Arrive at the airport early, especially if you're travelling with people who know nothing about quart-size ziplock bags and the meaning of "liquids must be 3 oz. or less." The kind of people who wear cargo shorts with so many snaps and zippers they set off the buzzers on the metal detectors and the person must be taken aside for further investigation.
Try to get connecting flights if at all possible, because you'll have to endure going back through security. And though the liquids mentioned above may have been taken care of, those same cargo pants will set off the alarms in Phoenix just as they did in Tulsa. Besides, sometimes lay overs are expected. Maybe two to three hours. But when your flight on one airline arrives and the flight on the other airline doesn't depart for six hours, that's a bit much.
Don't take the window seat if there's any chance you may be claustrophobic. Of course, I had no idea I would experience such feelings. But after sitting on the plane for about 4 hours on a 6.5-hour flight, I began to feel the walls closing in on me. I finally got up and walked the aisles and just stood in the semi-open area around the lavoratory until I felt a little better.
Pack sleeping aids in your carry-on. Especially for those really long, claustrophobic flights. And take these sleeping aids about an hour before take-off, so that by the time the plane does take off you'll be snoozing.
Now don't take this to mean I had a horrible time. I didn't. Actually, all these things were quite funny and made the trip even more memorable. Oh, and I did get lei'd . . . By a cute Hawaiian girl even.
Aloha!!
