There are certain things that it is useful to be sure about before getting to the airport.
For passengers that don’t fly that often, a trip to the airport can be the cause of various pre-departure questions. Even frequent travelers may have found themselves in this position in recent years, with the coronavirus pandemic having reduced most people’s flying habits. With this in mind, a study conducted by Bounce has taken a look at the most commonly searched pre-flight questions in the UK.
1/3 How early should I get to the airport?
Even before the health crisis began, this is something that passengers have always wanted clarity on. After all, you need enough time to complete the various formalities, but having to wait around for long periods can be an annoyance. As such, finding an ideal middle ground is key to optimizing your airport experience. In the last few years, passengers have typically been arriving earlier at airports.
This was initially due to the document checks that were required when traveling during the peak of the pandemic. More recently, passengers have been arriving early out of concerns regarding long queues due to the staff shortages seen at airports. In some cases, passengers arriving too early have actually worsened the queues.
For this reason, Liverpool Airport (LPL) advised passengers to only come two hours before their flight, which it credited as a factor in having a ‘fairly normal’ summer.
All in all, 126,200 UK travelers made this Google search in the last 12 months. The general rule of thumb is two hours for short-haul and three for long-haul flights.
2/3 How to check in at the airport
In recent years, checking in at the airport has become a thing of the past for many passengers, thanks to the advent of online check-in and mobile boarding passes. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic made this something of a paradox. Indeed, while the use of digital tickets was encouraged to avoid human contact, in-person check-in was sometimes required when health documents needed checking.
Overall, 41,100 Google searches regarding how to check in at the airport were made in the UK in the last year. Despite changing trends, it remains a necessity for those with checked baggage. While you can still check-in online, your luggage needs to be deposited either way. In-person check-in desks are also a helpful resource for passengers without smartphones who require paper boarding passes.
Photo: London Heathrow Airport
3/3 How much liquid can I bring on a plane?
The rules around this were tightened in 2006 following a foiled terrorist plot that aimed to attack aircraft using liquid explosives. Since then, UK passengers have been prohibited from bringing vessels containing more than 100 ml of liquid onto aircraft in their hand luggage. Despite this having been the case for some 16 years, the country still saw 34,200 Google searches on the matter in the last year.
Passengers can bring up to a liter of liquids onboard as long as they are in suitably small containers, although they must fit into a 20 cm x 20 cm plastic bag for security screening. That being said, change may be afoot in this regard. Indeed, as Simple Flying reported in November, the UK may be looking at eliminating these restrictions by implementing a new form of 3D security scanning technology.
Thanks to Bounce for providing the data from the study.