Havent flown for years - tell me what to expect

[bellac11]

We had a dog for many years who died just as covid was coming along so only did UK holidays for nearly 20 years

So there are things that are new to me, like online check in and others that have forgotten about like medication?

If someone can help me not be the confused passenger at the airport who has done the wrong thing that would be great

The first thing I need to know is, do all your medications need to be unopened brand new ones or a half open packet? Can my OH put his pills in his weekly dispenser or do they have to be in their pill packets with his prescription on?

Secondly, online check in, I dont understand this, how on earth does this happen when I have hold baggage? Also printing off your own boarding ticket? I dont understand how this works

Also, can I take a handbag and a piece of cabin baggage or is it the same thing? Its Iberia express and the website is a bit confusing to me on this subject

Another thread running about the moment about airport delays talks about taking belts, coats and shoes off? I dont remember doing all this, is this what happens?

What about nail trimmers and tweezers, can they go into my toiletries?

When checking in online you get your ticket to print off, when you get to the airport you take these to the desk of the airline you are travelling with and they check in your hold baggage there.

The airline will let you know how many cabin bags per person you have, a handbag/ rucksack etc will each count as one.

Take off anything metal for the security scanners - belts, keys, for the tray. Boots definitely need to come off, shoes sometimes they let stay on. If in doubt take them off and out them into a tray to be scanned.

Nail trimmers and tweezers fine in checked baggage. Medication I've never had a problem with being opened, I've taken prescription documents with me too just in case but never had a problem.

Thanks, Im worried about what you say about prescription documents, my prescription always gets sent to the chemist directly and then I collect my meds, I dont see the prescription

I fly several times each month and have used Iberia Express recently so I hope I can answer some of your questions.

Online check in - this is something that is NOT compulsory on Iberia. As long as you've filled in your passport details etc on your booking, you can just show up at the airport like you used to, go to the check in desk, hand them your passports, and get your boarding passes printed and your hold luggage checked in.

Alternatively, online check in means you complete this process on your phone or laptop - the app or website - it will assign you seats and give you a boarding pass with a barcode on it. You can print these off (after you've downloaded them as PDF's for example) or just save them on your app / phone wallet.

But like I said, Iberia Express are still 'old school' and won't charge you for requesting paper boarding passes at the desk.

After you've checked your bags and got your boarding passes, you go to security. Before you enter this area they will ask you to scan your passes.

Security is where all your bags go through an X-ray machine.

Liquids are only allowed in bottles of up to 100ml. All these bottles have to go in a clear plastic bag of 20x20cm - like a freezer ziplock bag - and onto a tray, out of your bags. They usually hand these bags out for those who don't have them already.

Any electronics such as phones, laptops, Kindle, iPads, also have to be taken out of your bags and put on a tray. Same goes for hair straighteners and similar objects.

Coats and belts need to go in the trays too. Basically, you walk through the X-ray detectors with your 'first' layer of clothing only - so take extra jumpers or hoodies off too. You stand under this detector for a few seconds as they 'scan' you for metallic objects. Flat shoes can stay on, but they will usually ask you to take off heavy boots, heels, or stuff like that.

This is where having hold luggage comes in handy - just put all of your liquids and 'sharper' objects in there if you can. I've never had an issue with nail clippers or tweezers in hand luggage, but for peace of mind I'd put them in the hold suitcase if you want.

Don't be surprised if some of your trays don't come out straight away but instead go behind a screen and a member of staff pulls them over for an extra check. Sometimes people have just innocently forgotten something in there that needs to be rescanned. Or the machine has decided to perform a spot-check on it.

After security you look for your gate and go to board there. This should be pretty straight forward, but do start walking as soon as they announce the number as some gates can be quite a trek away, or they involve getting on a train-like system for a couple of minutes, that takes you to another side of the building.

Cabin luggage allowance - Iberia Express lets you board with both a small suitcase (55x40x20 or something like that), and a handbag. Your suitcase will go in the overhead lockers, your handbag should be under the seat in front of you during take off and landing. If the flight is very busy, they might take some suitcases from the passengers and check them into the hold for free. This is usually done at the gate and they ask for volunteers first, or they might offer it at check in. Queue early if you'd rather avoid this.

Medications - I'm not an expert on this topic, but I've never had to take pills or sachets out, and I've travelled through some pretty heavy prescription cycles. It's useful to always carry a prescription just in case there's an emergency abroad, but if it's pills I'd just leave them in your bags at security. Liquid medication is different, and won't be subject to the 100ml, one clear bag rule. You can go over it for health reasons.

Due to the current situation, I'd aim to be at the airport extra early so you have time to go through all of this without rushing or getting stressed. Just make sure you've packed all your liquids properly before leaving the house - or even better, put them all in the big suitcase! - and be prepared to follow instructions, which they constantly give. Also, don't be afraid to ask. The staff are usually happy to help.

If I forgot something I'll come back and post again. Please do let us know if you have any other questions.

my prescription always gets sent to the chemist directly and then I collect my meds, I dont see the prescription

Could you ask the GP or receptionist for a physical one? You probably won't need at either airport (I assume you're flying to Spain), but it's always worth having it with you in case something happens abroad, and you need to have it refilled at a local pharmacy.

Two major areas have changed regarding flying this century : Technology & security.

First, the technology. I assume you booked your flights online? Did you book direct with the airline? If so, download their app onto your phone, sign into it, and then go into your booking. When check in opens, you will be able to enter your passport details etc, answer security questions and generate an electronic boarding pass. On an iPhone, you can store this in your wallet where it is easily accessible. If you have done this, you don’t need any bits of paper other than your passport so you can go straight to bag drop at the airport and give them your bag to put in the aircraft hold. Your hand and hold baggage must be within your airline’s specifications for both dimensions and weight. If it doesn’t, you will be charged extra.

Security. Go to the website of the airport you are flying from and read everything you can about their security procedures and make sure you comply with the rules about liquids (including pastes & gels), sharp items, flammable items, electronic devices etc etc. Medication should be fine in your hand luggage. Be prepared to remove outer clothing, shoes & belts if asked to by security staff and to be frisked / groped by a same-sex officer if the detector bleeps when you walk through it. Assuming you are female, think about what you are wearing on your top half. This isn’t the place to go braless under a loose, low-cut sleeveless top with a jacket on top, as my friend found out when she was asked to remove said jacket by security…

Assuming you are female, think about what you are wearing on your top half. This isn’t the place to go braless under a loose, low-cut sleeveless top with a jacket on top, as my friend found out when she was asked to remove said jacket by security…

This did make me laugh 😂 It's true, be prepared for some groping! I now always make sure I have a supportive bra on, and socks without any holes when I fly.

Thats really helpful thank you

I dont have a problem with online check in, I just couldnt see the benefit, whats different if I then have to go to the desk anyway to check my luggage in?!!

I have seats already, we paid extra for large seats although Im now panicking because I thought I read after booking them that I cant sit there beause I'll need a seatbelt extender (always embarrassing)

I'll be wearing trainers and probably wont have a coat but its such a faff to get my shoes on and off, my feet are very swollen at the moment and hate trying to get them on and off

I dont think I would have any liquids, toothpaste yes, some moisturizer, but they will go in my hold baggage.

In my experience, half open medication is fine.

You don’t say where to are going but, with certain medications, some countries require you to get a permission in advance to bring them in, even for prescribed personal use.

I wouldnt have thought so, Im not due medication at the moment, they only issue it if its near to running out. We fly next week, by the time I get through to the GP I'll be off!

Which airport are you departing from?
Where are you flying to?

Spain - mine is blood pressure and steroid nasal spray. But my OH is on loads of medication for diabetes

Re security, not too worried about that, unfortunately only too common in my job at various sites although shoes dont come off and I didnt remember that from before!

I dont have a problem with online check in, I just couldnt see the benefit, whats different if I then have to go to the desk anyway to check my luggage in?!!

Some airports have separate bag-drop areas, so you can effectively skip the check-in queues and just drop your bags off yourself. This does involve faffing about trying to weigh them properly and printing your own tags off.

You said Iberia Express - are you flying out of London Gatwick? It's unlikely they'll have separate queues if so, there's only a couple of flights a day on IB Express. So yeah, you'd still have to queue with the same people.

I have seats already, we paid extra for large seats although Im now panicking because I thought I read after booking them that I cant sit there beause I'll need a seatbelt extender (always embarrassing)

Did you book emergency exit seats? The ones at the front of the plane are actually narrower than usual, because the tray fits on the side of the seat. The ones at the middle of the plane are usually just as wide as the rest. Do check with the airline if extenders are allowed on these rows. They don't allow pregnant women or lap babies to sit on these rows as it's a safety issues - you must be able to swiftly operate the emergency door if needed. So I would just check now so you have time to move your seats if necessary.

Gatwick and Madrid

I dont have a problem with online check in, I just couldnt see the benefit

Forgot to mention, there's not much benefit if you'll be queueing anyway, but it makes all the difference for people who travel on hand-luggage only. At smaller airports I can turn up less than 1h in advance and just go to my gate without any extra queuing or checks.

Im not sure, it just said xl seats, I was doing it in a bit of a rush and might not have paid attention. I paid extra for them too

I will try to speak to them tomorrow then

At Madrid you'll be using the beautiful Terminal 4. There can be a lot of walking between gates so just make sure you get there early. The airport is very user-friendly, with lots of space to sit, shops and cafes. I've never felt the crowds there, it's very well organised.

There's also a chance they'll be using Terminal 4 Satélite (T4S) instead of the main T4 so do check on your way back as there's usually an extra train involved, so you need to allow for more time.

Presumably you have seen all the news items about queues and delays at airports so make sure you allow yourself plenty of time .

Brexit means that if you have a British passport this will be stamped on arrival and leaving the Spanish airport so this takes a bit longer than previously.

Last time I travelled (May day weekend) they also wanted proof of Covid vaccination but this may have changed by now .

Oh yes, we dont have our flight until early evening so I planned to get there around mid afternoon at the latest and just eat something or something

I flew to France last weekend from Heathrow and there were no covid checks at all on way out or way back, masks not required on plane either

Im glad there hopefully wont be masks. We have all our covid documents

It's likely they'll require masks on the plane as it's a Spanish airline flying into Spain, where masks are still compulsory by law on public transport. How strict they'll be, depends a bit on the crew. Once in Spain it's just trains/metro and buses you'll need them for. Even inside airports they're optional.

I think a vaccination certificate is all that's required right now. Second dose less than 270 days ago, or booster needed.

I have seats already, we paid extra for large seats although Im now panicking because I thought I read after booking them that I cant sit there beause I'll need a seatbelt extender (always embarrassing)

If you are planning to travel more now you may want to buy your own seatbelt extender. They are available from about £12 on Amazon which you might feel is worth spending if it makes your journey more comfortable.

If you are planning to travel more now you may want to buy your own seatbelt extender

They won’t let you use it if you are sitting in an exit row seat.

Can I ask one and butt in on this thread please. I'm only taking cabin bags and have done online checkin - Ryanair. Do I simply print off passes (have them in my phone anyway as well) and head to security bypassing check in desks?
Thank you!

Correct. Just walk straight through security and then to your gate. No need to visit any desks (unless you need a visa check, which would be specified on your boarding pass).