a) Seat
When you check in you can request for a
seat, window or aisle, or even a specific seat is available.
More than half the flight would have requested for the few
bulkhead seats available, and over a tenth for a free
upgrade. Nowadays, these are unlikely to be met, unless you
fly very frequently or are a large corporate customer of the
airline. The bulkhead seats are intended for infants and
differently abled people. But there are other seats which
may meet your requirements, and this is not that well known.
Refer
SeatGuru for more information.
b) Immigration
When you checkin at the counter, you hand over your passport and
e-ticket, and load your baggage on the conveyor belt.
Your baggage will be weighed. For tips on packing, see:
Baggage. Make sure that all your hold baggage has
your address stickers, one inside, one outside, on them.
c) Boarding passes and re-checkin
Then, your boarding pass(es) will be given to you. Note that
if you are taking several flights, you should get your
boarding passes to your final international destination.
Please check this carefully. If you are connecting to an
offline carrier (one that does not fly to Sri Lanka),
e.g. from SriLankan (UL) to Qantas, you will have to
obtain your onward boarding passes at your transit point,
even though your baggage has been checked in to your first
(or final) destination. See:
Missing a Flight. If you are flying via some a hub using
two tickets, you have to re-check your baggage at your first
point of entry (incl. India).
d) Baggage
Checklist.
If you are travelling together as a couple or a family, your
baggage may be pooled, which means the entire weight will be
on one boarding pass, and the other boarding passes will say
PLD where the weight in kilograms is. It is best that you do
not allow this if you are not interlining your baggage
and you have to check it in again at your transit point. Please say so, before the boarding
pass is issued. If you are going to Canada, the USA,
Australia or Russia you will need to re-check your baggage
at your first point of entry to the country, at the counter
of the domestic airline concerned, to collect your onward
boarding pass. This may involve a little walking, but in
most cases, not.
It is very important that in addition to your boarding pass,
the
Baggage Tags, usually one for each piece, are also
pasted on your Tourama docket. Keep this with you, because
in case of a loss, this is your only proof for both locating
it, if possible, or for an insurance claim. If multiple
airlines are involved, they may have Baggage Interline
Agreements which mean that you can still check in your
luggage to your final destination. You should ensure that
you have adequate time to re-check in your baggage in these
cases.
Avoiding Jet Lag and DVT
-
Take cat-naps when you need
to
-
Avoid late meals and
alcohol
-
Adjust to your destination
as soon as you get one the plane
-
Eat on local time
-
Get a good night's sleep
before you travel
-
Go for walks in daytime and
get plenty of sunlight
-
Try to sleep at take-off
when gravitational forces and a shortage of fresh oxygen
make ideal conditions for dozing off
-
A break in a long flight
can help
-
Noise-cancellation
headphones can block out noise and help you sleep on
planes
To prevent
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) see:
Economy Class Syndrome.
Note that this phenomenon is not restricted to Economy Class
and is caused by large periods of inactivity or bad posture.
It has nothing to do with how much you paid for your ticket
!
Misconnecting flights,
Getting Offloaded, Missing a Flight ...
In case of a flight delay of your inbound flight in a
Transit situation, please alert an airline staff requesting
priority in the Transit Counter queue, so that you can make
your connecting flight.
If you miss a flight at a transit point, you should go
to the counter of the Airline concerned, at the airport.
Some airlines may only have offices in the city proper, and
they even be closed at the time. In this case, please go to the Airport
Help Desk and ask them what could be done. Most
international airport staff can speak English.
A last ditch chance would be to find another departing
flight from that same airline, or that of a codeshare
partner or another Alliance member, and ask for help.
Airlines do not provide free accommodation for misconnecting
flights if it is not caused by the airline concerned. Even with a delay, that
is still within the minimum connecting time of the airport,
no accommodation will be provided. So, do ensure that you
have your onward boarding passes.
You should always first
try to contact the ticket issuing airline,
and not offline codeshare partners.
Losing a Passport, Ticket, Boarding Pass, Traveller's
Cheques ..
An e-ticket cannot be lost. It is stored in the
airline's system, and also on the GDS system, so you can
easily retrieve your booking online at an internet kiosk or
using by your wireless access device. An E-boarding pass
cannot be lost, and can be re-printed in the same manner. If
you have the old type of Boarding Pass, a replacement may be issued at the airline discretion. Traveller's Cheques may be cancelled by calling a number,
and you can obtain replacements at an
American Express
office in your destination Country. Credit cards should be
cancelled immediately by calling the issuing bank. You
should have comprehensive
travel insurance in order to
mitigate the costs involved in disaster situations.
Getting Pick-pocketed
Please do not take your National ID
or driving licence cards
with you. They are worse than useless overseas. If you have
an International Driving Licence, keep a copy of it
separately. Keep your wallet in your front right pocket, and
your handbag zipped up securely and in front of you. In
crowded areas, keep your wits about you. This doubly applies
if you are alone, and you are taking public transport.
If you do get pick-pocketed, first immediately call and
cancel stolen credit cards. You will need to make a police entry, if
you want to claim on your insurance. If you do not have
insurance, this is unlikely to help. If
language is an issue, a translator can usually be obtained
(perhaps at a fee). If there is a Sri Lankan consulate, they
may be able to help too.
It is best to keep your valuables in a hotel safe, if you
are venturing out. Keep only the money you need for your
outing.
Flight Cancellations etc.
If your flight is cancelled and your ticket is
endorsable, you can travel on any other airline at no extra
cost. The ticketed airline has to, and will, assist you with
alternate travel arrangements. If the flight is cancelled due to say, an airport/airspace
closure or security reasons, the airline may, at its
discretion disregard the conditions of the ticket, and put
you on another flight from another location, or give you a
full refund. You should
contact the airline office at the airport or in the city
that you are in. Usually, the contact number will appear on
your Tourama Itinerary printout, for each
destination and transit point on your itinerary. Please keep
your docket/itinerary letter carefully.
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