Help For Dealing with Problems at the Airport in 2022
You’ve probably heard about the problems at the airports in 2022. I’m here to tell you that it is completely true. As I mentioned in Things to Do in Belgrade Serbia, I was in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia this past Spring.
Thankfully, I didn’t experience the lost luggage everyone is talking about. However, I did suffer one problem.
Not enough layover time.
Layover Time Problems at Airports
When traveling overseas from the U.S., there’s almost always one stop, if not two or more, in foreign countries. In the past, if you had a layover (stop in between flights) of 1 hour, you could make your next flight with no problem.
However, these days, 1 hour is not enough. You’ll need at least 2 hours to be safe.
Moreover, as I learned, you are responsible for ensuring the time gaps are sufficient.
Here’s what I mean.
I reasonably thought that if the airline booked my entire itinerary and determined 45 minutes was enough, then I would be fine. After all, they are the ones who booked the entire ticket for my flight from Montenegro to Sarajevo.
But that wasn’t the case. I had a stop in Belgrade. It was the same airline, and I booked the entire ticket with Serbia Air.
My plane leaving Montenegro was late, so when I got to Belgrade, I was late, and the plane to Sarajevo took off without me.
So when you book flights now and in the foreseeable future, when looking at the list of flights, pick the times that give you the best layover time – at least 2 hours.
Customs and Transfers
When you land in another country, you must go through customs.
Customs is the window where they look through your passport, stamp it, and let you into their country.
However, you don’t have to go through customs if you are just transferring on to another country.
For example, if you’re going from Phoenix to Spain, but have a stop in London, you will not have to go through customs in London.
When you get off the plane in London, look for the transfer hall or ongoing passenger area.
Often it is hard to find.
Don’t follow the crowd who got off the plane with you because most of those people are going through customs (visiting that country).
Note: Often, following the crowd is good advice when traveling.
If you are transferring on, and can’t find the transfer area, ask somebody.
You don’t want to get to the customs window, and the guy says you shouldn’t have come up here, your area is somewhere else.
Problems at the Airport with U.S. Customs
Even in the best of travel times, U.S. Customs causes problems at the airport.
When you come back to the U.S., you will go through U.S. customs.
The same layover advice from above applies here.
Check and double-check your return ticket to the U.S. and make sure you have enough time on any connections here in the U.S.
Give yourself two hours at least.
Because I live in Phoenix, I always stop in New York or D.C. when I come home. Often, I’m late for my connection or miss it entirely because U.S. customs took so long.
It’s not always possible, but look to see if you can find a flight with a 2-hour plus domestic layover when coming home.
Anyway, hope these tips help with dealing with problems at the airport and hope you’re traveling this year.
Have fun!
Derron
P.S. If you want to know how to find cheap flights (for real) go here: Cheap Flights
