Five Airport and Airline Secrets and Tips You Should Know

AIRLINES & AIRPORTS | RICH THOMASELLI | 

Let’s face it, making your way through the airport isn’t all hot fudge sundaes. Sometimes, It’s liver and cod oil. But getting in and around, knowing the ins and outs, can help.

Here are five secrets and tips about airports and airlines you should know.

1)  CHOOSING THE RIGHT SECURITY LINE. It’s not an exact science, to be sure, but there are some helpful ways to choose the "right" line to speed the process if you don’t have TSA Pre-Check clearance. This video by travel expert Peter Greenberg is chock full of tips from how to pack, what to wear, and to how to spot the "right" line to get into.

2) WHY THE INTERIOR LIGHTS DIM AT NIGHT – We found this one to be fascinating. Thirty pilots, flight attendants and airport workers last year gave insider tips and secrets to thoughtcatalog.com. Wanna know why those cabin lights dim for night takeoffs and landings? God forbid you need to evacuate the plane upon landing, your eyes will already be adjusted to the darkness and you’ll be able to see outside.

·        3) THERE’S REALLY NO PRIVACY – If you’re thinking there’s privacy in an airplane bathroom, think again. Also from thoughtcatalog.com, flight attendants say you are able to unlock airplane lavatories from the outside. There is usually a lock mechanism concealed behind the no smoking tag on the bathroom door. Lift flap, slide bolt, and you're in. In all seriousness, this is again one of those "God forbid" scenarios. Flight attendents need the ability to open the door in case a passenger has a medical emergency in the bathroom.

·        4) GERMS, GERMS, GERMS – Airlines rarely give out pillows and blankets anymore, unless you’ve paid scads of money for first-class, so you don’t have to worry so much about the fact that some of those amenities were just re-folded for the next flight. Yuck. But hang on. Flight attendants tell oprah.com that the tray tables are not cleaned after every flight. Spilled food is one thing, but one flight attendant told the website she’s seen everything from passengers changing diapers on tray tables to clipping their nails. Think twice before you lay a piece of food down or rest your head on one of those things. Think disposable placemats, available in most drugstores.

·        5) THE HOTTEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE – No, not hot as in hip. Hot as in body temperature. If you’re looking to have the warmest seat on a plane, choose an aisle seat. In the winter and at high altitudes, there is always some cold-air leakage from airplane windows. The further you are from the window, the warmer you will be.