Passengers are requested
to arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure time. They must
register their tickets, weigh in and register the luggage. Most airports
have at least 2 classes of travel, first class and economy class, which
is cheaper. Each passenger of more than 2 years of age has free luggage
allowance. Generally this limit is 20 kg for economy class passengers
and 30 kg for first class passengers, excess luggage must be paid for
except for some articles that can be carried free of charge. The rules
for passengers who are going abroad are similar in most countries but
sometimes there might be a slight difference in formalities. If for
instance, you are supposed to begin with going through the Customs,
you’d better fill in the customs declaration before you talk to the
customs officer. He may ask any passenger routine questions about
declare the things, spirits, tobacco, presents. Then you go to the
check-in-counter where your ticket is looked at, your things are weighed
and labelled. The next formality is filling in the immigration form and
going through passport control. The form has to be filled in block
letters. You write your name, nationality, permanent address and the
purpose of your trip. In most countries there is also a security check
when your carry-luggage is inspected. This is an anti-hijacking measure,
and anything that might be dangerous or disturbing to other passengers
must be handed to one of the crew and only returned to the owner after
the plane has reached its destination. After fulfilling all these
formalities you go to the departure lounge where you can have a snack,
read a paper buy something in the duty-free shop and wait for the
announcement to board the plane. Some of these formalities are repeated
when you arrive at your destination. The customer declaration and the
immigration form are often filled in on board the plane. At the airport
you may be met by a specially trained dog to make sure that you are not
carrying drugs, and the immigration officer might want to know on whose
invitation you are coming and whether you have a return ticket. There is
one inconvenience you have to be prepared for when you are traveling
long distances by plane. It’s a difference between the time you are
accustomed to and the new time. At first you won’t be feeling very well
because of it, but don’t worry – it won’t take you long to get used to
it.
