GOING on holiday around Christmas is always exciting and full of festive cheer – that is, until you miss your flight.
A flight attendant has revealed the one mistake passengers make which could mean they miss their flight, and wind up with a not so jolly holiday.
During the festive period, airports can get extremely busy, with passengers rushing around to buy last minute presents and catch their flights.
To account for the extra people – and the long queues that they create – you should allow yourself more time to get through the airport than your normally would.
That way you can be sure you will make it onto your flight.
Sharmy Aldama told The Washington Post: "The security lines are longer, the food lines are longer.
"Understand that there are people who come to the airport who are not going to be regular travellers, which means that they're going to take longer in the security lines."
One common way to make the queue take even longer? Not emptying your suitcase properly.
Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, urges travellers to always double-check before packing that there isn't anything left in the bag which could set off security problems.
Items that can often cause an issue include bottle openers, toiletries being over 100ml or foods which are classed as liquids – Marmite being one of the most common items confiscated.
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Sharmy recommends allowing at least two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.
This will give you time to get through the airport and security and make it onto the plane.
She added: "Give yourself plenty of time so that you're not rushed and feeling anxious yourself."
A travel expert has revealed how to get through airport security as quickly as possible for free.
Here's a clever way to always skip long airport passport queues – and it will barely cost you anything.
And a frequent flyer advises passengers to always board the plane first, as it could save you time in the long run.
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