Charlie’s Declassified Airport Survival Guide
I recently had quite the experience taking a Spirit flight from Detroit to Orlando. We had never tried the airline and had a tight budget for our foray to Florida. Let me start this off by saying: never again.
First let me note that I had accidentally booked our departure at 5:30 in the morning when I meant to schedule a relaxed evening flight. I admit that was my error and not Spirit’s, my bad.
Because of horror stories of long lines at the airport, my husband and I awoke at 3:00 a.m. to drive to “get there in time” according to him. We were through security in a breeze and left nearly alone in a great big terminal. No stores were open and only employees were there that early.
At around 5:00 a.m., impatient passengers began asking when boarding was set to begin. We were all notified that a delay was set back until 7:30. Businesses began opening at 8:00, and that’s when we were finally able to get breakfast. I ordered an omelet and laid on the floor, feeling more patient as the calories eased my hangry attitude.
But then something terrible happened. You guessed it, another delay. Now it was an 11:30 a.m. departure. Then 1:00. Then 3:00. 10 hours after waking, we were finally boarded and in the air.
We were woefully unprepared for spending that much time in the airport. I hadn’t even brought a book! Now, I’ve spent hours researching how to prevent such discomfort again. Hopefully you won’t be stranded in an airport any time soon, but if you are, let me know if any of this helps.
Invest in a neck pillow or any kind of supportive pillow that will bring comfort while sitting up. My first move was to stuff my things under the chair and return to slumber, but the angle of my neck hurt too bad. I hadn’t brought my neck pillow to a three hour domestic flight like I had when flying to Britain. Do yourself a big favor.
Don’t be afraid to get comfy even in the oddest of places. When it comes to airports, the rules of social etiquette can be malleable and your comfort is important when waiting hours for a flight. I layed out of the way on the ground with my hat over my face and slept as much as I could.
Make a friend by selecting a talkative stranger to engage with. All the people in your terminal are experiencing the same issues as you and complaining is often a great form of bonding. Because we were flying into Orlando we found a group of friends excited about their Disney vacation. It was easy to join their conversation and we ended up wishing them safe travels after the flight.
Binge watch a new show while you have time to waste. Ideally, you should download the show to your phone as a backup plan to help you in the long run. Good wifi and data are not always speedy or available. When you have 10 hours to kill, why not watch all of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Lincoln could not think of a better way to spend time.
Commune with a higher power in one of the available worship rooms. The bonus here is that the rooms are typically kept quiet and you can beg whatever deity you choose for the flight to finally be boarding.
Needless to say, we made an error in judgment when choosing Spirit Airlines. The rest of the flight was not much better. We were packed in like sardines and both Lincoln and I had to squish our arms tight for the entire flight to even fit into our tiny seats. Snacks and drinks cost extra, which wouldn’t bother us so much if at least water was free.
Delays, cramp seats, and a lack of water truly made this flight one for the history books. That is where it will stay because we vowed never to fly Spirit again.
