Parking, Plane Tickets and Passenger Seats: Top Insider Tips for Tired Business Fliers

If all business travel was business-class, you wouldn’t have a problem. You would have ample luggage allowance, a car taking you to the airport and picking you up, you wouldn’t have to stand in lines, and you’d have access to every airport lounge. Unfortunately, life is rarely that kind. What you can do, though, is to learn the best hacks from the pros, and try to correct every injustice that’s done to you as you travel.

Try to fly on international airlines as far as possible

Airlines that belong to America tend to be tightfisted when it comes to handing out amenities. Whether it’s cans of juice or soda to drink, pillows and blankets or hotels, the airlines of other countries tend to rise to the occasion.

And if you have the pick of the number of different flights, see if you can get a Boeing 767. There are fewer middle seats in economy on the airliner.

Walk into those lounges like you belong

You don’t actually need to fly business class to be allowed entry to an airport lounge. You only need to buy a Priority Pass that allows entry. A Priority Pass, if purchased online, gives you entry to hundreds of lounges across the world for a couple of hundred a year. If you’re lucky, you may not even need to pay. Many credit cards allow access for free. You need to check those benefits.

You can also get cheap or free access to airplane Wi-Fi when you subscribe to service called Boingo. It costs about five $5 a month for unlimited access on American flights, and a $59 subscription gives you access everywhere else. On certain credit cards such as American Express Platinum, you get it for free.

Get your airline’s app

Airlines such as United and Delta have great apps that give you a running commentary on delays, gate changes and other important information. They also allow you to flash your phone to get on flights; you don’t even need a boarding pass.

Remember that nonrefundable flights may actually be refundable

On many airlines, you can book a flight and then cancel at no cost if you do it within 24 hours. This means that if you something seems like a good deal, but you’re not sure if you’re ready to travel, you can go ahead and book. If your plans change, or if a better price shows up later, you can cancel with no penalty. Many airlines allow you to put an airfare on hold for 24 hours or longer.

Searching for a flight a few times will make it more expensive

Many people find it hard to believe that the airlines could be so cheap, but they are. If you keep searching for a flight, your browser stores this information, and the airlines see it. Their systems assume that you are desperate for the flight, and will raise prices. You should either use incognito browsing, or constantly clear your cookies and search history.

Use a VPN

If you’re traveling overseas, the prices available can be very different depending on what country you are booking from. Americans usually get the highest prices because the airlines assume that Americans can afford to pay. Get on a paid VPN service that lets you browse from another country. If you pick a somewhat poorer country, you will possibly get a lower price.

Use Airport Parking Helper

Whatever airport you need to drive to, it can be hard to know where to find a parking lot. Services such as Airport Parking Helper help business travelers find affordable off-site airport parking. The app saves a lot of hassle.

Pack smart

Try to make sure that most of the clothes you pack are mutually compatible colors. This way, should you lose use of a particular item of clothing for reasons of a spill or anything else, everything you have left will still go together.

Jamming those work shoes wherever there is space in your suitcase is a good idea. You’ll end up with hopelessly shapeless shoes, though. Instead, stuff as many socks as you can into them. Not only will you use the space inside, you’ll make sure that your shoes have shape when you get there.

Finally, when you pack, make sure that its bottom heavy. When you stand up your suitcase, you don’t want it to tip over all the time.                                                                                                                    

Jennifer J. Church is a partner at Airport Parking Helper, a top internet source for strategies on saving money on costly airport parking fees. Jennifer founded the company in 2014 and also works as a website developer and graphic designer. She resides in the Roanoke, VA region with her husband and two children.