If there's still time before your departure date, start preparing for your flight according to this guide.

This article is for those who are already heading to the airport.

Let's start with the most important information for a first-time air traveler: you should already be on the plane half an hour before the flight! Before you get on the plane, you will need to go through several control stages and not get lost in the airport corridors and halls. So, how long before the flight should you arrive at the airport, and how do you do everything correctly to make your flight? Read below.

1. Before heading to the airport, check the actual departure time

Check the online departure board on the airline's or airport's website. When checking your flight on the airport board, refer not only to the flight number but also to the destination and scheduled departure time from your ticket. Airlines often combine their flights on the same route, in which case your flight may be displayed on the board under a different number and under another airline's name.

2. Make sure you haven't forgotten the most important things

The passport used for the ticket, and if you are flying with children — their birth certificates or international passports. Your itinerary receipt (at least on your phone) or an already printed boarding pass (if you checked in online). Check your carry-on luggage for prohibited items: transfer them to your checked baggage or leave them at home.

What you can and cannot take in your carry-on luggage

Flying with checked baggage? Here's a useful tip: take a roll of cling film with you to reliably and economically protect your suitcase from damage during loading and unloading from the plane. (At airports, wrapping one suitcase in film costs up to 700 rubles.) Just don't wrap your suitcase before arriving at the airport, as you may be required to open it during inspection. 

3. Arrive at the airport on time

If you have completed online check-in, printed your boarding pass, and are flying without checked baggage, you will need less time for pre-flight formalities at the airport. However, even in this case, we recommend arriving no later than an hour and a half before departure to go through all inspection stages without rush or stress. 

Those who have not checked in, do not have a boarding pass, or have checked baggage (a bag or suitcase in addition to carry-on luggage) should arrive at the airport earlier: check-in begins two hours for domestic flights within the Russian Federation and three hours for international flights.

4. Check your belongings before checking in baggage

Before heading to the check-in counter, make sure you have put everything you don't want or are not allowed to take in your carry-on (e.g., liquids over 100 ml and any sharp objects) into your suitcase, and taken out everything that might be useful on the plane (e.g., a snack from home, an inflatable neck pillow, or a sleep mask). We recommend wrapping your suitcase with protective film to prevent damage during loading and unloading from the plane. Just don't wrap the handle and wheels: it will be inconvenient.

5. Check in and drop off your baggage

The check-in counter number is indicated on the departure board. Find your flight and see if passenger check-in has started.

Board tips: check-in is "check-in," usually with its start time next to it. The check-in counter is indicated as "counter" or "check-in desk." The boarding gate is "gate," which you will need later. "Boarding" in the flight status means that boarding is already in progress and check-in is closed. (But that's not your flight, is it?)

At the check-in counter, present your documents, place your checked baggage on the belt, and show your carry-on luggage. Your checked baggage will be weighed and tagged; your carry-on may also be tagged. If your baggage exceeds the allowed weight or dimensions, you will need to pay an additional fee for its transport. 

How to increase your baggage allowance in advance when booking a ticket

Then you will be issued a boarding pass with your seat number on the plane and a detachable baggage tag coupon. Do not lose your boarding pass and do not damage its integrity.

If you checked in online in advance but are flying with checked baggage, look for a separate baggage drop-off counter ("drop-off," "bag drop"): you can drop off your baggage there without waiting in line.

6. Head to the sterile zone without waiting until 40 minutes before departure

The most time-consuming part of all pre-flight formalities is not even check-in at the counter, but rather passing through customs and passport control (for international flights), security screening of carry-on luggage, and finding your boarding gate. 

Your boarding pass will show the gate number. It may consist only of numbers, or it may start with a letter — this indicates the zone where your gate to the plane is located. Follow the signs in the airport:

Before entering the departure zone, your passport and boarding pass will be checked. Behind the checker is the sterile zone, from which you cannot exit back; you can only board the plane. Also, immediately after document control, your carry-on luggage will be inspected, so it's best to finish your coffee and mineral water before this stage: you will be asked to discard them at security.

7. Don't miss boarding: it starts 40 minutes before departure and ends 25-30 minutes prior

You have passed security. Ahead are Duty Free shops, cafes, and lounge areas. Before diving into the world of souvenirs and luxury perfumes, check your boarding pass again: it indicates the boarding time or the boarding till time. Also, check the departure board: see if there have been any changes to your flight, or if the boarding gate number has changed. We recommend finding the correct gate or at least orienting yourself to its direction, and then you can calmly spend the remaining time browsing the shops in the sterile zone.

Pay attention to announcements!

It's best to remove your headphones; you can put them on after takeoff. Changes to your flight may be announced over the loudspeaker, and this can happen right before boarding — for example, the gate number might change urgently, and you would be waiting for boarding at the old gate. This is a common occurrence. It's quite possible that in this situation, you will be personally called over the loudspeaker and asked to immediately proceed to the correct gate.

8. Board the plane

When boarding is announced, all passengers for the flight will queue at the gate. If you have priority boarding rights (e.g., you are flying business class), look for a separate counter away from the general one. If not, join the general queue and prepare your passport and boarding pass. The staff member at the counter will scan the barcode from your pass and may tear off a part, leaving you with the stub of the pass and the baggage tag coupon. 

Keep your boarding pass until you arrive at your destination airport and collect your baggage. If you need to report on your flight later (e.g., to your employer for a business trip), the boarding pass will be required for this. A lost boarding pass cannot be restored.

Boarding the plane can happen in one of three ways:

• via a jet bridge (this is a corridor-“sleeve” that leads directly from the gate to the aircraft parked nearby),

• by boarding bus (it will wait for you at the boarding gate and take you directly to the aircraft stairs — this is for cases when the aircraft is not parked right next to the terminal, but further away, and a jet bridge cannot reach it),

• on foot (yes, in a small airport, you will simply be asked to walk from the gate to the aircraft across the tarmac and climb the stairs).

It's understood that once on the plane, you need to go to your row and take the seat indicated on your boarding pass. If you wish to move to another available seat, be sure to ask a flight attendant for permission. On many airlines' flights, changing seats is not allowed.

By the way: Why can't you change seats on a plane?

We wish you the most pleasant experience on your airplane journey!