It’s no secret that traveling by plane these days comes with its fair share of headaches. Legroom is shrinking, airports are more crowded, delays are inevitable, and travelers are paying extra for what used to be free. But for all its challenges, air travel is still far more affordable than it used to be, and at the end of the day, it allows us to hop on a plane and discover a new destination in as little as a few hours. To make the journey as smooth, enjoyable, and stress-free as possible, we’ve compiled our ultimate flying tips below. 

1. Use This One-Stop Shop To Find the Best Deals

A smooth flight begins with knowing you got the best possible deal on a ticket. There’s one place you should be shopping for fares: Google Flights. The search engine compiles dozens of flight options from nearly every airline, pointing you in the direction of the best options for your journey. You also can set alerts to track prices. If you’re wondering when the best time is to pull the trigger, here’s what the data says.

Read more: The Secret to Finding the Best Deals on Flights

2. When in Doubt, Go for the Early Flight

Typically, around 20% to 25% of flights in the U.S. will experience a delay. But there are strategies you can use to avoid that scenario, and it starts with picking a departure time. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), the biggest single factor impacting on-time performance is a late arriving inbound aircraft. Planes allocated to the first flights of the day usually arrive at the airport the night before, so if you aren’t waiting on an inbound flight to arrive, that’s one less reason for your flight to be delayed.

Read more: The Best Times To Fly To Avoid Flight Delays

3. Choose Your Seat Wisely

Most travelers want to avoid being stuck at the back of the plane, but is that the wisest choice? If you’re flying in economy, the odds of an empty seat next to you increase the further back you go. The seats toward the front of the cabin tend to fill up first, leaving more empty seats toward the back. Some airlines even charge extra for “preferred” seats at the front of the cabin, as travelers are often willing to pay more to be off the plane sooner.

Read more: How To Get a Better Seat on Your Next Flight

4. Know How To Dodge Fees 

Ever since airlines started charging for checked bags, fees for ancillary services have become increasingly common. To avoid paying more than you need to, read up carefully on what’s included with your ticket — anything from seat assignments to in-flight amenities or even printing a physical boarding pass at the airport could cost you extra. If you’re looking to avoid checked bag fees, choose an airline like Southwest that doesn’t charge for them, or consider signing up for an airline credit card.

Read more: 6 Sneaky Airline Fees Travelers Should Know About

5. Learn To Pack Your Carry-On Like a Pro

A simple way to avoid checked bag fees is to travel with only a carry-on. And if you want to make sure it has all your essentials while still meeting airline size requirements, we’ve gathered a few clever tricks. One of our favorites? Roll, don’t fold. 

Read more: 8 Clever Tricks To Fit More Into Your Carry-On

6. Understand Check-In Cutoff Times

A common reason travelers can be denied boarding is that they don’t check in on time. If you find yourself running behind schedule, it’s crucial to know the absolute latest time you can arrive and still make your flight. Most airlines have minimum check-in time requirements and checked baggage cutoff times, especially for international flights, and these are posted on the airline’s website. Make sure to factor in the time you’ll have to stand in line to check your bags, as airline counters are frequently understaffed.

Read more: How Early Should I Arrive at the Airport?

7. Don’t Check a Bag Without This Essential

While lost or delayed luggage cases aren’t common, they are unfortunately on the rise. Thankfully, there’s an affordable gadget that can help track down your missing bags and provide peace of mind on your next trip. Even better, it takes up barely any luggage space at all. We’re talking about the Apple AirTag — a tiny, yet essential device that every jetsetter should own. Plus, Apple recently introduced a helpful new feature that allows you to share your AirTag location with airlines directly. 

Read more: The One Gadget You Should Never Travel Without

8. In Case of Delays, Know Your Rights

Delays, cancellations, and overbooked flights are sometimes unavoidable, but you can arm yourself with knowledge — you may be entitled to some compensation, depending on the circumstances. New rules the Department of Transportation (DOT) implemented in October 2024 offer U.S. flyers a set of protections for delayed or canceled flights, delayed bags, and other flight disruptions.

Read more: When Do Airlines Pay You if Your Flight Is Delayed?

9. Dress Appropriately

When packing, it’s easy to overlook one of the most essential outfits: your airplane ensemble. You want to be comfortable, especially in cramped airplane seats, but you also need to consider temperature changes, air-conditioning in terminals, and getting through airport security without incident. Start by knowing what to avoid, along with our picks for the best anti-wrinkle clothing for travel.

Read more: 6 Things You Should Never Wear on a Flight

10. Pack the Right Accessories

When packing for a trip, we tend to spend most of our time focused on the essentials — clothes, shoes, hats, electronics, medicines, and the like. That makes perfect sense, but it also makes it easy to overlook smaller items that can turn a stressful travel day into a smooth one. From noise-cancelling headphones to a refillable water bottle and a travel sleep kit, these are the 10 items we always recommend packing.

Read more: 10 Travel Accessories You Should Always Pack

11. Know What You Can (and Can’t) Bring  

A common complaint with TSA is travelers who hold up the line because they don’t know the rules. Avoid being one of them: If you have something unusual you’re planning to carry on the plane, read up on the restrictions and requirements before you arrive at the airport — some of them may surprise even seasoned travelers, including what foods you can and can’t bring. In 2025, the TSA also announced new bans on a few common items in checked baggage, including some cordless curling irons and lithium-ion batteries.

Read more: The TSA Has Now Banned These Items in Checked Bags

12. Make Sure You Have a REAL ID

In 2025, the TSA finally started enforcing its long-talked-about requirement for domestic passengers to travel with a REAL ID. If you don’t have a REAL ID or plan to get one soon, there are many other acceptable forms of identification at TSA checkpoints, such as a passport. If you don’t present any of them and still wish to fly, travelers now face a $45 fee for identity verification.

Read more: The TSA Just Added a $45 Fee for Travelers Who Don’t Have This

13. Don’t Wait in Long Lines if You Don’t Have To

No one likes waiting in a long security line before a flight. Fortunately, there are easy ways to reduce your wait time. Explore how you can speed through airport security by enrolling ahead of time in TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or CLEAR. Recently, the TSA has also expanded its Touchless ID program, which offers dedicated (read: faster) lanes that allow travelers to skip showing their ID in favor of looking into a biometric camera.

Read more: 4 Things That Will Help You Get Through TSA Faster

14. Avoid Airport Tech Mistakes

In 2025, the TSA issued two cybersecurity warnings to travelers. The first tip: “Don’t use free public Wi-Fi, especially if you’re planning to make any online purchases. Do not ever enter any sensitive info while using unsecure Wi-Fi.” And avoid charging your device in the public USB charging ports, as the TSA warns that they are susceptible to what’s known as “juice jacking,” in which hackers can steal your data or install malware on a connected device.

Read more: The TSA Warns Against Making These Two Mistakes in Airports

15. Upgrade Your Boarding Game

Anxious about finding overhead space or just want to settle in sooner? Check to see if you’re part of a group that qualifies for early boarding, find out if it makes sense to open an airline credit card that offers priority boarding, or see if you can purchase priority boarding from the airline. You might also be able to score a cheap upgrade to first class, which comes with early boarding, among other perks.

Read more: The Best Ways To Get Priority Boarding on Your Next Flight

16. Don’t Become “Gate Lice”

If you still find yourself stuck in group nine, don’t try to cut the line. Airlines are introducing new technology that audibly alerts gate agents when someone tries to board before their zone is called. To avoid public shaming, remain patiently seated and don’t join the passengers who stand and crowd the gate before their group is called. There’s a name for them: gate lice.

Read more: This Airline Is Cracking Down on People Who Cut the Boarding Line

17. Stick to Your Assigned Seat

On the rare chance that you board a plane and see an empty row near you, don’t just assume you can move there. It may be reserved for crew rest, or staff may have intentionally left it open for aircraft weight and balance reasons, so check first with a flight attendant. If it’s a seat with extra legroom, you’ll almost always have to pay an extra fee to sit there — even if it would otherwise go empty. (If you wish to swap seats with a fellow passenger, be sure to follow those unwritten rules of etiquette, too.)

Read more: Why You Should Think Twice Before Moving to That Empty Airplane Seat

18. But Check Your Seat First

Staff generally clean cabins between every flight, but with tight turnarounds between flights, there often isn’t enough time to do a thorough cleaning. Check your seat for any obvious discoloration, smells, or stains, and look around the crevices for any dirt, grime, or discarded trash. You can always pack a few sanitary wipes to wipe down the seat and common touchpoints such as the armrests or tray table. 

Read more: How To Tell if Your Airplane Seat Really Is Clean

19. Avoid This In-Flight Drink

Everyone has a favorite beverage when flying on an airplane, but it may surprise you to learn there’s one beverage that experts recommend against ordering on an aircraft: coffee. But you may already be one of the many flyers who prefer tomato juice instead.

Read more: The One Drink You Should Never Order on a Plane

20. Know What Happens to Your Body on a Plane

Air humidity on an airplane is lower than many of us are used to on the ground, which has a dehydrating effect on our bodies. Drinking plenty of water is essential, and you’ll want to avoid consuming too much alcohol, too. You also might experience a dry nose, dry skin, or dry lips, so pack a few tools to combat those, too. And if you’re flying across multiple time zones, here are a few helpful tips for beating jet lag.

Read more: 5 Strange Things That Happen to Your Body on an Airplane

21. Always Pay Attention to the Seat Belt Sign

If you travel often and have been noticing more frequent bumps in the sky, you’re not alone. According to recent reports, flight turbulence is on the rise — particularly a type known as clear air turbulence that’s trickier for pilots to anticipate. If the seat belt sign is on, it goes without saying that you should remain seated with your seat belt fastened. 

Read more: Flight Turbulence Is Happening More Often — Here’s Why

22. Practice Proper Window Shade Etiquette

If you’re sitting in the window seat, it’s pretty much an unspoken rule that you get to decide whether to keep the shade up or down (as long as the flight crew doesn’t instruct you otherwise). But whether you should keep it raised or lowered is a different story. Look to cues from fellow passengers and be considerate of others. For example, if your shade is the only shade that’s open in the entire cabin, the sunlight may prove to be an unwanted nuisance for your fellow passengers. The same goes for reclining your seat. 

Read more: Should You Keep Your Airplane Window Shade Up or Down?

23. Use Headphones

In a recent survey, travelers identified the growing trend of people who conduct calls, watch videos, or listen to music in public without headphones as one of the most annoying behaviors in the sky. In early 2026, United became the first airline to officially start requiring passengers to use headphones with their devices. Those who don’t comply could be kicked off of their United flight or even banned from traveling with the airline in the future. Even if you’re not flying on United, though, always using headphones is considerate to your fellow passengers.

Read more: This Airline Is Cracking Down on an Annoying Passenger Habit

24. Use Sunscreen

Any dermatologist will tell you to wear sunscreen on the ground, but what about while flying? The average commercial airliner cruises at over 30,000 feet, meaning passengers are roughly 6 miles closer to the ozone layer than at ground level. UV rays become more intense the closer we get to the sun, and, unfortunately, plane windows can only do so much to block them out, so wearing sunscreen is your best bet.

Read more: Why You Should Wear Sunscreen on Your Next Flight

25. Follow the “Six-Month Rule” for International Trips

If you’re headed overseas, you’ve probably already checked that your passport hasn’t expired. But do you know about the “six-month rule”? Some countries apply this restriction to ensure travelers’ passports don’t unexpectedly expire while abroad if they have to extend their trip. Before you travel, it’s a good rule of thumb to make sure your passport’s expiration date is six months beyond the date of your intended stay in your foreign destination. (Pro tip: You may now be eligible to renew your passport online.)

Read more: Why You Should Double Check Your Passport — Right Now

26. Listen to Your Flight Attendants 

Flight attendants are the unsung heroes of air travel, keeping us safe and comfortable during our journeys. They also fly a lot more than the average traveler. Because of this, their knowledge of airplane safety and etiquette is second to none. Before your next flight, get the inside scoop on what they really wish travelers knew. 

Read more: Ask an Expert: 9 Things Flight Attendants Want You To Know