Air travel, especially if this is the first time this means of transport is chosen, raises many doubts for the air passenger. The most frequent are related to the need or exemption of passport, if you can travel pregnant or if it is allowed to transport pets, among many others. In this article we solve your doubts and show you the main pros and cons.
Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.
Contents
Advantage
The first and the most obvious is the speed: Air transport is the fastest way to travel, which is a great time saver especially if it is a long-distance or transoceanic flight.
Second, the plane is considered the safest way to travel in the world. The number of serious air accidents that have occurred throughout history is less than those in ship, car or train accidents.
When we buy a plane ticket, we are offered multiple options depending on whether we are going to travel with babies, with several bags, or if you are a disabled person or with weight problems, among others.
We can also choose between traveling in a tourist class or business class, which has more advantages and comforts, such as wider seats. According to our circumstances, we can choose between different services and each of them will have its corresponding amount.
Also, at present, air transport seeks alternatives to petroleum-derived fuel that contribute to improve the environment. The first alternative routes to oil are expected to start being used by 2050.
Disadvantages
Depending on factors such as weather conditions, flights are likely to suffer delays, large delays (when more than three hours pass) or even cancellations. This can cause stress to passengers, since they are stressful situations in which most passengers do not know how to react.
With regard to luggage, although in all airlines we have the right to carry with us a bulk of hand luggage at least, it is true that there are limitations in terms of weight and, above all, the dimensions that it must have. This especially limits passengers whose stay at their destination will be long lasting.
The same goes for the checked baggage: Although conventional airlines usually allow you to check a suitcase for free, low cost airlines, on the other hand, require the payment of an extra fee if we want to check luggage, in addition to having a limit weight.
People who, for tourist or work reasons, have to make long-distance or transoceanic flights, usually experience the phenomenon known as jet lag or time zone syndrome, because several time zones pass in a few hours. When they reach their destination, these people may experience symptoms such as:
- Headache
- Disorientation
- Fatigue
- Fatigue
Also, many people suffer from the so-called aerophobia, better known as fear to fly. Other fears such as claustrophobia or vertigo may be the source of this fear, which causes anxiety and psychological stress, among other symptoms.
Another common inconvenience is the pressurization: when the plane reaches a certain height, it loses natural atmospheric pressure, so it is necessary to pressurize the plane to balance oxygen levels. However, many people experience ear or tooth pain due to this phenomenon.
Airlines
As we have mentioned before, today there are a large number of conventional and low-cost airlines worldwide. Below we list the main airlines in the world according to their country of origin:
- Spain: Air Nostrum, Vueling, Iberia, Air Europa, Iberia Express …
- Germany: Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Eurowings, Germanwings, Condor Flugdienst …
- United Kingdom: easyJet, British Airways, Jet2, BMI Regional, Eastern Airways …
- Ireland: Ryanair, Aer Lingus …
- France: Air France, Corsairfly, Aigle Azur, Air Antilles Express, Air Méditerranée …
- Italy: Meridiana Fly, Volaris …
- Latin America: Aeromexico Connect, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, LATAM Airlines Group, Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, SATENA …
- U.S: American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, US Airways …
Other international airlines of recognized importance are: Qatar Airways, Emirates, Swiss, Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines.
If you want to know all the airlines that exist in each of the mentioned places and obtain information about each one of them, we invite you to consult the article List of airlines.
Tips and flight preparation
Traveling by plane involves a whole process from when we started planning our trip until we landed at our destination. The issues that most concern tourists who are going to travel by air transport are:
- Necessary documentation and requirements to travel
- Choice of the best seat on the plane
- Search for the cheapest ticket
When the day of departure of our flight arrives, it is normal to have to be at the airport at least 2 hours in advance, especially if we are going to check in luggage. In addition, you should keep in mind that check-in counters usually close about 40 minutes before the flight departs.
In addition, to board the plane it is necessary to pass a strict Security control at the airport, so you cannot transport any type of item that could cause injury to other passengers.
For more information and advice when flying, we advise you to consult the article Preparing the plane trip: tips and troubleshooting.
Types of flights: private and low cost
Private flights, also called VIPThey have a higher cost than conventional commercial flights, but they also have great advantages such as:
- Gourmet cuisine
- WiFi connection on board
- Beds and / or sofas
- Spa and / or Jacuzzi
Obviously, these amenities have a price that not everyone can afford. To know more about private flights, we advise you to read the article 4 reasons to choose a private flight.
On the other hand, we find the phenomenon of cheap flights, which has not stopped growing since it emerged in the late 90s and, currently, there are thousands of low-cost airlines around the world.
Its main advantage is obviously the such cheap prices that we can find, which makes this means of transport available to everyone today. In this way, more than 80% of the air tickets sold correspond to charter flights.
However, this decrease in prices is given by a series of factors that we can consider disadvantages, such as:
- Disappearance of personalized attention
- Landing at secondary airports
- Lack of connections between airports
- Amount of existing additional fees
For all this, it is advisable to make a comparison between the different low cost airlines before buying your ticket. If you want to know more about the phenomenon of cheap flights, we recommend you take a look at our article Pros and cons of low cost flights.
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