Fly Paperless

10 Travel Hacks To Make Your Airport Journey A Breeze!

For frequent flyers travelling through an airport is easy, but for most of us getting through the airport can be a tricky business.

The long queues, boring waits or worst, lost luggage can ruin anybody’s holiday buzz.

But if you’re well prepared, there are plenty of tricks that can make your airport journey a bearable experience.

To have a stress free and seamless experience at the airport, here are 10 travel hacks that will make your journey from the airport entrance to the boarding gate a breeze.

1. Take Pictures Of Your Luggage

 

Losing your luggage at the airport can be frustrating, especially if the airline misplaces it.

Click a few pictures of your check-in luggage before you leave for the airport. This will make it easier for airport staff to locate it if it goes missing in transit.

Describing your bag to a member of staff at a foreign airport could prove tricky so its good to be prepared.

2.Pack An Empty Water Bottle In Your Carry-On Bag

Airports have a reputation for being notoriously expensive when it comes to purchasing food or water. Plus you aren’t allowed to carry liquids during security checks.

However, security staff will allow you to carry empty bottles.

Once your security check is done, you can go to any water dispenser located at the food court or the boarding area and fill up your bottle.

Stay hydrated and fly healthy!

3.Check-In Next To First/Business Class Line

With things becoming automated these days, airports have installed self check-in kiosks for the convenience of the passenger.

But, most passengers want to take the conventional route and collect their tickets form the check-in desks.

Many seasoned travellers suggest that you should join the check-in line near the first/business class counter.

This is because mostly these lines have fewer passengers and if the counter is free, the desk agent can help you check-in, even if you’re traveling in the economy class.

4. Make Use Of The Internet

If your flight gets delayed and aren’t sure what’s going on, avoid the sea of people crowding the desk agent and trying to get information.

Jump online and check your airline’s official website. They will update the status of your flight without fail.

It’s also worth contacting your airline on Twitter as their customer service representatives are prompt to reply with all the necessary information.

5. Go To The Left At Security Checkpoint

After you’ve checked in and collected your boarding pass, the next step is to go through a security check.

Since a majority of people are right-handed, they tend to select the security lane on the right when faced with a choice.

This means that there’ll be fewer people standing in the left side queue at airport security counter.

Going through security can be torturous, so speed up the process by turning left!

6. Prepare For Security In The Queue Itself

The security queue is always the longest, as nobody seems to be prepared for it despite the fact that the process is always the same.

Don’t wait until you get to the front of the line to take your phone, keys, loose change and other stuff.

Take care of it while waiting in the inevitable security line.

7. Check Out The Lost & Found Section

If you’ve forgotten to pack an everyday item like a phone charger or headphones, you should definitely go to the ‘Lost & Found’ desk at the airport.

Anything that has been in lost and found for up to 90 days is no longer the property of its owner.

So if they have the item, you’re looking for, that has been in their possession for over 90 days, they can hand it over to you.

8. Find An Empty Boarding Gate During Layovers Or Delays

If you have a few hours to spare and don’t want to visit an expensive airport lounge, opt for a boarding gate which is not being used.

You’ll have a peaceful and comfortable experience when you have seats, power outlets and Wi-Fi signals to yourself at an empty gate.

Just make sure that you sit at a place where you can hear the announcements related to your flight.

9. Be Careful When Wearing Headphones

Listening to music, streaming a podcast or watching a movie on your mobile device helps pass time when you are waiting for your flight.

But, it also puts you at the risk of missing important announcements like a change in the boarding gate or a boarding call.

Make sure that you’re alert at all times and keep the volume low.

10. Be Informed About Your Destination or Layover Airport

You’re probably pretty familiar with your home airport, but layover/destination airports can get confusing, especially if you’re in foreign lands.

Today there are apps that help you map the airport by providing you with information about different amenities available at each terminal.

This can save you time if you’re trying to find food or toiletries during a tight connection.

Also running around the airport looking for a gate number is hardly relaxing, so map out your route by using these apps.

If you’re wondering which app to use, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz App to get all the information you need about your airport along with real-time flight updates, information about airline policies and many other air travel services on the move.

Breeze through the airport with these simple hacks and Fly Stress-Free!

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Paperless Travel At Indian Airports Hits Aadhaar Hurdle!

The government’s plan to make air travel paperless in India has hit a bump.

The Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI) has refused to share Aadhaar biometric data with aviation authorities due to security reasons.

Civil Aviation Ministry is looking at different identity options to implement the “DigiYatra” scheme. The other options that can be used for identification of an air traveller are passports or special identity cards made for this purpose but they won’t be able to give the same benefits as an Aadhar card.

The scheme aims at making air travel simpler for passengers by linking their Aadhar information with the database of different airline stakeholders. This would remove the need for paper-based documents or manual security checks at airports.

Many airports were gearing up for this scheme by implementing biometric security scanners and e-ticket gates to automate the check-in process.

In fact, a few months back, the government had announced that they will implement paperless travel at airports such as Varanasi and Vijayawada, however, UIDAI’s decision may stall such a move.

There have been many incidents in recent times where the Aadhaar data has been leaked, raising questions on the security of the biometrics of Indian citizens. UIDAI claims that their database is safe, but incidents of data breach have made them reluctant to share data with external authorities and agencies.

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Soon Your Aadhar Will Be Your Boarding Pass! Paperless Flying Is Coming To India!

Imagine taking a flight from any major airport in India without having to produce a physical copy of the boarding pass, waiting in long security queues for manual checking and frisking or waiting to get your passport stamped.

All you need to do is share an image of your face along with your fingerprint scan at a designated kiosk located at the entrance of the airport and then simply walk through the airport and board your flight. The security checks will be automated via the automated body scanners and high-end cameras to run the background check and match your face and fingerprints with an existing database like Aadhaar.

A system which is implemented at airports in cities like Miami, London, Frankfurt, Dubai, and Sydney will soon become a reality in India.

The government will approve of this paperless flying experience by the end of this month. Once its approved airports all over India can start implementing this system. In fact, This hi-tech movement could start being implemented by July at the Bangalore and Hyderabad airport.

Bangalore and Hyderabad airports have implemented this pilot project successfully and could be the first airports to adopt this system in the coming few months. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started preparing bid documents and will issue tenders which will be available for bidding by the end of this year.

However, the existing paper-based boarding system will still be there since linking Aadhaar to air tickets is not be mandatory.

This system is being developed under the air transport IT and communications service provider SITA and have named it ‘Smart Path’. Smart Path uses biometrics for identification along a passengers journey through the airport. It can be integrated easily into an airlines system and airport infrastructure.

To implement this system airports will need to install self-service equipment like check-in kiosks, baggage dropping units and specially designed gates for secure access and boarding. When implemented this system will make quick deployment easy and cost-effective. Smart Path helps airport authorities by finding data about passengers directly from the government’s database. This will allow greater transparency during immigration and border checks.

This system will make it easier for passengers who link Aadhaar to air tickets at the time of booking.  Passengers can breeze through the airport since they will only need their phone to show e-boarding pass at the security check and the boarding gate which will be scanned.

Apart from passengers, it will also help airport security and staff to identify the authenticity of the passenger and their ticket. Once the flyer is granted entry, the passenger will go through biometric authentication while clearing security and then at boarding gates, thus streamlining the whole security process at the airport.

The paperless initiative is being adopted all over the world, and we at AirWhizz, are continuously working towards implementing it in India because we believe that flying paperless is the future of air travel.

If you want to know more about how flying paperless will be beneficial for you, follow the link!

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Flying Paperless Is About To Become A Reality In India!

Over the past few years, the number of passengers flying In India has increased and airports are finding smarter and innovative ways to deal with increased passenger traffic.
In a move counter this situation, air transport IT and communications service provider SITA is going to help India lead the way in biometric air travels.

According to Maneesh Jaikrishna, SITA Vice President – Indian Subcontinent, Eastern and Southern Africa, the SITA will deliver a seamless biometric experience across all airlines and airports (Domestic and International) in India by linking the Aadhar Biometric system with SITA’s Smart Path Technology.

Elaborating on the concept he said, the biometric identification cards and foreign passports of the citizens will be linked to the databases of airports, airlines and other stakeholders. This will make the passengers flying experience more consistent and secure during the journey. This will allow passengers to use their biometric identity, no matter where they travel.

In addition to the biometric air travel experience, SITA has also provided a solution for secure and smart baggage handling at the airports. The Airports Authority Of India(AAI) will implement the SITA’s baggage management solution “BagManager” at 15 Indian Airports to improve the baggage handling operations. BagManager was first implemented at the Kolkata and Chennai airports back in 2015.

According to Mr Jaikrishna “Soon, 15 airports in India will start getting real-time information on the status of passengers’ baggage, which will significantly reduce the chances of baggage mishandling.”

The 15 airports where “BagManager” will be implemented are – Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, Mangalore, Tirupati, Chennai, Madurai, Kolkata, Goa, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Trichy and Ahmedabad.

The paperless initiative is being adopted all over the world, and we at AirWhizz, are continuously working towards implementing it in India because we believe that flying paperless is the future of air travel.

Wondering what are the different benefits of flying paperless? Follow The Link!

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5 Reasons to Fly Paperless on Your Next Flight!

By using mobile technologies, airports and airlines are constantly expanding possibilities to improve the passenger experience. 

Technology today is continuously catering to the needs of the modern air traveller. He can check-in online, monitor the flight, use curb-side baggage drop and walk straight to the security gate and board his flight with just a few taps on his smartphone.  

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