Dealing with crowds of “infrequent fliers”

Most frequent travelers know there are good days and bad days at the airport. Some contributory factors, like weather and holidays, are obvious. Others are less so. One thing I have discovered over the years, and had reinforced last week, is how much your flying experience can be affected by how many infrequent fliers are traveling with you.

The scene at Dulles airport after Obama’s inauguration was worse than I have seen any day since that first day in August 2006 when TSA banned carry-on liquids. Check-in lines snaked around the terminal, and security lines, while shorter, often moved at a snail’s pace.

As a fellow traveler observed, “You can tell it’s the event of a lifetime, because it’s obvious a lot of these people have never flown before.”

And no matter how wonderful it might be to see a number of people on their first airline trip, it’s not wonderful to be behind them in line. Or to miss your flight because of them.

Here’s a few tips to help what I call “Amateur Hours” remain no more than good travel stories, and not become a reason for a missed flight. Some of these tips are applicable to any crowded time at the airport. Holidays always also bring out families and occasional fliers.

First, be aware. If you are traveling to a once-in-a-lifetime event, so are other people. Ditto, if you are flying OUT of a city where there has been such an event, you could have the same problem. And recurring events like the Super Bowl, college basketball’s Final Four and Mardi Gras will also bring out very infrequent fliers. In any of these cases, allow extra time.

Also, once you know that you are probably traveling with rookies, do everything you can to minimize time at the airport. Use online check-in, streamline your carry-ons, and reduce the amount of metal and layers that you wear that will have to be removed for security.

If the lines are ridiculous at the airport, consider spending a few extra dollars for curbside check-in. Don’t assume that just because everyone is in one line, that there aren’t other lines. Last week at Dulles, many people with just carry-on bags were waiting in the long regular lines, and completely missed the open kiosks.

If you see problems, enlist airport staff. Several people in one line were standing around blankly when kiosks became available, because they were waiting for a human to tell them to go there. When a couple of us found a United employee and advised him of the problem, he got another agent to direct traffic. (Yes, I know, they should do this anyway, but often airport staff are as caught as unaware as travelers.)

If you have elite status with an airline, this is also a stronger reason than usual to fly that airline. The special check-in area and security lines will save you more time than usual

If a premium security line is not an option, some airports have “expert” lines, or lines for passengers without significant carry-on luggage. (It never hurts to ask if you aren’t familiar with the airport.)

In regular security lines, if there is a choice, always go in the one with the most people who look like they are traveling for business. And avoid even small groups of teenagers like the plague. Not that they might not be great kids, but in one line, for example, I saw a bemused TSA agent over and over again pulling out bottles of shampoo, lotion, soda, etc. The young people clearly had no idea these things were prohibited.

And finally, try to relax and see the bright side. Watching people who are actually excited about flying can be a rewarding and fun experience as long as you make your plane.