Here are the latest updates if you are flying this year. 

Summeravel season means airline disruptions for passengers so these new updates will help you be prepared for any flight. You will be very relieved with a few of the summer changes for air travel.

Here are travel tips for what you can do as an airline passenger this summer:

Because weather is the number one cause of delayed flights or cancellations, you can check this website for potential updates on your day of travel.

The most important tip is to download your airline’s app this summer because you will get flight updates on delays or cancelations. You can also check where your airplane is parked  this summer before you drive to the airport.

Airports also have apps, which may be helpful for 2 reasons:

1. If you need to know which way Uber is or

2. how to get to the rental car area. Skip the airport rental car line with this hack I have used for 7 years.

Another thing passengers can do is to pack a couple of shirts and undies in a compression cube in the bottom of your personal item bag in case you are stranded or if your luggage is lost.

For flight delays and cancelations this summer I recommend Minute Suites that are little rooms in airports you can rent. The come with free wifi, a trundle bed, office desk and big screen television. Some rooms have access to restrooms equipped with showers and other travel amenities.

Another summer update since many of you have not flown in a long time is that airlines are going cashless for inflight purchases, or contactless. If you want to buy a drink or snacks mid-flight, you will have to do 1 of 2 things:

1.use a credit card or

2.have your card uploaded onto the airline’s app so they can charge you based on the card that is linked for that seat’s passenger.

For United airlines going to Mexico I had to upload my credit card before I got inside the airplane…on their app.

Air travel update for summer season is long Transportation Security Administration lines – even for precheck or global entry. On May 14, a Sunday, 2.5 million passengers passed through TSA screening compared to 2.6 million in year 2019.

Summer TSA PreCheck Updates: TSA PreCheck means you do not have to take off shoes or take out your bag of liquid containers. It costs $85 for 5 years.

What I noticed in the PreCheck in May of 2023:

no belts in my airport, longest lines I have ever seen, and the CLEAR line was the longest I have seen and they were getting in front of one strand of the PreCheck lane since there were only 2 officers-one for my lane and one for the other precheck lane.

Another update is that airport security screening will most likely be inconsistent at many airports. New technology may mean you do not have to take out your liquids bag. You may not have to present your identification to the TSA officer that day.

But a tip is that the next day, they may not be testing that machine anymore, and the usual liquids rule will be back in effect.

A travel update if you have not flown is to arrive 2 hours before boarding time NOT departure for 3 reasons: longer than usual lines in airport security, airlines board flights 30 minutes before flights especially if on a 737, and so you are not rushed after the TSA line.

Check out this YouTube list of tips to help ensure that you will have space for your carry-on suitcase in the overhead bins on your next flight.

When you rush, you forget travel essentials!

If you want my Summer Travel Finds from Amazon for 2023, watch that at any time!

A brand new update for summer travel was announced by the Federal Aviation Administration. Flights along the east coast have more routes now that are shorter and faster. That means fewer delays. I will link the article in the description paragraph right above the shirts I designed for this channel.

I am a pilot wife and have traveled for over 20 summers. Grab the free resource for your next trip and say hi if we have not met yet.