<p>Don’t just print out flight info. Check in online and print out boarding passes, then proceed right to security when he gets to the airport. The lines will be very long Thanksgiving week, no sense in standing in any extra ones to get boarding passes.</p>
<p>Also, many delays can occur so he should either eat right before boarding or bring food and a bottle of water on with him. Enjoy his time home.</p>
<p>Holiday traveling is a nightmare, get to the airport earlier than ususal as there will be a lot of people on the road, checking in, going through security etc.</p>
<p>Charge the phone before you leave home. take your charger with you.</p>
<p>Don’t take more than you need (ex. ton of clothes when you can do laundry at home). Stay with in the bounds of the carry on requirements and avoid checking luggage (makes life much easier, and gets you through faster)</p>
<p>take one of those 10 in the pack baby wipes (you can slip them in your bag and are great for clean-ups)</p>
<p>Take snacks/food especially if you have a long flight. Airlines rarely serve meals nowadays.</p>
<p>If making reservations her/himself, double-check times/dates carefully before clicking “purchase tickets.” Some websites re-set values to an initial default if you’re clicking back and forth comparing options.</p>
<p>One more thought, though probably not original. Re: finding Dad at the destination – we always tell people we’ll meet them at the baggage claim area. That way, even if phones are dead/lost/in the luggage, you still have a decent chance of finding him.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Check not only knives but also scissors or any other sharp object. If you have it on you or in your carry-on they will make you throw it away.</p></li>
<li><p>Buy snacks, candy, magazines, etc. for the flight before leaving home. They are very expensive at the airport.</p></li>
<li><p>While at the airport or the connecting airport, never pass up an opportunity to eat a meal, even if you are not very hungry yet. Given all the horrible delays and diversions that sometimes occur, you never know when you are going to get another opportunity.</p></li>
<li><p>Carry a credit card. Being stranded somewhere with no money is a pretty miserable situation.</p></li>
<li><p>If your flight gets cancelled, immediately jump on the bank of phones that airlines often provide for rebooking. The few openings that are left on the next flight will fill up quickly, often while you are still standing in a long line waiting to talk to the agent. If they have rebooking phones, forget the desk agent. If they don’t have rebooking phones, try calling the airline on your cell phone while you are standing in the long line. Often you can rebook faster that way too. Keep the rebooking phone numbers handy.</p></li>
<li><p>Always place and replace your ticket, boarding pass, passport, ID, etc. in the same pocket or compartment. That way you always know where you put them and you won’t have to fumble through all your pockets and carry-on compartments the next time you are required to produce them.</p></li>
<li><p>On the plane, be helpful. If you see someone struggling to boost their carry-on up into the overhead bin, get up and help them.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t worry. Be happy. No matter what goes wrong, you will eventually get there. Just keep focused and keep moving forward. A good attitude always makes a bad situation a little better.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Definitely print out your reservation and/or boarding passes. I always try to use the kiosk check-in or cubside check-in if I have bags, but the one time I went to the kiosk with no paper, with just a credit card, my reservation had been inadvertently deleted from the system. It took mucho time to find it, and it was only found when it was because I had a frequent flyer card - take a piece of paper with a reservation number.</p>
<p>If there is a cancellation, get in line and get on your cell phone simultaneously! Don’t use the airline phones!</p>
<p>If you’re only coming home for four days, don’t stress! Just pack the minimum.</p>
<p>And it’s all much easier than all these people are making it sound… even if you show up without the confirmation, you can still get on, if you have your ID. (Yes, it is better to have checked in online.)</p>
<p>Sjmom, I always meet D at LAX but there’s always a flock of corporate flunkies, usually from the entertainment industry, holding up signs with the names of people they’re waiting for.</p>
<p>Next Wednesday, mind will have D’s name listed under “Running Gag Productions.”</p>
<p>**What to remind the newbie flying home alone kid? **</p>
<p>That his/her favorite dinner will be waiting at home. :D</p>
<p>Don’t take the “Bump” unless the airline has confirmed you on another flight!</p>
<p>If you are bringing a book to study from, you may want to just a photocopy of the pages needed. Books are very heavy and cumbersome.</p>
<p>There have been some very practical suggestions. It would seem to me that, by college age, no advice should be needed. Any mistakes will be valuable lessons learned.</p>
<p>Dress comfortably but a little neater than normal…it never hurts when you need to negotiate or explain…to be better dressed. On average, strangers tend to respond better to a person who appears neat and orderly.</p>
<p>Identification and credit card, a small change of clothes, personal items in a small carry on. Too many people carry too much onto already over crowded planes. My carryon has been limited to a back pack, with my pens, coins, keys inside. There is nothing but my cell phone to take out going through security.</p>
<p>My kids won’t do this, but I would reccommend their name, number and photo attached in the carryon and also inside of a laptop…so if it is found by an honest person it can be returned easily.</p>
<p>I second (or third) the checking in online. If you do it asap with southwest (as close to 24 hours before departure as possible), you can get into boarding group A…and actually board the plane and have a seat of your liking. saved tons of time when i flew home last weekend.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I always like to board last, because I can grab the OP’s newspapers, hate standing in line when I can be sitting, and I don’t care to have OP’s butt or crotch in my face, which will happen unless you are last on. </p>
<p>I’d take the middle seat any and everytime.</p>
<p>To be sure to thank his folks for paying for college, how much he loves being in college and that he is thankful for the free ride home…to MAMA</p>
<br>
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<p>Yeah, but if you board last all the overhead space is long gone.</p>
<p>Have you not heard of the, Law of Space?</p>
<p>Always room for one more.
Last in, First Out.
If you pack glass, expect it to be broken on unpacking.
There are 40 other bins to look into.
Let the Stewards worry about it. There’s room in first class.
Having a change in underwear is for, Moms. </p>
<p>And boarding last increases your chance to sit in 1st class, or a free ticket/meal.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>unless you fly southwest, in which case you’ll get on your flight but have a crappy seat [no first class or meals] ;).</p>
<p>for the other airlines, though, i can see this happening.</p>