That is crazy! I’ve never had that happen to me in any US airport… I’m not sure if it’s a common requirement in foreign airports though? I imagine they wanted to make sure that it was really a laptop and not some sort of bomb. That’s rather weird though. What happens to the people who’s laptops aren’t charged and can’t be powered on?
I have a family member that works for SWA - And what makes me want to travel? Excellent question… Hmm… Probably the people I meet on my flights and the stories I get to write about on my blog! :)
Ya know, my best recommendation is the travel sites that are advertised on TV - Expedia, Travelocity, etc. They search for the lowest price on multiple airlines so you get some of the best deals out there.
UPDATE:
Some of my friends and followers gave me some advice to give you:
Fly into Heathrow (not only the biggest UK airport, but the one with the most flight connections in/out), and connect from there with a budget airline. The ones that immediately spring to mind are EasyJet, BMI Baby, RyanAir, Thomson, and Flybe.
Or you can check out this website for flights: http://www11.condor.com/tcf-us/index.jsp
My best recommendation is work for an airline! Any airline! Most airlines let their employees fly for free. They also have deals with other airlines that allow them to fly for cheap.
Great question! I can definitely give you some recommendations for your flight with your granddaughter!
Assuming your flight will be a pretty long one, there’s a lot of free time for young ones to get restless, cranky, etc. The first step to keep them entertained is to be prepared.
I highly recommend some of their favorite toys – like a Barbie! However I’d recommend keeping her accessories at home, since those little Barbie shoes tend to get lost easily. I also recommend a coloring book with crayons or colored pencils. You and your granddaughter can color together – and you may be wondering why not markers – if your flight happens to hit turbulence, those markers can go flying and you’ll end up with a lovely blue line across your t-shirt. It doesn’t hurt to bring spare sheets of blank paper either. You can draw pictures of the scenery you see outside of the window or of people around you! You can also bring a game the two of you can play. Stay away from games with lots of pieces, as those can get lost along with Barbie’s shoes. A deck of cards has an unlimited amount of games you can play (and if you want, pick up a cheap card game book for ideas!). Some stores also offer magnetic board games (such as Checkers, Chess, Monopoly, etc.) that have magnetic pieces so they don’t get lost when it starts to get bumpy. The key here is finding activities that will pass the time and both you and her will enjoy.
Next is a trick most travelers’ use when it comes to long flights – sleep as little as possible the night before. This goes for the both of you. The lack of sleep will make it easy for you and her to fall asleep on the flight (and will make a couple hours of the flight disappear!). If you’re going to be flying during the day, pick up a pair of those sleep masks – that way the light won’t interfere with your sleep. A neck pillow wouldn’t hurt either – although to spare spending the extra money, you can loosely roll up a t-shirt that will have the same result.
Chances are your little one will get hungry on the flight – and if your granddaughter is like most young ones I know, they’re picky eaters. Toss a couple baggies of snacks they enjoy (crackers, chips, etc.) and if they’re into fruit, an apple or two wouldn’t hurt either. You can cut up the apple ahead of time to make it easier to eat too. A PB&J sandwich will work wonders when snacks aren’t cutting it - and because none of the ingredients need to be chilled, you don’t have to worry about keeping them cold. Just keep in mind that you want to make your snacks easily portable and not so messy. Don’t forget to bring these in your carry-on… snacks in your checked baggage below the plane won’t do you any good.
If your granddaughter is afraid of turbulence, here’s a learning opportunity! Do some research online about how turbulence works, why it occurs and why you shouldn’t be afraid of it. You can teach her the information you learn! One of my favorite quotes is from the book “Ask the Pilot” by Patrick Smith – “A pilot worries about turbulence the way a sailor might worry about the waves.” They occur naturally and generally aren’t a threat to your flight. Now if she enjoys the turbulence (like my younger sister), let her enjoy the ride!
Last but not least, you can always ask the flight attendants if they have anything to keep youngsters entertained on a flight. Some airlines have things geared to help keep kids busy on their flights.
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me!
Hey hey. As far as checking my bags, it really depends on my destination. I can usually fit all of my items into one suitcase - so I carry my bag on. That way if anything goes awry, I still have everything with me. Although when I do have to check my bags, I make sure that my most important items are in my backpack (plus a spare change of clothes incase my bag doesn’t make it). Southwest is pretty good when it comes to checked luggage… I’ve never had my luggage not make it to my destination!
My family and friends live in different states and I love to visit them! I haven’t flown AirTran - yet! That’s awesome that you want to become a pilot - pursue your dreams! :)
That’s what I figured but ya never know with all of the different three letter abbreviations these days - brb, lol, btw, gtg, cya. :P I’m telling you, it’s such a great benefit. I have been able to meet some of the most amazing people by being able to fly wherever I want (including my soon-to-be husband! haha). I recommend making a list of cities you want to travel to and then check them off your list as you visit! :)
Oh that sounds awesome! You’ll have to clarify MSP for me though - unless you’re referring to the airport! :P I wish the airports I frequently find myself in had coupons!
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll be sure to check them out and post some lyrics on Plane & Simple!
