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Do I need to confirm my reservation?
How can I avoid long waits at the airport?
What should I do if I call and find out my flight is delayed?
What arrangements should I make if I’m meeting someone at the airport?

Do I need to confirm my reservation?

Yes, it never hurts to confirm your reservation directly with the Airline, especially if you depended on someone else to book that reservation. This will give the Airline the opportunity to update to any changes in flight information. Verify all your ticket information, including the spelling of your name. You also want to verify that any special requests are listed on your reservation.

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How can I avoid long waits at the airport?

Before you leave for the airport, contact the Airline for an update on the flight schedule. It could save you hours of lobby waiting, especially if weather conditions are poor. There are other sources of flight delay information, but checking directly with the Airline should provide you the most accurate information. Be careful to stay updated and still allow yourself plenty of extra time to make it to the airport when the flight is ready. Late flights will mean an even more crowded airport with longer lines everywhere so be sure to arrive early enough to make it onto your flight. Look at the airport’s layout in advance to get an idea of where you are going. Go To: US Airports & Foreign Airports Links If available to you, consider using curbside or off-airport check-in or electronic ticket kiosks. This way you may be able to avoid the long lines at the counter. Following the hijackings of four commercial passenger jets and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11 2001, curbside and off-airport check-in were suspended indefinitely at all U.S. airports. Sometimes you just can’t avoid the delays that cause you to wait, so always carry reading material or some other form of entertainment in your carry-on luggage.

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What should I do if I call and find out my flight is delayed?

If your flight is delayed, get the name of the Airline’s agent and have them note on their computer that you are going to show up for the later flight time. Even if the flight is delayed, they still may recommend that you go to the airport at the normal departure time. Be careful to stay updated and still allow yourself plenty of extra time to make it to the airport when the flight is ready. Late flights will mean an even more crowded airport with longer lines everywhere so be sure to arrive early enough to make it onto your flight. If you think the flight is late, but the Airline won’t confirm this information, go to the airport anyway. You may have to wait, but you don’t want to forfeit your rights to the ticket because you didn’t show up on time. Remember to update your car rental and hotel reservations to let them know you’ll be later then planned. Otherwise, you may find that since you didn’t show up on time someone else has your car and your room.

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What arrangements should I make if I’m meeting someone at the airport? 

Airports are huge and congested places so you want to take extra care when arranging to meet someone at the airport.

Make sure you give them all your flight information so they can stay updated in case your flight is delayed. Ask them not to leave for the airport until they have gotten an update concerning your flight’s status. The Airline will not verify that you are on the plane or that you even bought a ticket to be on the plane, but they will usually update individuals on the arrival time of particular flights. Check out the airport’s web site and share that web address with the person you are meeting. This way you can both see the airport’s layout and identify a good place to meet. Agree on a specific place to meet and be as specific as possible. Agreeing to meet in the passenger pick up area may leave you looking for each other in a huge place. Also, many airports have more than one terminal building and thus they can have several passenger pickup locations. Realize that security may prohibit them from waiting for you in their car at the pick up area and they may need to park or keep driving around until you can meet them. Don’t plan to meet at the gate. Most airports only allow ticketed passengers past security and into the gate area. You might even consider agreeing on a secondary location that is just off the airport property, such as a specific restaurant or hotel, in case security prevents them from making it onto the airport property. Again, the airport’s web site can probably help you locate such a location. Trade cell phone and pager numbers, if you have them, so you can reach each other once you both make it to the airport. You will need to keep your cell phone and pager turned off on the plane, but you can use it once you reach the airport. You might want to call when you are ready to be picked up so they don't have to park or keep driving around until you arrive.

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