Extra Time: Airport Check In & TSA Airport Security

 Extra Time: Airport Check In & TSA Airport Security

Airport check in and TSA airport security require
extra time when calculating your family travel itinerary.
The morning of travel is often a hectic time for families. 
This time is occupied with last minute packing, checking and double
checking that everyone has their ID and the itinerary, getting everyone
fed and dressed as well as running through your list to make sure
all tasks have been completed.

A big mistake that many people make is to arrive at the airport
with the minimum amount of time suggested by the airlines.

Let me make this point clearly.

Airlines are NOT thinking of the family traveler when they set those
times.  Their main focus is the business traveler.  They are not
taking into account the fact that things can take twice as long
when children are involved.

Let’s face it, to fly anywhere almost takes a good day.  Don’t
jeopardize your sanity by trying to shorten it by an hour.  A quick
connection when involving children can mean a missed flight and
a very unhappy family.

This past trip from Vienna, we had a 4 hour connection through
Heathrow Airport.  Many people would groan when hearing that. 
I sighed in relief when I saw the extraordinary long security line
and saw the incredible distance between terminals.  There is no
way that a quick connection was possible that day!

My advice to you is to never rely on things going smoothly
when calculating time needed to get to the gate of the aircraft.
From locked keys in the car to unexpected traffic delays to
unusually long security lines, life happens and it can ruin your
trip if you don’t pad the time needed to make your flight.

Some days everything will flow smoothly and you will have extra
time to get your daily walk in, browse through airport shops,
and bottom line – spend more time with your children!

Other times you will breathe that sigh of relief and
be thankful that you are not the one dragging your child through
the terminal, pleading with them to move their little legs faster.

I can guarantee you that TSA security does not aggravate
a traveler as much when they have extra time to catch their plane. 
But observe the irritated traveler checking their watch, mumbling about the
stupid TSA rules, and snapping at their kids.  Pretty sure they
did not count any extra time into their schedule.

What to do with all that extra time? Look for a post
addressing that very thing – next! And be glad you planned extra time
to get through the airport check in and TSA airport security.

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