Questions tagged [air-travel]
A form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, air balloons and so on.
4,952
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A flight I booked months ago just got rescheduled dramatically, into a time that is not possible for me, what can I do?
Specifically, the first flight for my honeymoon just got rescheduled to 12 hours prior, during my wedding. The airline says they have no flights on them or their partner airlines that get me to my ...
37
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10
answers
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What can I do with a plane ticket that won't be used?
I have two plane tickets for London - South America with one stop. For reasons that aren't relevant, my companion won't be able to make it, so the seat will be completely empty.
I'm almost certain ...
37
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7
answers
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I was asked to transfer a book via airplane
A friend of my friend forgot a book in my country. As I am flying to India soon, I was asked if I could take the book there with me. I am worried that something could be inside the book, and that it ...
37
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13
answers
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How seriously should I take size and weight limits of hand luggage?
I'll soon do my first intercontinental flight. Due to price, I decided to travel with hand luggage only. There are specified weight and size limits, of course – in my case it's 7kg and 53x38x20cm on a ...
37
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8
answers
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What happens to plane tickets in case of airline bankruptcy?
I am sometimes eyeing tickets that are a far bit in advance and in some cases I know the airline that is selling the ticket / operating the flights is in economic trouble.
If I have a ticket for ...
37
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8
answers
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Is there a specific reason for having a very short window for passengers to get to the boarding gate before closing it?
I am not a frequent traveler but it's been like this with all the flights I have been on.
Here is the most recent example:
Below is my boarding pass
As you can see Gate Closes at 20:20
Here is the ...
37
votes
4
answers
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Are you required to sit in your assigned seat on an airplane?
I'm booked on a flight that departs in 36 hours and the plane is currently less than half full. Do airlines have a general rule that prohibits you from sitting in a seat other than the one you were ...
37
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4
answers
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What are the chances of success and the consequences of sneaking into business class?
I've read some people writing that they've seen people be caught sitting in First/Business class when they have economy class tickets. This was for international flights on big planes with several ...
37
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1
answer
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What's the law about body scanners in EU? Am I legally allowed to refuse?
There are a lot of EU laws about travelling through airports. We've all seen the signs about asking for your rights. So is there any EU law about body scanners? Is there an EU law that says I am ...
37
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3
answers
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Is there any personal benefit in formally cancelling a (non-refundable) flight?
I'm currently in Tenerife and have a return flight booked for 20 May.
I have decided to stay out here a bit longer and purchased a single ticket back to the UK for 25 May on another airline.
The ...
37
votes
2
answers
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Can an airline really refuse to depart when overbooked?
I do not fly often, but when traveling home from vacation with my family yesterday, I encountered something I have never seen and I am wondering if what the flight attendants were saying was true.
...
36
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9
answers
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Why would airlines not let a US citizen with an expired passport board a plane back to the US?
Hilmar wrote in one of their answers:
a US citizen with an expired passport can not be denied entry to the US but no airline will let you board.
His first statement is supported by https://www....
36
votes
7
answers
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Airport security: what if I carry an item with traces of explosive?
One day I was travelling from UK to Switzerland, the security officer at Gatwick airport check (with a kind of swab) all my electronic devices (mainly phone and camera chargers + cables) to see if it ...
36
votes
5
answers
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If I have been deported and banned from the US, can I travel through US airspace?
I was deported from and banned for life from the USA. I have been traveling through South America seeing different countries. I'm currently living in Peru and want to travel to Europe. One way to ...
36
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6
answers
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Am I going to have trouble flying with a reversed name on the ticket?
I'm flying to Peru with my girlfriend next week and I realized that her name is incorrect on the reservation.
Instead of Sally Marie Jones it's Jones Marie Sally.
We're flying into Houston, then ...
36
votes
6
answers
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Do wheelchair-accessible aircraft exist?
I'm disabled and am restricted to an electric wheelchair. I cannot walk at all, and cannot sit in any other chair. I use a ramp van to get around town. It's just a regular van with several seats ...
36
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4
answers
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Is sleeping on the floor in planes allowed, and if not, why not?
The scene last weekend: three cramped people trying to sleep in three bulkhead seats with those annoying immovable armrests and a whole lotta legroom in front. Why not curl up for a nap in all that ...
36
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5
answers
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Are there any airlines that still allow smoking on-board flights?
Do any airlines still allow smoking on-board international flights, or is this something that has been banned across the board everywhere? If this is because of fire hazard regulations, what about e-...
36
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1
answer
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Where in the world can I fly on a reduced-gravity aircraft as a tourist?
According to Wiki:
A reduced-gravity aircraft is a type of fixed-wing aircraft that provides brief near-weightless environments for training astronauts, conducting research and making gravity-free ...
35
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5
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How safe is it to fly on a 22 year old Thai Airways Boeing 777-200?
I am travelling to Bangkok and just got to know that I will be flying on a 22 year old Thai Airways Boeing 777-200, how safe is it to fly on a plane this old?
35
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What can I wear to avoid getting frisked and crotch searched by TSA at the airport?
A year ago, traveling through an airport in the United States, I did the usual removal of belt and shoes to get through the TSA checkpoint to enter the terminal.
I typically wear relaxed fit jeans. ...
35
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5
answers
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What happens if a domestic flight lands in a foreign country due to an emergency?
In a question about travel to Puerto Rico Michael Hampton writes the following:
Note also that you should bring your green card and passport if you travel to or from Puerto Rico or the US Virgin ...
35
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4
answers
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What happens if a passenger wants to get off the plane during a runway delay because it ruins their travel plans completely
(Tried asking this on aviation because it concerns FAA rules and was closed
https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/88512/what-happens-if-a-passenger-wants-to-get-off-the-plane-during-a-runway-...
35
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7
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How annoying are mouse clicks on an air plane
I'm about to go on a 12 hours flight, so I thought it could be nice to have some games ready on my laptop.
But it's not really fun playing some of those with the built in track pad.
How much of a ...
35
votes
7
answers
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Is it safe to charge my laptop in an airplane?
I will be travelling on several long flights very soon. I want to use my laptop during the flight, in flight mode of course. Several flights have ports to charge devices. I have heard that the source ...
35
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5
answers
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Canadian citizen likely on a US no-fly list. How do they avoid US airspace? What are flights from Canada that don't trigger APIS requirements?
There are two questions that I have already found on the site that attempt to answer certain parts of my question (Canadian citizen, on US no-fly list. What can I do in order to be allowed on flights ...
35
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4
answers
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Shortest transatlantic flight from Europe to somewhere, so that continental US can be reached by land (with possible ferry)
I am trying to find a route from Helsinki, Finland to Washington, DC, USA so that the air time is minimized, as the person travelling is afraid of an air travel. Assume, visas are not a problem.
...
35
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9
answers
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What do I lose by not booking flights through a travel agent?
I take quite a lot of flights for both business and pleasure, and although I typically book my business flights through a (corporate-mandated) travel agent, I always book my personal flights directly ...
34
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7
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Where is a celebration-free, little-to-no Christmas skiing destination during the holiday season? [closed]
I'm trying to plan a skiing trip for Christmas holidays which is when I can use my work holidays, however I do not celebrate Christmas and I do not enjoy the whole consumerist/festive/you-name-it ...
34
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8
answers
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Can I see fireworks from a passenger airplane (at cruising altitude)?
Next year, I plan to fly from Europe to China around new year's eve. That's why I was asking myself whether it is possible to see fireworks on the ground from an passenger aircraft traveling at ...
34
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7
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Why do airline tickets have titles in addition to names?
Every time you book a ticket, the airline website asks you for your title. As an example, here are the options provided on Lufthansa's website:
But why do airlines ask for the title in addition to ...
34
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5
answers
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Can you get sucked tight on a plane's toilet?
The sounds of flushing an airplane's toilet can be quite intimidating. When going to the toilet on a plane, I am always a bit cautious of accidental flushing. If so, do you risk being sucked stuck to ...
34
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5
answers
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Westward commercial flights that outpace the Earth's rotation
Are there any commercial flights flying west that outpace the rotation of the Earth? In other words, where the ending longitude is at least (15 degrees * flight duration in hours) west of the starting ...
34
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10
answers
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How do I prevent my head from drooping while trying to sleep on a plane?
Even with the seat back lowered as far as it will go, my head droops forward when I try to sleep. This causes me to soon wake up with either a stiff neck or because of "the head jolt".
The neck ...
34
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7
answers
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How do unsold first-class seats get used?
How do unsold first-class seats get used?
I assume that if first-class seats are unsold by the time of the flight, the airline has some mechanism for utilitizing them. What would that be?
For ...
34
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4
answers
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If a baby is born on an international flight over international waters, what nationality are they?
I seem to remember one of our members being on a flight when a baby was born, but can't find any reference to what happened to the baby in terms of citizenship.
Generally you hear about pregnant ...
34
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5
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When and to whom should I report a minor amenity not functioning on an airplane?
I've recently run into issues with things like outlets not providing any power, seats not reclining even when they definitely should, etc. Obviously they can't fix it during the flight, so it seems ...
34
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3
answers
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How to know where a plane was during the past several days?
In the news there is this figure in which they show where EgyptAir plane was over the past 24 hours. Is it possible for ordinary people to do something similar for other flights before booking the ...
34
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2
answers
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What happens if I no-show on a multiple person flight booking?
Some friends and myself have booked a flight together with a budget airline (BlueAir) in a couple of days. Something has come up and I may not be able to make the flight, but my friends still intend ...
34
votes
3
answers
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How to find historical airfares?
Is there a way to find out how much it would have cost to buy a particular airplane ticket at some point in the past?
For example, how could I find out how much it would have cost to buy a one-way ...
33
votes
9
answers
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Avoiding important carry-on luggage being taken away
Since I'm traveling with essential medicines and medical equipment it is key for me that my carry-on luggage is allowed to be carried into the aircraft cabin, so that it's available to me at all times,...
33
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9
answers
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Should I bother cancelling if the traveller is planning not to show up for a flight?
As part of my job, I helped my university to buy
an airline ticket for a student from city A to city B.
Due to the COVID-19 disease outbreak,
the student decided that it was too risky to travel,
and ...
33
votes
8
answers
17k
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How can you protect a fragile object like bottle of champagne in your baggage against breaking?
I tend to bring something quite fragile with me as cabin luggage. On my next journey I want to bring a special bottle of champagne (because of sentimental reasons). Unfortunately you can't bring a ...
33
votes
4
answers
9k
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Can I pass through the airport security with a de-activated Bazooka?
My flight is from Washington, D.C. (IAD) to London Heathrow , with British Airways.
Important Details
The Bazooka will be bought legally from a shop in Maryland
British Airways' website explains in ...
33
votes
6
answers
6k
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Why can two different airlines have different travel durations for the same itinerary?
I am looking at flights from Boston to Paris and I see that there are two non-stop flights with different travel duration:
For this itinerary, Air France takes 6h40 while Delta takes 7h04.
Why don't ...
33
votes
2
answers
8k
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How close can I get to space for a reasonable price?
Recently there's been news about a company who will be offering balloon rides to the stratosphere for $125,000 (USD). Blue Origin hasn't announced the ticket prices for their flights yet, but the ...
33
votes
2
answers
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Are there any laws that prevent reserving two adjacent seats for one person for a flight with Ryanair?
Ryanair is very cheap and I can afford to pay for another seat in exchange for a little bit more comfort. I do that sometimes on the train and there are no laws against it as far as I know. On the ...
33
votes
2
answers
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What's the point in placing small barcode stickers on one's check-in bags?
When checking in bags at the airport, the front desk agent typically places small barcode stickers on the checked bags. If using self-service check-ins, the printed luggage tags often come with a few ...
33
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5
answers
9k
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Checked-in luggage, Last in First out, is it true?
I always thought that if I check in my luggage late I will get it first, it worked with me few times but I start to believe this was pure luck. In my flight today I am sure I was the last one to check ...
33
votes
2
answers
8k
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How can a travel agent issue cheap tickets just a few hours before a flight?
Update:
After asking this TA whether he is a 'consolidator' he said he didn't know this word (apparently). Anyway I will accept Kate's answer for now as no one else has given a better answer.
...