Top Ten Tips on How to Fly Through Airport SecurityFly through the airport on your next trip with some top tips on getting through the airport quickly

Fly straight onto the plane on your next trip with these ten top travel tips on getting through the airport quickly.

Don’t fly from Stansted at the weekend

Some airports are faster to get through than others. Flying from London Stansted on a Friday night is an extremely stressful experience and takes ages. So before you fly, do some research and try to find out if there’s a more user-friendly airport you can fly from within your budget. If you’re flying from the UK, in my experience London Heathrow, Bristol and Newquay are fast and pleasant. Stansted and Gatwick on the other hand are painful, so try to avoid them.

Know where you’re going

This seems like a no brainer, but know exactly where you are going including your terminal. Use google maps, do your research. I once nearly missed a fight for being at completely the wrong terminal and I actually had to jump on a bus and bomb it down the motorway for a bit!

Check in online

A lot of airlines allow you to check in online 24 hours before so you can drop your bag at the airport. In places like Toulouse Blagnac, on an Easyjet flight on a Sunday afternoon, this will save you at least 45 mins. If you do have to check-in a bag, get all your hand luggage in there, as well. That way, your laptop, toiletries and things that usually get scrutinised at security won’t be able to slow you down.

Or, skip the check-in queue

Ok this is quite a risky one. But, in theory, you could chill out at the bar while you wait for your flight to be called. Plus, as you will be a passenger on the verge of missing their flight you will be a priority customer and go straight to the front of the queue. Give it a go, but at your own risk…

Hand luggage only

This is a favourite of mine, as a lot of my colleagues know. There are plenty of decent hand luggage size bags on the market these days. With hand luggage only, not only will you get through the start of your trip faster, but by only using hand luggage you will get out of the airport quicker on the other side.

Traveling around the World with only hand luggage, purchasing what you need at your intended location is a liberating experience. I went to South Africa and Indonesia with just hand luggage. I bought surfboards there for a fraction of the cost back home, then sold them for a healthy profit when I returned.

HAVE YOUR BOARDING PASS.

Just have it with you. If you’re intending on using a boarding pass on your mobile phone, take a screenshot of it as you might not have good wifi or 3G at the airport. But also remember that you might run out of battery, so always try to print it out.

Be prepared

Unless you’ve not been on a plane in the last ten years, you’ll know the deal with all liquids being in a clear plastic bag. Do this at home. Then, place that bag at the top of your hand luggage so you can grab it quickly. The same goes for your laptop and tablet, have them out of their cases and easy to access. Don’t even bother wearing a belt or jewellery for the first leg of the airport, pack that stuff and put it on when you’re sipping a mimosa in departures.

Dress accordingly

I am usually heading to warmer climes, so I’ll fly in flip-flops, smart jogging bottoms, an in-offensive t shirt and a lightweight jumper. Even if it’s the middle of Winter in London, you’re not going to walk to the airport. That means you don’t need your Canada Goose Jacket, hat and North Face boots. They’ll just take forever to get off and slow down your security experience.

Jump the security queue

Once, I thought I had gone through security in Sri Lanka Airport (CMB) and was having a head massage in the Ceylon Spa. After the massage I went and got a Whopper from Burger King. Then I perused some tat in the shops. Then, at the last minute, I casually cruised downstairs to see that I hadn’t gone through security at all.

To make things worse, there were probably a hundred people queuing up, half of whom were monks in full dress. I was genuinely going to miss my flight so, as politely as I could, I gestured that I needed to get to the front and completely queue jumped. It was absolutely horrible. I can still remember the Buddhist Monk (you’ve heard of karma right?) looking me in the eye and shaking his head in disgust. Namaste brother.

Impress immigration

Now for some reason every immigration experience puts me on edge. It’s especially bad in Indonesia where there’s a huge sign telling you that you can go to prison there for life for a number of crimes. The USA, where they grill you hard, is also scary.

By far the best experiences I’ve had are when I’ve been smartly dressed, have been well spoken, made eye contact with the immigration official and tried to speak in the local language.

Staring at my phone has gotten me in trouble, as has trying to crack a joke. The worst was when I almost got deported from Indonesia as my bank card got blocked when I went to draw out the money for the visa. It made the official think I was a broke bum traveler. After a horrible hour attempting to get through to Lloyds on a terrible internet connection, a knight in shining armour who happened to be called Max lent me the $30 and the official really reluctantly let me go.

So there are my top tips, from extensive experience on how to get through airports quickly. If you have any you would like to share, please do in the comments section below.