Flight attendant shares why you should turn up late to the airport

While heading on a summer holiday is meant to be one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year, it can certainly bring a lot of stresses.

From remembering to pack everything to making sure you pick up the all important passport on the way out, there can certainly be a lot of stress.

Perhaps one of the most important things when it comes to the airport is when a certain individual goes into 'dad mode'.

Yep, I am talking about making sure you arrive at the airport on time, or in dad's case, five hours before the flight is set to depart.

Well, according to a flight attendant - who'd you expect would have a pretty good grasp of all things travel - you actually want to be turning up to the airport a little later than usually.

Getty Stock Photo / Jose A. Bernat Bacete

And before your dad has a panic attack at the thought of turning up to the airport against the age-old rule of getting to there two hours before European flights, let the flight attendant explain.

Speaking to The Sun, Kamila Jakubjakova, a former cabin crew member for Emirates, has revealed that you may be better off risking queues and getting to the airport slightly closer to your departure time as there is a chance you may be offered a free upgrade.

She explained: "Sometimes, airlines oversell tickets and don’t expect everybody to show up.

"So if the flight is overbooked, and everyone shows up, they’ll have to move economy passengers into business class, and maybe the last passengers who come to check in for the flight will be chosen, as they’re the extra ones."

That was not the only bit of travel advice the flight attendant provided for holiday-goers to make their flying experience even better.

Getty Stock Photo / David Madison

One way of doing that is by bribing the cabin crew, according to Jakubjakova - but not as you may expect.

While when you hear the word bride you often think money is involved, but that is not the case in this instance.

"It always pays being nice to flight attendants," Jakubjakova explained.

She continued: "If you bring some treats with you to the flight, for example, some candies or some chocolate, and offer them to us, then we will probably try to make your flight a little better or pay you back in some way.

"We are nice to everybody, but, of course, if you go the extra mile, we'll probably also go the extra mile in return."

So there you have it, make sure to keep these tips in mind next time you are on your travels.

Topics: Travel, Hacks, Plane Etiquette

Callum Jones

@CallumJ2709