With the winter travel season fast approaching, Canadians know to expect increased travel delays and long airport layovers. But how do you make the most of that time? These tips from my airport survival guide will do the trick.
Avoid lineups
- Check in online for less rushing around at the airport and to ensure you get the seat you want. With Air Canada, for example, it seems if you don't check in online you end up in the middle seat.
- Avoid baggage drop-off lines by bringing only a carry-on piece of luggage.
- Properly prepare for your security screening. Wear shoes that easily slip off and on, know which sharp objects will literally "not fly." and don't bring liquids more than 100 mL in size. Remarkably, I still see people going through security with water bottles and jack-knives.
- Avoid customs lines by getting your Nexus card.
Make the most of your time
- Scope out your airport's shopping and eating options, as well services that may assist you as you pass the hours between flights For example, are there spas on site or movies? To assist in your search, load up the Gate Guru app on your iPad or iPhone. It lists all the businesses near your gate along with user reviews, pictures and maps from airports around the world, including Toronto, Calgary and Halifax. The information is great. The reviews are currently lacking, but the more Canadians that starting using it and sharing the information the better!
- If you don't have access to an airport lounge through a loyalty program status, consider buying access. These lounges really can be an oasis. London's Heathrow recently opened the "Island," a pay-as-you-go airport lounge in Terminal 3. Open daily from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., admission is $36 per person and allows access to one of 29 showers, steam cleaning, shoe shining, satellite television and Internet connections.
- If you have enough time, considering making a pit stop at a hotel connected to the airport terminal. You may not even have to pay for a guestroom -- some hotels, like the Sheraton at Amsterdam's Schipol Airport, offer a day-use package for its gym and spa facilities.
Choose airports wisely
- Heading to Europe? I love Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. It's bright and cheery, easy to get around and has everything to help you pass the time from a casino to an art museum. There's great shopping and it's also connected to the national rail system. If you have a long layover, you can hop a train right into Amsterdam.
- Singapore's Changi Airport won the world's best airport title in 2010 from the Skytrax World Airport Awards. It offers travellers round-the-clock shopping, a nature trail, fitness centre, a Balinese-style swimming pool, a free 24-hour movie theatre and pods where you can grab some shut eye.
- Here in Canada I love Vancouver Airport for many reasons. The recent addition of the SkyTrain makes for quick and easy escapes to Richmond and downtown Vancouver. That's awesome.
Some friends on Twitter and Facebook sent me some of their thoughts:
- St. John's, Halifax and Calgary's airports get high marks from parents travelling with young kids, in particular Calgary's Kidzone.
- The Starbucks in Calgary has leather chairs with great views over the prairies.
- The welcome ambassadors in Halifax are a nice touch.
- Winnipeg's James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is newly renovated, having officially welcomed its first passengers into a big, beautiful and bright terminal at the end of October.
- My favourite Twitter tip: "Get a Bloody Mary at the bar."
