight crews have a lot of discretion with how they treat passengers. This time’s Southwest flight had a hospitable staff who offered repeatedly to give us extra snacks or drinks as we pleased. While it could have been because we were on a longer flight, the fact that they were so generous was a welcome service. On some flights, an attendant even offered to fill my water bottle! And on another flight, the attendant put on a light show for passengers. (That plane was a newer model than another.)

20. You Can Try Bloody Mary and Margarita mixes on Southwest

Complimentary Flight Food? Not Too Shabby. Options included complimentary peanuts, pretzels, cookies, Cheese Nips, and Wheat Thins along with a number of soft drinks and other beverages. No lemonade, surprisingly enough. But the free non-alcoholic drinks were alright. Bloody Mary tasted much like a sweeter cold tomato juice and Margarita like a popsicle I’d had before. Neat choices.

21. My Checked Bag Wasn’t in Philadelphia

As we mentioned in #13, my checked bag went missing. As it happens, the staff in Phoenix had not coordinated very well with the staff in Philadelphia, because my bag still had not been on the flights that came through to Philadelphia from Las Vegas that day. Ultimately, my party had to leave the airport to catch a shuttle to our destination before we could find get the suitcase. I would have to go another day without my belongings.

22. Baggage Claim Buzzers Sound like Fire Alarms

For whatever reason, baggage claim belts have these blaring lights and sirens whenever they’re about to start moving. Sure, there’s a safety component involved – but the alarms really are grating. More mild sounds could easily get the job done, I’m sure. People visibly jolt when that screeching starts!

23. Airports Hardly Have Food Outside Security; Staff Misinforms

By the time my party made it to Philadelphia International Airport, we were hungry. Waiting for our shuttle, we decided to go look for food. Talking to an official outside the security gate, she told us there were two dining places down by baggage claim – awesome. But when we got to baggage claim and found no food, we asked an attendant there. She dismisses us as though the thought of a food place being nearby was an absurd thought. So we went without food again. Some in our party walked off to find a place outside the airport, but the fact that we could not find food service there was irksome. (To be fair, the rating of we Googled for Philadelphia International Airport could point out these troubles are more because of this specific airport rather than applying to most.)

24. You Can’t Take Photos of Flight Crews

Turns out it’s illegal to photograph flight crews without permission. (I overheard this nugget while staff was explaining to a passenger who saw the ‘safety show’ described at #11.) I guess it has to do with privacy or something, though the rule sounded needlessly strict. In a digital age like this, where flight attendants seem to be recorded on YouTube left and right, I would have expected a bit more obvious display of the policy, rather than a quietly stern explanation to a confused passenger.

25. Flight Crews Can Let Passengers Serve Passengers

On our return trip from Philadelphia, this flight crew had the greatest discretion I’d ever seen. In #17, we mentioned staff has lots of freedom. Well on this flight, the attendant just called up a few members from the UNLV delegation and one of our guys to help pass out snacks. We had fun with it, of course, but the fact that they were even allowed to do so surprised me. Turns out one of his recruits was even majors in hospitality!

26. Airport Standards Vary Significantly

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, for example, does random carry-on bag checks. No other airport we visited on our trip, whether it was Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport or Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Nevada airports had slot machines, too, so gambling varied there. Radio stations reflected local cultures. Even security officials varied, though. As we noted in #4, security was painless in Reno. Yet such was not the case in Atlanta, where I was pat-down because my pants had lots of zippers. Weird things.

Epilogue

Ultimately, my party and I arrived to the NACURH conference a quarter after 8 p.m. We missed the day’s philanthropy events as well as dinner, go figure. After check-in, we came into the opening ceremony late. My suitcase arrived in Philadelphia the next day at noon. During the first day at conference, a friend let me borrow her shirt, for which I am grateful. Our advisor had to pick up the luggage for us during lunch. But at least we got it.

Let it be said that, like people, not every airport fits negative stereotypes about airports. Likewise, just one nice place doesn’t make the next one nicer. Rather, some places match the myths, and many don’t. (For the record, no one sponsored this article.) Let’s try to avoid overgeneralizing where we can. Otherwise, we risk burying good people – instead, spread and share these messages about the wrongs and what deserves to be made right. May we serve our fellow fliers well!