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Questions tagged [air-travel]

A form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, air balloons and so on.

By R.M. Jaarsma (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

A form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters and so on. For questions about any types of air travel. For questions relating to mechanical details of planes, our sister site Aviation, can assist you better.

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Why are airline passengers asked to lift up window shades during takeoff and landing?

I have always wondered why the windows shades have to be raised during take off and landing. I can't think of any safety issues by having a closed window.
bobby
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Took airline plane blanket by accident; didn't realize it was forbidden. What should I do?

I'm very new to traveling in general. When I flew on a long flight, the airline gave us blankets and pillows. I, having no idea that I was supposed to leave the blanket behind, took it as I collected all my things, and left. I had assumed that since…
feels-really-bad
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How can I deal with people asking to switch seats with me on a plane?

I'm sixteen years old, and I have mild claustrophobia so I always travel in the aisle seat. However, I'm constantly asked (not politely) by others to change seats with them. Since I usually travel alone, this becomes quite problematic for me. I've…
Vedant Chandra
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Canadian citizen, on US no-fly list. What can I do in order to be allowed on flights which go through US airspace?

My father and I, both Canadian citizens, were denied to board a direct Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Toronto non-stop without any prior warning or information. Literally, at the gate, we were told that we were put on a no-fly list by…
Aras Celik
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Airline reservations require name to exactly match passport, but won't allow entering name that way

My sister's name on her passport is 25 characters not including spaces: 5 letters for her given name, 7 letters for her middle name, and 13 letters, including a hyphen, for her last name. (It's NOT a hyphenated name in the usual sense of one half…
Martha
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Flight tickets: buy two weeks before even during holiday seasons?

There is a common story that airline ticket prices rise significantly if you buy them less than two weeks before departure. And that any time before that will yield standard prices. Is that advice valid for flying during holiday seasons? As an…
themirror
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Norwegian refuses EU delay (4.7 hours) compensation because it turned out there was nothing wrong with the aircraft

My flight from Oslo to Rome was delayed by 4 hours and 40 minutes. I submitted a request to Norwegian Air Shuttle requesting a compensation of 400 Euros under EU 261/2004. Their reasoning for why they can not grant compensation is that while they…
Fiksdal
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How can I do a "broad" search for flights?

Several airline and trip planning sites will allow you to check "I am flexible with my dates" or a similar option. Is there any way to also search more broadly for location? For example, if you wanted to leave from YYZ or YKF and arrive at any…
Matthew Read
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Prohibited item forgotten in hand luggage: what to do with it?

I guess it happens quite frequently: you have already checked in, and at the security check you realize that you have in your backpack your grandmother's Klingon bat'leth blade, an item that has been in your family for generations and that you…
Federico Poloni
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Can I accidentally miss the in-flight food?

I was wondering what will happen if I was wearing headphones or asleep (or both) and I missed the in-flight food? I don't want to miss it, but I know when I get lost in my music or fall asleep I hardly notice anything around me...Is this possible?…
MrkiBožo
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When and why do people clap/applaud after a plane lands?

On a recent flight to Romania, the whole flight erupted with applause once we'd landed. This wasn't a "difficult" flight - no turbulence, delays, or hijackings. Just a bog standard flight. On the return flight to London, no one applauded. However,…
Terence Eden
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How to avoid toddlers on a long-distance plane flight?

I have recently taken a London - San Francisco (12 hour) flight, with a toddler in the seat directly behind me. His parents actively encouraged the kid to speak out in that typical proto-speech, while reading out from books. For 12 hours. One might…
Silver Dragon
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How to convince airport security that I am not dangerous when having metallic parts in my body?

I had an operation some time ago and now I have small screws in my shoulder which will not be removed anymore. When I decided to fly for vacation, I supposed that these will may bring me into trouble at the airport when going through the metal…
Uooo
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Did I opt out of compensation by accepting meal vouchers?

Today/yesterday, I had a multi-leg flight going IAD-CPH-AMS (Washington Dulles International Airport - Copenhagen Airport - amsterdam Airport Schiphol). I had a connection time of one hour in CPH, which is more than enough according to the CPH…
EMotion
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Why do people on airplanes often have tomato juice as a drink?

Tomato juice seems to be a favorite drink for many travelers to have on board an airplane. I've seen this on almost every flight I've been on, but I have never noticed this same trend at ground-level. What are the reasons for that? Is there an…
graup
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