It’s human nature: just imagining doing something you’ve never done before can cause dozens of doubts to pop up. And it’s no different when it comes to a first plane trip.
Because, in addition to being a first flight, this is also usually our first experience traveling – which, in turn, carries another series of uncertainties.
Will I get lost at the airport? Where do I need to go first? What about the connection? Could something go wrong at immigration?
There are so many fears that it is not surprising that butterflies start to appear a few days before departure. However, don’t worry, because although there are a series of small steps to be followed during a first plane trip – or rather, during any air travel – if you plan properly, everything should go smoothly.
And, so that you are truly prepared for your first experience in the clouds, in this text I will reveal everything you need to know.
1- Buying the ticket
Anyone who has never traveled by plane must certainly have questions about how to buy a plane ticket . Or at least, about the best websites to search and guarantee your flight.
If this is your case, know that there are hundreds of websites available where you can search and find several flights for the dates and destination of your choice. These “third party sites” can be the airline ’s own , online agencies , or even some other site that performs this function.
After making your purchase, you should receive an email with payment confirmation, a ticket voucher and a tracking code for your purchase. It’s that simple! There is no physical ticket that you need to print.
2- Documents
With your tickets purchased for your first plane trip , it is important that you do not forget to provide any documents that are necessary for the trip. If it is a domestic flight, just your ID card (RG) is enough. For international flights, however, you need to be extra careful.
Passport , visa, international yellow fever vaccination certificate and travel insurance are some of the most common requirements. However, check exactly which documents are required by your destination.
3- Suitcase
Before you even start packing your suitcase, it’s important that you understand the new law – not so new anymore – about checking baggage. With changes to ANAC rules, airlines were allowed to charge an additional fee to check baggage.
The only bag you can take for free on your first plane trip is a piece of hand luggage weighing up to 10kg, and the sum of the dimensions of the bag (height x width x depth) must not exceed 115cm.
In addition, you are also allowed to board with a personal item in addition to your hand luggage . This can be a small purse, briefcase, laptop or camera bag. Any excess baggage you have will be checked in and charged separately. The price varies depending on the airline and whether the flight is domestic or international.
To avoid spending more money than necessary, the tip is to hire the baggage check-in service when you are buying your ticket, or at least not wait to buy it at the airport. This is because, when purchased directly at the airline counter, the price charged is usually double.
Regarding the organization of your suitcase itself, it is important that you check exactly what can and cannot be transported in hand luggage and checked luggage, whether on a domestic or international flight. Finally, always carry your valuables and electronics, such as notebooks, cameras or any other device that could be damaged, in your hand luggage .
4- Online check-in
The initial process in a flight journey is check-in, either online or at the airport. Check -in is simply verifying your information with the airline, so that they can be certain that you will fly and provide your boarding pass.
Avoid queuing in the airport if at all you’re not bringing in any baggage along, so it’s a great idea that you check in. As a standard rule, any airline tends to let you check in online up to three days to your traveling day. Meaning that if your day of departure is on the 20th, you get a chance to check in using their website starting from the 17th.
Complete your details properly and, even if you are traveling overseas, complete the details as per the official document that you will carry during the journey. After completing the check-in, you will be issued a boarding pass with your personal information, along with details of your flight, including flight number, time and boarding gate.
5- Advance
One of the worst feelings you can experience on your first plane trip is racing against time. Believe me: the anxiety of knowing whether or not you will be able to board your flight is terrible. Therefore, plan to arrive at the airport in advance.
For domestic flights , I recommend that you arrive at the airport at least 1h30 before your flight time. On the other hand, for international flights , the advance notice must be even greater: between three and four hours.
Also, remember that this advance notice is for being at the airport, not for leaving your home. Plan ahead so that you don’t have to rush through your trip and expect possible traffic problems – especially if your trip falls during a holiday.
6- Check-in + Check-in your luggage
The very first thing you should do as soon as you get to the airport is to find your airline’s counter. This is after all where you will be checking in – unless you’ve done it in advance online – and where you will be checking in your luggage.
If you have already done so, you have checked in online, have your boarding pass with you, and do not have to check in any bags, you can bypass this step and proceed directly to the boarding procedures.
7- Boarding
Finally, your first plane trip is about to begin. After completing the initial procedures at the airport, the next step is to head to the boarding area. In addition to going through a metal detector yourself , your hand luggage will go through an X-ray machine to check that you are not boarding with any prohibited objects.
If any material/belongings are found that cannot be taken into the cabin, they will be retained. Once you have had no problems with this procedure, it is time to look for your boarding gate.
The gate number is shown on your boarding pass and is also usually available on airport monitors. Immediately after passing through the X-ray machine, you will often see signs indicating the directions to the gates. Find your gate, check that it is where you will board, and wait for the boarding to begin.
Only get up to board when it is your turn. The boarding procedure is almost always done according to the order of rows and seats to avoid crowds on the aircraft. Pay attention to your seat number and the instructions given by the staff.
*** If you arrive at the boarding gate and see no movement, don’t panic. It is not uncommon for some boarding gates to change at the last minute. In this case, it is likely that an airline employee will be on site to inform you of such a change. Or, the loudspeakers in the boarding area will also usually announce these changes!
8- It’s time to take off!
Once on the plane, find your seat and store your hand luggage in the overhead compartment. Before you do so, however, remove any belongings you may need during the flight, such as books or headphones. If you have any questions, just ask the staff on board. They are all very helpful and polite.
9- Baggage claim
So, how about your first plane trip? On solid ground again, it’s time to continue the journey, after all, although the flight has already ended, there are still some bureaucratic issues to be dealt with.
After landing, basically what you need to do is follow the flow/instructions of the airline employees/airport speakers, and go to the conveyor belt where the luggage that came on your flight will be collected.
This is that tense moment when you’re hoping your suitcase will appear on the conveyor belt. As soon as it appears, just grab it and head to the last step if your flight is international: immigration.
10- Immigration
If you are traveling to another country, after collecting your luggage you will go through immigration at the airport .
Generally speaking, you just need to present your passport and all other documents required by your destination. If you have everything in order, you are unlikely to have any problems.
Still, don’t be alarmed if the immigration officer asks you a few questions – in fact, this is perfectly normal.
They usually ask you what you are going to do in the country, how long you will be traveling for, which cities you will visit or even where you will be staying.
11- Connection or scale ?
Perhaps, depending on your flight, to reach your final destination you may have to make a connection or a stopover.
When it is a stopover , this means that the plane will make a stop before the final destination to board and disembark other passengers. You, however, remain on the plane to continue your journey.
On the other hand, during a connection , you will get off the plane and need to take another flight (with a different number, too). In this case, it is as if you are starting a new boarding process.
Sometimes the connection time is very short and you must proceed immediately to your next boarding gate. In other situations, you may have to wait a few hours.
In these procedures, always follow the instructions of airline employees. If your connection is very short, it is common for airline employees to indicate where passengers should go to board the next flight.
As for luggage, it is usually transferred from one flight to another by the airline itself. However, this is the type of information that I always like to confirm when boarding for the first time to avoid any problems.