Transportation

Delta and United flight attendants reveal their best travel hacks

airport parent child mom son
Flight attendants for airlines like Delta Air Lines and United Airlines revealed their best travel hacks. FGorgun/Getty Images
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Flight attendants fly a lot, so they get plenty of opportunities to hone their travel skills.

Six flight attendants told Business Insider their best travel hacks. Most asked for anonymity due to a fear of reprisal from their employer.

Here's what they said.

The photos in this story do not depict the flight attendants Business Insider interviewed.

Read the fine print when you buy your ticket

airplane
conejota/Shutterstock

"It's worth reading all that fine print in those disclaimers," a flight attendant for Spirit Airlines said. Doing so could save money on your carry-on bags, she said.

Use the website Skyscanner to find the lowest fares

Skyscanner
Skyscanner

"I've found a lot of great deals on there," the Spirit flight attendant said of Skyscanner.

Always bring a water bottle

SFO Water Bottle
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

"I always travel with a reusable water bottle," a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines said. "Every airport, in the US at least, has a spot to fill your water bottle." 

Always bring a portable charger

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Shutterstock/2p2play

"I always travel with a portable charger," the Delta flight attendant said. "Not all airports have a ton of chargers or outlets or you can't get to them, and some older airplanes don't have them, or there'll only be two for the whole row of three."

Don't pack too much

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martin-dm/Getty Images

"Be sure to not pack too much when traveling," a flight attendant for United Airlines said.

Get to the airport early

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Scott Olson / Getty Images

"Give yourself plenty of time because feeling rushed is just gonna make your travel experience more stressful than it needs to be," the United flight attendant said.

Travel in the morning

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FGorgun/Getty Images

"I tell people to travel in the morning," said Kevin Cain, a flight attendant for PSA Airlines. "Evening is when delays throughout the day have built up."

Bring your own entertainment

airplane passenger headphones
EyesWideOpen/Getty Images

"Always bring your own entertainment and charging stuff," Cain said. "Sometimes your plane won't have Wi-Fi, so it's always good to download something offline on Netflix or bring an iPad if you have one."

Ask for another cup when being served ice

Flight attendant drink service
Ranglen/Shutterstock

"Whenever you're being served ice, ask for them to serve it with another cup because the ice scoop is actually not very clean," said a flight attendant for a regional airline that works with United Airlines and American Airlines.

Don't drink hot tea or coffee

airplane food
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

"Don't drink the coffee. Don't drink the hot tea. The water is not the best," the regional-airline flight attendant said.

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I'm a senior transportation reporter at Insider covering electric vehicles, automated-driving technology, and ride-hailing. I joined Insider in October 2017 and previously worked as an intern at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with degrees in film and media studies and business economics. You can follow me on Twitter @matousekmark and email me at mmatousek@jkmperu.com If you have sensitive information you'd like to share and don't feel comfortable sending it to my work email or via a direct-message on Twitter, you can contact me on the encrypted messaging app Signal at 646-768-4712 or email my encrypted address at mmatousek@protonmail.com. Here's some of my work: Uber insiders are divided over Dara Khosrowshahi's leadership, with some worried the company has become 'boring' and 'confused' about its future Nikola founder Trevor Milton convinced the world he was the next Elon Musk. Insiders say a history of lies brought the billionaire down. 17 hours a day, 7 days a week: Cruise-ship workers describe the grueling conditions they face on the job We talked to 42 insiders about Tesla's factory of the future. They revealed the corners cut to hit ambitious production targets. 70-hour weeks and 'WTF' emails: 42 employees reveal the frenzy of working at Tesla under the 'cult' of Elon Musk Tesla is transforming how cars are sold. But 27 insiders say the company's methods mean slashed pay and living under the constant threat of getting laid off. Uber insiders reveal how DoorDash stole its delivery crown and left Eats in the dust Uber's trying no-meeting Mondays to give employees a break from 'tiring' back-to-back meetings, a leaked email reveals Leaked email reveals a Tesla VP expressed concern about employees coming to work with COVID-19 symptoms Leaked document reveals Nikola flip-flopped on whether it would spend any of its $17 million of customer deposits to fund the Nikola One Insiders reveal Alibaba's Jack Ma sought a partnership with Canoo to build electric delivery vans, but the deal fell flat because the startup couldn't meet his aggressive timeline Leaked email from Elon Musk reveals the Model Y is experiencing production 'challenges' while passing the Model 3 as the top priority at Tesla's US car factory Leaked email and audio reveal Carnival-owned Holland America has struggled to give refunds to some customers Leaked documents reveal the severance packages laid off Carnival UK workers will receive Inside Tesla's overhaul plan for its sales and delivery teams to solve one of its toughest customer challenges