🛫 First flight: everything a beginner needs to know
Being afraid of something new is a natural reaction of every person’s body. When you find yourself at the airport for the first time, you can easily panic and not know what to do. Indeed, the registration and boarding procedure is very different from the same trains and buses, and modern airports are entire cities, with some kind of terminals, gates, checks and other strange things.
Don't panic! We will help you figure everything out so that your first flight leaves only positive emotions. Let's go through the order from buying a ticket to meeting a new country. So let's make some tea and fly.
Purchasing and booking tickets
Buying air tickets is usually not difficult. Today there are many online services with a clear interface. For example, we use the travelhub.by service. If you are going to travel with luggage, then do not forget to check the required box.
Keep in mind that some airlines offer you to choose your seat, but this service usually costs a fee. Well, you can find out how to get a more comfortable seat for free here.
Just in case, print out your purchased tickets or save them on your phone. Most airlines will only require your passport to check in, but there are exceptions. This can be clarified when booking and purchasing.
What exactly do you need to take with you?
First of all, this is a passport with a visa, if you need one to visit the country. The issue of obtaining it should be addressed in advance, since this is a slow process that can take up to a month or more.
If you are traveling with a child, be sure to take their passport and birth certificate to confirm that you are their parent. This is rare, but they may ask even if you are very similar.
If the child is flying with relatives, such as grandparents, a notarized document with your signature and permission will be required.
When entering some countries, you may be required to provide a return ticket, hotel reservation, and confirmation that you have enough money for the trip. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the entry conditions in advance. This can be done on the website of the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the embassy of your country.
Be sure to take out travel insurance. Also, in many countries you may be asked to present a certificate of vaccination against Covid-19. Coronavirus restrictions have not yet been lifted in all countries, so find out in advance.
Checking in for the flight
It is best to arrive at the airport 2.5-3 hours before departure so as not to be late. The first step is to find the reception desks. As a rule, they occupy a separate floor. We are looking for signs with the words Check-in or Registration and long lines of people near them.
While you are standing in line, you can use the services of wrapping your suitcase with film. Many travelers take this opportunity to avoid damage to their suitcase if it is dropped or handled carelessly by airport staff. At many airports, luggage is literally “thrown away” during loading.
An unpleasant moment: after pasting all the suitcases become very similar to each other. We recommend attaching a bright ribbon or keychain to the handle so you can easily recognize your luggage. It all depends on your imagination, and even ordinary electrical tape will do.
Having secured our suitcase, we return to the queue. If it doesn’t matter to you where you fly, you can sit somewhere else and wait until the line gets smaller. We recommend that you still ask for a window seat for your first flight: during the day you will be able to see beautiful views from the air, and at night you can sleep so as not to be disturbed.
There is an information board above each check-in counter that will indicate the flight. We look for ours and head there. When it’s your turn, you should hand your passport to the airport employee and place your luggage on the belt. Your carry-on bag stays with you.
Please note that there are weight standards for luggage, so it is best to weigh it at home or at least at the airport so that you do not have to pay extra. For example, in Belavia, the weight of baggage per person in economy class should not exceed 23 kg, and its dimensions should not exceed 158 cm in all directions.
After checking your reservation, the employee will hand you your boarding pass for the plane with a baggage tag attached to it. The baggage itself with the same tag will float away along the belt for loading onto the plane, and you will not see it again in your country.
Advice: it is at the check-in counter that you can resolve the issue of seating in the aircraft cabin. With a smile on your face, tell the employee about your preferences, in extreme cases, complain about your health, shed a tear – and a more comfortable place in your pocket.
It is better to put your boarding pass in your passport and hold it in your hand so as not to lose it. These are the most important documents that you will have to present repeatedly in the near future.
We overcome pre-flight inspection and customs
If you are flying abroad, you will need to go through customs control. Two corridors lead to it: red and green. They are easy to find by the bright signs of the corresponding colors.
If you have items that must be declared, then move along the red corridor. If there are no such items, go green.
Next, the most unpleasant procedure awaits you – pre-flight inspection of passengers and hand luggage. We don’t worry, we stand in line, look at the other people and do the same. At this point you will have to walk through a metal detector, sometimes removing your shoes. We place hand luggage on the belt, and put small items from pockets into a special plastic container.
Quite often, it is at this stage that your boarding pass, passport, or both disappear somewhere. Here you are holding them in your hand, and then you don’t know where to place them to make it more convenient to lay things out on the tape. The result is panic. Therefore, we are in no hurry, to be safe, we clamp the documents in our teeth and move on.
Advice: if you often peek from behind the backs of future passengers and look excited, you can arouse suspicion from a customs officer, who will come up and personally inspect you. If all is well, you will be shown in without a queue. This can significantly save time.
Please remember that certain items are prohibited from being carried in hand luggage. For example, a bottle with a volume of more than 100 ml of drinking water will have to be thrown away, just like manicure scissors or a nail file.
However, please note that the volume limitation does not apply to empty containers. You can take an empty 0.5 liter bottle in your hand luggage. Then, once on board, you can ask the flight attendant to pour water into your drinking container. This will also be true for a thermal mug – the main thing is that it is empty.
Next, you will go through border control – you will need to hand over your passport and boarding pass to the window. Perhaps they will ask a standard question about the purpose of the trip, so don’t be scared and tell the truth. If there is no exit ban, then get a stamp and go to the waiting area. Inspect the stamp carefully – the date should be clearly visible.
Departure area
Here you can relax, wander around the duty-free shops, drink coffee and get away from stress a little. Don't forget to keep an eye on the time so you don't miss your flight.
You should immediately find your boarding gate (Gate), remember where it is, so that you don’t look for it headlong later. When the start of boarding is announced over the loudspeaker, proceed to the desired gate.
Before entering the plane, you will be greeted by a flight attendant, to whom you will need to give your boarding pass. He will indicate the direction of your seat, and tear off part of the ticket. Make sure you still have the “correct” part with the luggage tag attached to it.
Having found your seat, place on the shelves the things that you definitely will not need during the flight, and put the necessary items in the compartment on the back of the seat in front. Try not to stand in the aisle for a long time and not disturb other passengers.
Things to do during the flight
First, you should prepare: turn on the “airplane” mode on your mobile phone, listen to the flight attendant who will give a short briefing, and then fasten your seat belt. It is recommended not to unfasten it unless absolutely necessary, in order to avoid troubles if you get into a turbulence zone or an air pocket.
The most exciting moment is takeoff. When the plane begins to quickly gain speed, you will be pinned to your seat. If you are very scared, rest your forehead on the back of the chair in front of you. You won't even notice how you take off.
You can also breathe according to the system during takeoff: take a deep breath, hold your breath for 3-5 seconds, and exhale deeply. It can also cause stuffy ears – in this case, experienced travelers recommend keeping your mouth open.
There is not much to do while flying in economy class. If you took a laptop or tablet with recorded movies, that’s great. You can also read a book, listen to music or sleep. Or, as an option, chat with your neighbors.
We also recommend reading: Traveler lifehacks: how to look fresh and impressive after a flight
The highlight of air travel is the in-flight food, which differs significantly depending on cabin class, airline and time of flight. For example, on board Belavia aircraft, when flying for more than 3 hours, you will be fed a hot lunch, from 1.5 to 3 hours – a light snack, and for less than 1 hour – you will only be treated to drinks. Expect food distribution approximately halfway through the journey.
Some carriers provide special meals: children's, sports or vegetarian. Ask the flight attendant about this question. They say that vegetarian dishes are tastier and will be brought to you faster than to all other passengers who painfully spend a long time trying to decide between fish and chicken.
What to do upon arrival?
Once at the airport of another country, you must go through three stages: passport control, baggage collection and customs control. Once again we gather our will and don’t panic. If you have read the rules for entering a particular country in advance, then you have nothing to worry about.
We move along with everyone else, but a little faster, so that we can be one of the first to approach passport control. This small tweak can save an hour of your time. There we present our passport and completed migration card, if necessary.
You may not be given a migration card on the plane, so you will have to look for it yourself on the tables near passport control. To avoid being at the end of the line, take care of this in advance. Migration cards from different countries and filling out samples can be easily found on the Internet. We recommend that you do your research before traveling.
If everything went smoothly and you were not sent back, look for the baggage carousel. This is a belt on which bags and suitcases ride in circles. We find our luggage and go deeper into the airport, looking for two bright boards: red and green.
This is another customs control, similar to what you went through before departure. Everything is unchanged here: there is nothing to declare – we go along the green corridor, otherwise – along the red one. If this stage is passed, congratulations, you have arrived in another country. Have a nice holiday.