Air travel, especially if it is the first time that this means of transport is chosen, generates many doubts for the air passenger. The most frequent are related to the need or exemption of a 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.

Article Index

Traveling by plane for the first time: advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

The first and 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-haul or transoceanic flight.



Second, the airplane 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 that have occurred in boat, 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 suitcases, or if you are a disabled person or with weight problems, among others.

We can also choose between traveling in economy class or business class, which has more advantages and amenities, such as wider seats. Depending on our circumstances, we can choose between different services and each of them will have its corresponding amount.

Likewise, at present, air transport is looking for alternatives to fuel derived from petroleum 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 susceptible to retrasos, long delays (when more than three hours pass) or even cancellations. This can cause stress for passengers, since these are stressful situations in which most passengers do not know how to react.

Regarding luggage, although in all airlines we have the right to carry with us at least one piece of hand luggage, it is true that there are limitations regarding weight and, above all, the dimensions that it must have. This is particularly limited to passengers whose stay at their destination will be of long duration.

The same thing happens with the checked baggage: although the conventional airlines usually allow free of charge to check a suitcase, the low cost airlinesOn the other hand, they require the payment of an extra fee if we want to check luggage, in addition to that we will have a weight limit.

People who for tourist or work reasons have to make long-distance or transoceanic flights, often experience the phenomenon known as jet lag o time zone syndrome, due to the fact that several time zones pass in a few hours. When they arrive at their destination, these people may experience symptoms such as:

  • Headache
  • Disorientation
  • Fatigue
  • Tiredness

Also, many people suffer from the so-called aerofobia, better known as miedo to fly. Other fears such as claustrophobia or vertigo can be the origin of this fear, which causes anxiety and psychological stress, among other symptoms.

Another common drawback is pressurization: When the plane reaches a certain height, it loses natural atmospheric pressure, so it is necessary to pressurize the plane to balance the oxygen levels. However, many people experience ear or tooth pain due to this phenomenon.

Airlines

As we have already mentioned, today there are a large number of conventional airlines and low cost all over the world. Below we list the main airlines in the world according to their country of origin:



  • Spain: Air Nostrum, Vueling, Iberia, Air Europa, Iberia Express ...
  • German: Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Eurowings, Germanwings, Condor Flugdienst ...
  • United Kingdom: the easy family of brands., British Airways, Jet2, BMI Regional, Eastern Airways ...
  • Ireland: Ryanair, Aer Lingus ...
  • French: Air France, Corsairfly, Aigle Azur, Air Antilles Express, Air Méditerranée ...
  • Italy: Meridiana Fly, Volaris ...
  • Latin America: Aeromexico Connect, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeroméxico, LATAM Airlines Group, Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, SATENA ...
  • United States: American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, US Airways ...

Other internationally recognized airlines are: Qatar Airways, Emirates, Swiss, Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines y Turkish Airlines.

If you want to know all the airlines that exist in each of the places mentioned and obtain information about each 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 start planning our trip until we land at our destination. The topics that most concern tourists who are going to travel by air transport are:

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 luggage. Also, you should bear 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 tips when flying, we advise you to consult the article Preparing for the plane trip: tips and troubleshooting.

Types of flights: private and low cost

The private flights, also called VIP, have a higher cost than conventional commercial flights, but they also have great advantages such as:

  • Gourmet gastronomy
  • WiFi connection on board
  • Beds and / or sofas
  • Spa and / or Jacuzzi

Obviously, these amenities come at a price that not everyone can afford. To know more about the 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 flights, which has not stopped growing since it emerged in the late 90s and, today, there are thousands of low-cost airlines around the world.

Its main advantage is obviously the so cheap prices that we can find, which makes this means of transport available to everyone today. In this way, more than 80% of the airline 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
  • Number 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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