Airplane Disadvantages, Losses That Can Be Avoided With Timely Planning

Illustration of passengers at the airport. (Freepic)

JAKARTA - For many people, missing the plane is a very detrimental experience. Apart from losing time, the costs incurred can be large, especially if the ticket cannot be returned.

Often, delays to the airport are caused by congestion or underprivileged departure planning. Therefore, regulating travel times and strategies is the main key to avoiding stress before flying.

To keep air travel smooth and stress-free, here are some practical tips that can help you arrive at the airport on time and avoid the risk of flight missed.

Try to arrive at the airport at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Also consider external factors such as traffic jams, check-in queues, security checks, and weather conditions. It's better to wait in the airport waiting room than panic in the middle of the road.

Avoid being in a hurry in the morning by preparing suitcases, travel documents, and tickets since the night before. Ensure that the phone battery and other important devices are fully charged, and save all important documents such as your ID card, passport, and boarding pass in an easily accessible place.

Check flight schedules regularly through airline applications or airport official sites. Information such as gate changes, delays, or flight cancellations is often updated near departure time. That way, you can adjust departure times from home more accurately.

"We understand that for many travelers, timeliness is everything," said Tyas Widyastuti, Director of Mobility & Logistics, Grab Indonesia in a press statement.

Set alarm on your phone in several layers of time, for example one hour before departure, 30 minutes before, and during departure time. This is useful for avoiding small negligence such as anxiety or being too relaxed because you feel you still have a lot of time.

One of the main causes of delays to the airport is timely pick-up of vehicles. It is better to order an early vehicle or use a transportation service that allows you to schedule departures at the desired time.

For example, just take advantage of the Advance Booking feature. This kind of feature helps reduce uncertainty, especially if you leave during peak hours or from a remote location.

"Through this feature, we want to provide peace and certainty in planning trips to the airport with guarantees of pick-up time. Even if something unexpected happens, users remain protected," said Tyas.

Furthermore, this one feature allows users to schedule trips ranging from 75 minutes to 90 days before a trip that allows drivers to arrive at pick-up points 15-30 minutes early.

"Passengers are required to make orders a maximum of 12 hours before pick-up time. If there is a delay in pick-up which causes passengers to miss the plane, we will provide compensation of up to Rp3,300,000 in accordance with the missed flight ticket fee. Currently, the Aircraft Security On Time program has only been implemented in Jakarta, because according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) 2024, the number of domestic flight passengers at Jakarta airports reaches around 1.3 to 1.7 million people every month," he concluded.