How to Skip Long Check-in and Security Lines and Get Access to Priority Boarding
Who loves waiting? Nobody. —And standing in one long line after another at the airport is no way to start your dream trip!
The simple tips below can help you breeze past the cattle call and skip to the shortest lines possible and get you on your way.
How to Skip Check-in lines:
1) Never check a bag. Learn to pack only what’s necessary and never check a bag. Then check-in online and print your boarding pass at home or download it to your mobile device. Don’t worry if you lose it, you can always print another copy from a kiosk. This is something anyone can do. No Elite Status, FF miles or special credit cards required! Just do this.
2) Check-in at the curb. If you must have a checked bag, then check-in outside at the curb, with a skycap. The lines outside are almost always shorter than inside and it’s worth the price of a tip to the skycap to save the time you’d otherwise spend standing in line inside the airport.
3) Carry the right credit card. With the right credit card, you can enjoy some of the benefits of Elite Status without actually having it. Yes, it’s true. Certain airline co-branded credit cards offer benefits, which include: priority check-in, priority boarding and priority security screening; all without having to earn Elite Status.
4) Earn Elite Status via a shortcut or travel hack. Even the lowest level of Elite status comes with the benefits of priority check-in, priority access security screening, and priority access boarding. That means by quickly and easily earning Elite Status, you can avoid (or at least shorten) the amount of time you spend standing in lines at the airport.
5) Fly First or Business Class. When you fly First/Business Class you get access to the First or Business Class check-in lines, which are invariably shorter than the economy check-in line.
How to Get the Shorter Security line:
1) Have the right credit card. Priority security lines can be accessed by carrying the right credit card. These days many airline co-branded credit cards carry the perks of priority security screening, priority check-in and priority boarding.
2) Earn Elite Status via a shortcut/travel hack. Once you have Elite Status it doesn’t matter if you’re flying coach, you still get to go in the priority security line. Sweet!
3) Fly First or Business class. When you fly First/Business class you get priority access and therefore the shorter security line. Yes, I know, everyone wants to fly First/Business class, and if you earn FF miles like my cat, you can too!
4) Sign-up for TSA Pre-Check. While this only works for domestic travel on certain airlines this could significantly speed up your security screening if you’re a frequent traveler.
If you can’t do any of the above, traveling only with a well organized carry-on will at least help you get through the line faster because once you get up there you’ll be quick about getting your things through the x-ray machine.
How to Get Priority Boarding:
With more and more people traveling only with carry-ons due to the airlines’ new fees for checked bags, competition for overhead space is increasing. Boarding the plane first means you get access to that precious overhead bin space and consequently end up with more legroom.
There’s rarely any issue finding overhead space in First and/or Business Class, however, when traveling economy you can definitely have issues if you are not one of the first to board.
If you’ve read this far, you will find quite a few of these things familiar.
1) Fly First/Business class.
2) Have the right credit card.
3) Earn Elite Status via a shortcut/travel hack. Having even the lowest level of elite status, you can get on just before the majority of economy passengers.
4) Pay a little extra for priority access at time of booking or check-in.
5) Sit in the right row. Row 6 on Alaska Airlines boards with MVPs and First Class.
Have you discovered any other unusual tricks for skipping airport lines? Let me know in the comments.
