Considered strategy for planning a flight trip
Well planned is better flown: To ensure that your dream vacation doesn’t end in a rude awakening, you need to have a well thought-out strategy for planning a flight. However, families with school-age children must proceed differently than couples without children, singles or senior citizens.
Air travel continues to enjoy great popularity. Often there is no sensible alternative: many destinations in Europe, Asia, America and Africa can be reached most quickly and conveniently by air. After the corona-induced decline in passenger numbers in 2020 and 2021, the German Federal Statistical Office recorded a significant increase again in 2022: In June 2022, for example, 16.3 million travelers took off or landed at the 23 largest commercial airports in this country. This means that the pre-crisis level has not yet been reached again. Compared with June 2021, however, passenger numbers have more than tripled. Flights to foreign destinations are particularly in demand: 60.2 million travelers used airplanes to reach foreign destinations in the first half of 2022. The desire to travel is therefore unbroken.
Take a look at the vacation calendar when planning your vacation
This trend is expected to stabilize in the coming months and years. This makes it all the more important for travelers to prepare for the challenges of high passenger volumes. The summer of 2022 has already shown the impact that staff shortages at airports can have. Long waiting times and lost baggage were among the annoyances for passengers. But no one wants to miss out on a well-deserved vacation. That makes good preparation all the more important.
For people without school-age children, the rule is: takeoff made easy. They are not dependent on vacation periods when booking a flight. That’s why they should also take a look at the vacation calendars of the individual federal states when planning their vacation, in order to avoid the main travel days. But beware: vacations start and end at different times in many federal states, so there can be an accumulation of days with high passenger numbers, especially in summer. As the start of the vacation is often on a Monday, it is also important to bear in mind that many parents with school-age children start their journey on the weekend before the vacation, which means that there are already large crowds at the airport. Those who avoid the peak travel times also often benefit from lower prices when booking flights and hotel accommodation.
Early booking pays off for families
Those with school-age children, on the other hand, have no choice: willy-nilly, the vacation trip has to be taken during the vacations – with a lot of like-minded people. Good nerves then belong in any case in the hand luggage. But despite all the expected stress at the start of the trip, there is an attractive opportunity to save money: Early booking is worthwhile for families. The earlier one books, the more favorably flights and accommodations can be snatched. It is best to focus on summer vacations as early as the fall of the previous year. If a trip abroad is planned, it should also be checked early on whether the passports of all family members are valid. Important: Children need their own travel documents, which must be applied for in good time.
Families can also prepare for the start of their vacation: If the airport is close to home, it can be visited with the children in advance. Otherwise, online maps that can be viewed together can help. The procedures before and during departure should also be discussed with schoolchildren in advance. Waiting times at the airport are best managed by bringing along games, reading material and sufficient snacks.
Find out about parking at the airport when booking your flight
For all travelers – whether with or without children – it is also relevant how the journey to the airport is organized. So when booking a flight, you should find out about parking at Frankfurt Airport or parking at Munich Airport right away. It is important to know what options are available here, what costs are incurred and at what time the journey should be made by car. The conditions for parking at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, for example, may be different from those at other major German commercial airports.
So good planning is everything: If you check for yourself whether you can avoid peak travel times, you will be able to rely on smooth operations. If you are tied to times with high passenger volumes, you will inevitably have to put up with the large crowds at the airport and are more likely to encounter obstacles. However, if you familiarize yourself with the circumstances in advance and take care of everything yourself, the probability of a satisfactory start to your vacation increases.