Flying regularly teaches you things that rarely appear on a booking confirmation. After enough early starts, delayed departures, cramped seats, baggage carousels and rushed connections, you begin to develop habits that make the whole experience easier.
The best plane hacks are not about trying to beat airline rules or squeezing an extra bag through the gate. They are practical ways to make the airport, flight and arrival less stressful, while also making sure you are better prepared if your plans do not go quite as expected.
Whether you travel several times a month or simply want your next holiday to run more smoothly, these are some of the plane hacks worth knowing.
Prepare Your Phone Before You Travel
Your phone can hold almost everything you need for a journey, including boarding passes, hotel information, maps, airline notifications, booking references and travel insurance details. The problem comes when you suddenly have no mobile signal, airport Wi-Fi refuses to connect or an app logs you out.
Before leaving home, save the most important information somewhere you can access without an internet connection:
- Boarding Pass
- Flight Number And Booking Reference
- Hotel Or Accommodation Address
- Airport Transfer Details
- Travel Insurance Policy Number
- Insurer’s Emergency Contact Details
- Car Hire Or Parking Information
Downloading an offline map of the area around your destination can also be useful. Frequent flyers tend to prepare for losing connectivity rather than assuming they will always have access to mobile data.
Check Airport Security Rules Before Packing
Do not assume that because something passed through security on your previous trip, exactly the same procedure will apply this time. Airports can have different arrangements, particularly when it comes to liquids, electronics and what needs to be removed from your bag.
Check the rules for your departure airport before you pack. If you have a connecting flight, it can also be worth checking what will happen when you pass through security again.
An empty reusable water bottle is another useful addition to your hand luggage. Take it through security empty and refill it afterwards where facilities are available. It saves repeatedly buying bottled water airside and means you can board with something to drink.
Create a Small In-Flight Essentials Bag
One of the easiest ways to make a flight more comfortable is to keep everything you are likely to use on board together in one small pouch.
Useful items can include:
- Headphones
- Charging Cable
- Eye Mask
- Earplugs
- Lip Balm
- Tissues
- Hand Sanitiser
- Medication
- Pen
- Reading Glasses
Take the pouch out once you reach your seat and put the larger cabin bag away. There is little point carefully organising your hand luggage if you have to open the overhead locker every time you need a charging cable.
Power banks and spare batteries also need careful packing, so always check your airline’s latest requirements before travelling.
Keep Important Items in Your Hand Luggage
Think about what would genuinely cause a problem if your checked suitcase did not arrive at the same time as you. Those are the things that should normally stay with you.
Your passport, wallet, keys, travel documents and essential medication are obvious examples. Keeping one lightweight change of clothes in your cabin bag is also surprisingly useful. Underwear, socks and a clean top take relatively little space but can make a big difference if your luggage is delayed.
It can also be sensible to keep your travel insurance documentation accessible rather than burying it in checked baggage. If you need assistance while travelling, having your policy number and contact information immediately available can make things much easier.
If you are travelling for a wedding, business meeting, cruise or another important event, anything that would be difficult to replace at short notice should ideally remain in your hand luggage.
Dress for the Flight, Not Just the Destination
You might be travelling somewhere hot, but that does not mean you will be comfortable spending several hours on an aircraft wearing nothing but shorts and a T-shirt.
Cabin temperatures can vary considerably, so layers are usually the safest option. A lightweight jumper, cardigan or hoodie can easily be removed when you land.
A large scarf can also be surprisingly useful. It can provide an extra layer when the cabin feels cold and may double as additional neck support or a makeshift blanket.
Comfort tends to become much more important three hours into a flight than it seemed while getting dressed at home.
Download Entertainment Before Leaving Home
Do not rely entirely on airport or onboard Wi-Fi for entertainment. Download films, podcasts, audiobooks, playlists or books before you travel.
It is worth downloading more than you think you will need. A delay at the airport or an unexpectedly long connection can quickly use up the entertainment you originally planned for the flight itself.
Make sure your phone, headphones, tablet and other important devices are fully charged too. Airport charging points are useful, but they may already be occupied when you need them.
Pack Your Cabin Bag in the Order You Will Need Things
A common packing mistake is concentrating entirely on getting everything to fit. Instead, think about when you are likely to need each item.
Keep things such as your passport, phone, medication and boarding information in an easily accessible pocket. Items you probably will not need until later can sit further down the bag.
A simple arrangement might be:
- Top Or Outer Pocket: Passport, Phone, Wallet And Boarding Documents
- Easy-To-Reach Section: Headphones, Charger, Medication And Snacks
- Middle: Spare Clothing And Entertainment
- Bottom: Items You Probably Will Not Need Until You Arrive
It is also worth keeping your passport in exactly the same place every time you travel. Airports involve repeatedly taking important items out and putting them away again, so having a fixed pocket means you always know where to look.
Check Your Travel Insurance Before You Fly
Travel insurance is something that is easy to arrange and then forget about until it is needed. A better habit is to spend a few minutes checking your policy before every trip.
Make sure the destination, dates and activities planned during your holiday are appropriate for the cover you have arranged. If your circumstances have changed since buying the policy, check whether your insurer needs to know.
Before travelling, it is useful to know where to find information about:
- Emergency Medical Assistance
- Cancellation And Curtailment
- Lost Or Delayed Baggage
- Personal Belongings
- Travel Disruption
- Policy Excesses
- Claims Procedures
- Emergency Contact Numbers
Do not assume that every travel insurance policy provides exactly the same protection. Limits, exclusions and conditions can vary considerably, which is why checking your own policy before departure is more useful than finding out what it contains after something has happened.
Leave Some Space in Your Suitcase
Packing your suitcase until the zip is under maximum strain might feel efficient on the outward journey, but it can make the return journey unnecessarily difficult.
You may buy souvenirs, clothes or gifts while you are away. Even if you buy nothing, clothes rarely seem to pack quite as neatly after they have been worn.
Leaving a little spare room makes repacking considerably easier and gives you somewhere to put items that migrate between your hand luggage and suitcase during the trip.
A lightweight foldable bag can also be handy for shopping, beach trips or carrying small items at your destination. Just remember that an additional bag does not automatically mean your airline will let you carry another piece of luggage onto the aircraft.
Use the Airline App
Install your airline’s app before travelling and turn on relevant flight notifications. Gate changes, delays and boarding information may reach your phone before you notice them on an airport screen.
Keep your flight number somewhere easy to see too. Large airports can have several flights departing for the same city, so checking the flight number is often quicker than searching only by destination.
The app may also give you easier access to your boarding pass, seat information and booking details.
Give Yourself Sensible Connection Times
A connection that looks perfectly comfortable when you book it can become much less attractive if your first flight leaves 40 minutes late.
This becomes particularly important if you have booked separate tickets.
When choosing a connection, think about whether you may need time for:
- Passport Control
- Baggage Collection
- Changing Terminals
- Security
- Checking In Again
- Walking Across A Large Airport
- Unexpected Delays
The shortest possible connection is not always the best one. An extra hour at the airport can be much less stressful than missing the next flight altogether.
If you are building an itinerary from separate bookings, it is also worth checking how your travel insurance treats missed connections and independently booked travel arrangements.
Keep Records When Your Flight Is Disrupted
If your flight is delayed or cancelled, keep a record of what happens.
Save airline emails and app notifications, retain your booking information and keep receipts for reasonable expenses you incur because of the disruption. Depending on the route and circumstances, you may have rights through the airline, while some travel insurance policies can provide additional protection for particular forms of disruption.
Useful evidence can include:
- Airline Emails Or Messages
- Boarding Passes
- Booking Confirmations
- Receipts For Additional Expenses
- Baggage Reports
- Cancellation Or Delay Notifications
Do not throw anything away until you know whether you will need it. If you subsequently make an insurance claim, having the correct documentation can make the process much easier.
Prepare for Landing Before Everyone Stands Up
The final few minutes of a flight are a good opportunity to get organised.
Put charging cables and headphones away, check the seat pocket, look underneath the seat and make sure your passport is accessible.
If you have arranged an airport transfer, have the driver’s details or meeting point ready before you enter the terminal. If you are using public transport, save your route in advance.
Arriving somewhere unfamiliar is much easier when you already know what your next step is.
Keep Your Travel Insurance Information Offline
Even if your insurer provides an app or online customer portal, do not make internet access the only way you can retrieve your insurance information.
Keep an offline copy of your policy number, emergency assistance details and claims contact information on your phone. Saving a copy of the policy documents themselves can also be useful, particularly if you are travelling somewhere where mobile data could be unreliable or expensive.
If something happens while you are abroad, whether that involves illness, an accident, baggage or serious disruption, you do not want your first task to be searching through hundreds of old emails.
Make a Pre-Flight Checklist
Even experienced travellers occasionally leave something important behind.
A short checklist can prevent most last-minute problems. Before leaving home, check that you have:
- Passport
- Phone
- Wallet
- Boarding Pass
- Medication
- Chargers
- Travel Insurance Details
- Accommodation Information
- Airport Parking Or Transfer Details
- House Keys
Keep the checklist on your phone and reuse it every time you travel. Once you have created it, preparing for future trips becomes considerably quicker.
The Best Plane Hacks Become Habits
There is no single trick that transforms flying. What makes experienced travellers appear organised is usually repetition.
Their passport always goes in the same pocket. Important documents are available offline. Their cabin bag contains enough to cope if checked luggage is delayed. Entertainment is downloaded before leaving home, devices are charged and they already know how they are getting from the airport to their accommodation.
They have also checked their travel insurance rather than simply assuming an old policy or annual policy will cover everything they plan to do.
None of these plane hacks requires expensive luggage, lounge access or a business-class ticket. They simply remove unnecessary problems from the journey and help you prepare for the occasions when travel does not go entirely according to plan.
Adopt a few on your next flight and they may soon become part of your normal travel routine.
