Show Up Extra Early to the Gate
I don’t know if this is a new trend or what, but lately, I’ve noticed airlines starting the boarding process earlier than what’s printed on the boarding pass. It’s great to get planes out early but it’s not fun if you have elite status or have paid for pre-boarding so you get the coveted overhead bin space and then you miss the early boarding. I’ve had this happen multiple times recently on American Airlines and again last week on British Airways.
Last week in London, I thought I was hearing things when there was a PA announcement making the final boarding call for BA342 to Nice. It was 15 minutes before boarding was supposed to even commence! Half the plane’s passengers including me and my wife started running through Heathrow’s corridor just in time to catch a bus to the plane.
Has this happened to you?
FYI: The gate above is #81 at Newark Liberty, which our editor flew out of to Newcastle, England, this summer.
____________________________________________________________
Tried this tip? Let me know in the comments!
Have your own tip? Email it to whitney@johnnyjet.com!
Want to see more tips? Click here for all 567!
Want even more travel tips? Subscribe to the Daily Travel Tip newsletter! All you have to do is sign up for the weekly newsletter by filling in your email address and checking the Daily Travel Tip box in the top-right corner of the homepage.
If you already subscribe to the newsletter, fill in your email and check the Daily Travel Tip box in the same top-right corner of the homepage and you’ll receive an email with a link to update your JohnnyJet.com preferences. On that page, just click the Daily Travel Tip box and Update Profile and you’ll have Johnny’s best tips, straight to your inbox each day. And don’t worry—it’s easier than it sounds!
May be airline or alliance specific, I fly Delta weekly and they pretty consistently start boarding 5-10 mins after printed boarding time depending on the aircraft. Larger int’l aircraft tends to be right on time and the app alerts you as soon as boarding starts for all flights.
I thought I was the only one that noticed this. I have experienced this on United. A few times, everyone has boarded, and we’re sitting on the plane for a good ten minutes before they close the door and push back. On one flight, I think they closed the door before the departure time. I wonder if people are not only losing out on overhead bin space but missing flights altogether? I am assuming this must be a push to get everyone settled earlier than normal to allow for more on-time departures?