This is intended as a guide for those taking the first trip to US, how to board a flight, the customs and security formalities to complete etc.

• Get a Visa
  1. Elementary, isn’t it? 🙂
• Book a flight
  1. Ha ha, I hope you don’t plan to swim
• Now that you have booked a flight, read on…

The big day arrives, you are all ready and set to go but confused or not clear on the how to board a flight, where to go, what to do etc.? I’ll try and explain the processes based on my own experiences.

Go to the airport a minimum of 3 hours before your flight time to clear all formalities.

You are (usually) allowed to take 2 check-in baggage and 1 cabin baggage+laptop bag on a flight journey. This restriction varies between airlines and hence do check the rules and regulations on the airline company’s website

Check-in Baggage: Large suitcases that you hand-over to the airlines and then collect it at the destination city (or sometimes at intermediate stops and you’ll need to again hand them over for the continuing journey). You’ll not have access to these baggage till you reach the next (or final) city. Always confirm with the agent at the boarding airport and find out where you need to collect the luggage finally

Carry-On/Cabin Baggage: These are small shoulder bags/laptop bags that you can carry personal items during your journey and you’ll store them under your seat or in the overhead bins provided above your seats.

TSA Locks: Be sure to purchase TSA locks in a luggage store/online and use those locks for your check-in baggage. The TSA locks allow the authorities to safely open them and close them again when they want to do a security check. In case you use a non-TSA lock, they might break open the lock and your baggage might potentially get damaged.

Step 1 – Initial Baggage Security Scanning: 

When you enter the airport terminal, just ask any airport personnel to find if you need to scan your baggage or you can directly go to the check-in counter.

• If scanning is required, you would need to place all your bags on a conveyor belt that says something similar to “Baggage/Luggage Security Check/Scanning”. After the scanning is done, the security agent might place a tag or a sticker on the baggage to indicate that scanning is done.
• If scanning is not required, then you can skip this scanning and go to the airlines counter directly for check-in

If by mistake, you go directly to the airlines and there is a security checking required, do not panic, they will just ask you to go, get your baggage scanning done and come back again and hence nothing to worry.

Step 2 – Check-in your baggage and get boarding passes:

When you go to the counters that represent your airlines and the corresponding class (Economy/Business/First-class) for which you have got tickets, then

1. Stand in the Queue – obviously, you do not expect to go directly and jump a queue! 🙂
2. Once you reach the counter, give the print-out of your tickets to the agent
3. The agent might ask you for the passport to verify
4. Once verification is done, the agent will ask you to place each piece of baggage that  you want to check-in and will weigh them to see if the weight is below the limits (if it exceeds, you will need to remove some items and move to another baggage to balance or pay additional charges)
5. The agent will tag the bags and will give you the portion of your baggage tags for identification later
6. Ask the agent where you need to collect the baggage. If you have a direct flight to your destination, then you will collect the baggage directly at the landing city. If you have connecting flights in-between, double check if you can collect it directly at the final destination. If you are asked to collect the baggage at interim cities and then check them in again for subsequent flights, remember to do so
7. The agent will give you your boarding passes – these are the official passes that allow you to board your flight and hence keep them safe. If you have connecting flights, all the boarding passes will usually be given at the first airport itself
8. This is how a boarding pass will look like:

Boarding Pass Sample

Step 3 – Go to Security counter 

1. Take your cabin baggage, passport and boarding pass
2. Go to the security check queue
3. Depending on the airlines and airport, the security formalities will vary
4. If you are leaving out of the country in this airport, the Immigration authorities will check your passport/visa and stamp your passport with the date you are exiting the country
5. The immigration stamping will happen only at the airport where you are leaving the country – in case, you are taking a domestic flight inside the country at the 1st airport and then taking a flight out of the country at the 2nd airport, there will be only an security check at the first airport whereas you’ll have a security check+ immigration check done at the second airport

Security Check Sample Image

Step 4 – Go to the Departure Gate

1. After the security checks are done and you have cleared Immigration, check your boarding pass
2. It will have a “Gate No.” for your flight
3. Go to that boarding gate and wait for boarding announcement
4. Once you hear the boarding call, go to the airlines agent at that gate, show your boarding pass and enter the flight
5. Hold your breath, pray for a safe journey and …. b’bye! 🙂
6. In case the cabin crew asks you to fill up an immigration form, they will hand over the form to you to fill with your passport/flight/destination details (Please be sure to have a pen handy)

 Step 5 – If you have multiple stop-overs before you reach the final destination

1. Get down from the plan when informed
2. Check the Departure boards to see which gate / terminal you need to take the next flight from (based on your flight # mentioned in the next boarding pass)
3. Go to the gate/terminal based on the signs/directions available at the airport
4. If your airport agent had informed you to take the baggage at this airport and then check them in again, then you would need to go to the baggage counters, get your baggage from the corresponding conveyor belt, take them to the corresponding airline counters and check in the bags again by handing them over to the airline agent at the baggage check-in counter

Step 6 – At the final destination

1. Exit the flight when informed by the cabin crew and take your cabin baggage along with you
2. Go to the Immigration counter
3. Provide your passport, any travel documents from your company/for your visa to the immigration officer at the counter
4. Get your passport stamped with the date of entry
5. Go to the baggage counter for your corresponding flight
6. Pick your bags
7. Exit the airport
8. B’Bye and Good Luck! 🙂