You have heard anxiety-invoking tales of how colleagues and friends missed their early morning flight and the ensuing discomfort. Unfortunately for you, the flight to your destination is scheduled to leave in the morning. Of course, the news doesn’t make you quite happy but scared and worried as the thoughts of missing your flight bombards your mind like multiple darts being pelted at a dartboard.
How do you catch up with your morning flight? What preparations do you make to ensure that you aren’t left behind? Should you lodge in a hotel around the Heathrow airport, or do you just move from home to save the cost of lodging? These are the likely questions that would hit your mind when looking for the best possible ways to arrive at the airport in time.
However, to make things easier for you, we’ll be giving you some tips based on recommendations and expert advice. But before we kick off, let’s take a look at the importance of arriving early for your morning flight.
Importance of arriving early for your morning flight
Whether you are attending a business meeting, an appointment with your doctor, or an early morning flight, it pays to arrive early.
Arriving at the airport early puts you ahead. It helps you beat the traffic that comes with the early morning rush. In 2019, Heathrow airport was considered the busiest airport globally by international passenger traffic and the seventh business airport worldwide by total passenger traffic.
Thus, in light of this stunning revelation, it makes sense to arrive at the Heathrow airport in time for your morning flight. Doing so will enable you to do the necessary security checks and screening, request a preferred seat, and relax while waiting for takeoff.
So, having revealed to you the importance of arriving early for your morning flight, let us put the icing on the cake by revealing to you how to beat all the odds and arrive at the airport in time.
Here are a few tips:
1. Pack everything the night before
If you are a fan of doing things at the eleventh hour, you need to put that attitude aside when planning an early morning flight. Remember, you are preparing for a flight and not some get-together with your friends where you have the chance to beg for additional time due to your inability to show up early.
So, ensure you get everything ready the night before. Pack your suitcase, put some items in your bag or purse, and double-check everything to ensure that you aren’t leaving any necessary stuff behind.
If possible, prepare your travel clothes that night, so it is easier for you to grab and wear them easily. No one will wait for you if you decide to turn up late, regardless of who you are or your reason for lateness.
2. Prepare a quick breakfast.
First off, you need to understand that eating before a flight—along with one especially—is advised. So, if you are to eat before you leave your home for the airport, it is best that you prepare a quick breakfast.
Avoid salty snacks, alcohol, cruciferous vegetables, caffeine, carbonated beverages, etc., before embarking on a flight. Instead, go for light meals like yogurts, lean protein, smoothies, cherries, oats, and bananas.
Worthy to note is that airport foods are ridiculously overpriced if you choose not to cook while at home and buy something from the Heathrow airport instead.
3. Arrange your documents
Your documents are your pass when it comes to boarding a flight. So if you (probably due to the early morning rush) forget one of these documents, you’ll surely have to return home, and doing so may result in you missing your early morning flight.
So how do you avoid this? Simple as ABC!
Arrange your documents beforehand. Stash your flight tickets, IDs, and Passports in one place to avoid forgetting any of them. You can purchase a folder, put your paper documents in the folder and place it in the front of your carry-on bag. Your passport and identification can as well go into the same pocket. By doing so, you know where all your stuff is, and you can easily take them out when needed.
4. Arrange for transport
Transportation to the Heathrow airport is something you should consider before your flight. While some people drive to the airport with their cars and pay for car parking services, it makes sense to leverage an alternative like Heathrow Airport taxi pick up. Doing so should help you save cash that would have been spent paying for airport car parking services.
That said if you would be using a taxi service, ensure you arrange for the ride ahead of time. Proactive planning is key when it comes to meeting up with your early morning flight. For this reason, all arrangements should be made beforehand.
5. Set your alarm
It is hard to fall asleep on a night preceding a big day, like a big job interview, your marriage to a loved one, or even a flight. However, sometimes this isn’t always the case. To ensure you don’t sleep more than you should, ensure you set alarms—a lot of them—and head to bed early.
Also, it makes sense to modify your sleep schedule a few days or a week before your flight so that your body gets accustomed to the pattern, and waking up early doesn’t seem hard. Ensure to stay away from gadgets like your laptops, TV, or your phone an hour before you plan to doze off so you can have a sound sleep.
6. Consider a hotel near the airport
If you want to escape the hustle and bustle that comes with trying to arrive at the Heathrow airport in time, you can consider booking a hotel nearby. This will help you prepare well, and, of course, you should get to the airport in time to complete the necessary screening.
While leaving home for the hotel, make sure you crosscheck your things to ensure you are with the right documents and aren’t leaving anything behind. Then, in the hotel, carry out another check to be sure. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Conclusion
“The earlier, the better” is a common phrase that doesn’t only apply to a big job interview or a meeting with your CEO. It applies to your morning flights as well. Therefore, ensure you do all necessary to arrive early for your flight because no one would wait for you, even if you are Jeff Bezos.