13 SECRET AIRPORT HACKS That Work in 2024 (NOBODY talks about these!)

How early should you go to an international airport for Air Canada flights? Some say 4 some say3 so which is it?

McCarran/ Harry Reid airport in Las Vegas does not allow drop off at the arrival point. The officers patrolling will ticket you and make you get back in the car. I've haven't done it but I have seen it happen while waiting to pick up someone

All good ideas, but one can't use curbsidecheck-in if flying internationally as passports need to be checked. Also, on my last two flights, they announced that those "fanny packs" were considered a personal item and it could be counted as an extra piece if one had a backpack and a carry-on.

Thank you Megan for your information to travel outside the country.

Since 2021, I have been using lounges. Like the SAS lounge in Stockholm or the American Airlines Admiral's Club in Chicago. Or the Maple Leaf Lounge in Frankfurt. United Airlines offers a great and affordable way to purchase a lounge pass for a day for any US airport.

Excellent video

Greece language;

If you travel in Europe be aware that budget airlines have exorbitant fees for airport check-in or even boarding pass printing. Always check in on line, and print your pass at home. If you're not at home and not sure you'll find a printing opportunity, then buy a selected seat. That allows you to check in 1 or 2 months in advance and even the highest seat price is smaller than their airport fees.

Grab seems like a good idea, but it’s not available for Toronto YYZ! Boo.

TSA Pre Check… is NOT THAT FAST!! They still MAKE YOU WAIT! Due to employee shortages PERHAPS!

Delta Airlines has a Great Lounge!

Excellent 😊

No need for a Flight Info app... just text yourself the Flight Number. If you click on it, you can select "Preview Flight" which shows up to date info.

I have used lounges before. Mostly with Delta, but with the new rules and less travel for me it’s much more difficult now. I have seen very long lines at a number of airports for Delta Lounges now.

Thanks! All good to know. You might want to re-edit this one.

I only have a backpack and a small purse like backpack even for a weeks trip.

Interesting to learn of the flight-delay compensation scam, if it indeed exists.

I never knew about the gate changes, till last month. 40 minute flight. Glad I checked online after printing my ticket.

I checked out the cost of TSA pre check and it says $78, but after filling out the form it came to $234. It was $149 for the application and $85 for something else. We will just wait in line.

You have cool tank tops

When we had a stopover in Denver with 1st class ticket, we were denied access to United lounge or pay $200 to go in.

Million miler here: Be wary of day passes for airline lounges. Many lounges have been at capacity recently as a result of staff shortages and cost containment. As a result, they are not always allowing access to day pass holders. They are granting priority to club members and elite/frequent flyers. You may encounter a sign posted at the lounge entrance that they are declining day passes or you may be told after you arrive at the reception desk. You may be better off to delay purchases of day passes until you arrive at the airport. The airline lounges are under no obligation to honor passes purchased from third parties such as sellers on Craigslist. If this happens to you, please be respectful to the employees at the lounge. There are enough Karens at the airport already.

Pro-tip from a Million Miler: Acts of nature are not covered by any airline’s legal compensation policies. For example, if a thunderstorm occurs that delays or cancels your flight, the airline can help you find the next available flight. Set your flight change notifications alerts on your phone so you can act quickly to make other arrangements. When a flight is cancelled, you are in a race against other passengers to secure another flight. Elite members will be given priority. You need to act fast. Flight disruptions due to weather do not obligate an airline to pay for food, lodging or transportation.

However if the delay or cancellation is the result of equipment failure or maintenance issues, there is an obligation if it results in a cancellation or a delay of several hours…i.e. NOT just 30 minutes or two hours. Please don’t moan about thunderstorms and how the airline owes you something…they do not. In fact, if a lightning strike occur with several miles of the airport, the airport is legally obligated to halt ground activities and get ground crews sheltered until it is safe to resume operations. Your travel is not worth risking an employee’s life.

Also, get on your gate no LATER than 15 minutes before departure. Most airlines will close the flight and lock the jetway door at that time. When the jetway door is closed, it will not be opened again. Yelling about it and pounding on the door (yes I have seen this behavior several times) will get you nowhere. You may be banned from travel or even arrested. Be nice. There’s always another flight coming up.

I didn't see Toronto Pearson on the Grab App

Thanks for sharing

best advice is driving up to airport - use arriving lanes for early AM! Awesome.

As someone who flew over 100k miles annually for the past several years (before and after COVID), I have never seen a physical boarding pass line vs a mobile boarding pass line. Ever.
On the other hand, mobile passport when coming back into the US is awesome.

Delta/Amex reimbursed me for the cost of TSA PreCheck. 👍
Even though I'm signed up with TSA
PreCheck, earlier this May, on a Delta/Areomexico flight to Merida, Yucatán, Mexico, when I attempted to access the TSA PreCheck gates, I was denied because, according to the TSA Security agent, "TSA PReCheck" was not printed on My paper ticket.
I don't know if the denial was due to it being a paper ticket, or because it was for a international flight.
Regardless, it was a pleasant flight. 👍

We have used airport lounges, especially on longer layovers. Once on the way home from Rome, we had 11 hours in London. Most of it was overnight so we walked around seeing the sights at night. When we got back to the airport, we went straight to the lounge. We were able to take a shower, have a nice breakfast, and get a nap before our flight back to the US. On another trip with my mom and sister, we had about 4 hours at LAX. I took them into the sky lounge. They had no idea these existed! My sister wanted to know if she could buy a ticket, fly to LAX just to have the great food in the lounge and then turn around and fly home 🙄. Especially when flying internationally and having to get to the airport 3+ hours early, the lounges are definitely worth it.

all if your tips & tricks are great - thank you for your videos !!

Knowing where the lounges are will provide free and better speed wifi, just being close to the lounge.

for most trips I can get away with my overhead carryon bag and my snowboarding backpack that I am able to cram under the seat. I once did a 5 day trip to Ireland with just that back pack.

why do you talk like that?

my best airport hack: we landed in another country and their customs area was severely under-staffed and super slow. We were herded into a line area like cattle, it was chaos and was going to take a minimum of 5+ hours to get through the line. I saw a woman getting wheelchaired through the line faster with her family, maybe she had issues due to the heat. I don't know. But I put on my mask, I came down with some health issues, and got a guy to wheelchair me ahead with my family, saving me like 5 hours in line. I gave him a 20 or 30 dollar tip, which was well worth it. So if you are stuck in some customs cluster, if you start having some health issue, they can get you through the line much faster. I arranged this with the worker, so there were no ambulances called or anything like that.

physical boarding pass is easier to scan.. you live in 2000?

you sure have some issues. lounges are not something you can just search and pay and get in if you aren't in those better cabins. same as what you talked about upgrade cabin as if that's somethign you can usually try and get. no, you don't. trying too hard to do those things only make you a laughing stock and causing blockage for others.
what about work harder and actually pay for the services you deserve?

Canadians have Nexus program that gives you Pre Check.

Text yourself airline code & flight number its best travel hack ever!

Several good points in this video. I have no sympathy for airlines, which are constantly adjusting prices according to their complicated mathematical algorithms. In the old days--not very long ago--all airlines charged the same fares for the same routes, which eliminated a lot of hassle for passengers (the Government enforced the rule). By way of comparison: If I go to a movie and all the seats are full, the theater doesn't charge me extra. And if an Interstate toll road has a lot of traffic on any particular day, I don't have to pay extra. I don't see why airlines should be allowed to charge fares based on whiter the plane is full or half-empty. I realize the fallacy in this argument from the point of view of economics (supply and demand, blah blah blah). But the airlines should be regarded as a public utility and ought to be regulated for the benefit of the public.

At the Bangkok, Thailand airport, there are sleeping pods and privacy rooms in the basement. Great for sleeping overnight in case you arrive so late and you’re too tired to grab a taxi and try and find a nearby hotel. I tried it. It was totally worth it!

Check your bag I'm so tired of people with Tons of carry ons it looks like they're moving their house They have storage under the plane use it.

I take a screen shot of my boarding pass so that it is a photo, not internet dependent. (I am also old school enough to keep a print out in my purse. lol!)

Airport Lounges: I now avoid them. Things have changed (a lot). Just like Miles perks that don`t really give you much value anymore, `most`lounges have degraded in quality and most have become cafeteria-like spaces. The sitting area, in many, have been rearranged to accomodate more people and thus, are less "loungee" in looks and feel and the quiet "safe" and clean feel to them continue to dissapear. I would think that the type of "clients" airline were catering to with lounges have chosen the private jet option. I rather suggest a quality airport/airline instead of relying on a lounge approach.

always helpful!

That's one more bug that needs to be squished.

I’ve not seen a check-in system where you can choose the agent for decades - but then I don’t often travel in North America. Normally, it’s one line and when it’s your turn you have to go to the next free agent - wherever they’re seated.

I want to use a lounge at EWR flying out on Emirates airlines after flying in on United. I saw a posting that said anyone can get a one day pass at United's lounges for $59 which is considerably cheaper than Emirates at $120. Is this true? Anyone know?