By Kevin Poling, Director of Travel, Satori World Medical

The most common questions I get asked when it comes to flying are: When is the best time to fly? Which seats have the most legroom? How early do I have to arrive at the airport?  Below are a few answers to those frequently asked questions, as well as some helpful tips to reduce your chances of encountering problems when flying.

• Fly in the morning. Typically, the least expensive and less delayed flights are the first flights out in the morning and red-eye flights. When choosing a flight that departs early morning, there is less likely to be a significant delay, when compared to an afternoon flight, which is a preferred time to fly. Once the air traffic systems experiences problems and delays, the domino effect can continue throughout the entire day.
• Reserve a good seat. Emergency exit row seats usually offer the most legroom and depending on the plane, “bulkhead seats” (seats that are directly behind a wall or curtain) can be slightly more spacious, since there is no passenger reclining their seat in front of you. If you want to experience the smoothest possible flight, reserve a seat towards the front of the cabin. Turbulence, as well as engine noise, is usually greater in the back of the aircraft.
• Arrive at the airport early. The general rule-of-thumb is to arrive at the airport for a domestic flight 60 minutes prior to the departure time if you are not checking baggage and 90 minutes if you are. Try to arrive 2 hours early when flying to international destinations. It is recommended to leave even earlier if you are flying with children, bringing a lot of luggage, or traveling during peak holiday seasons.
• Plan enough time between flights. It is tempting to book a connecting flight with the shortest layover, but make sure to leave enough time to exit the aircraft and make it to the other gate, which can be at the opposite end of the airport. To be safe, it is recommended to leave about an hour to an hour and a half between flights.

You can read more useful flying and travel tips here.

Happy Travels,

Kevin