Airports · 6 min read
Twelve Airport Habits That Save Twenty Minutes Each
Security, gate, boarding, arrival. Small changes, added up over a year of flying.
Julian Ortiz — Field tester · November 6, 2025
Airports punish anyone who has to open their bag. Every habit below exists to keep the bag closed from kerb to gate.
Before security
- Liquids and laptop in the two outermost pockets, always the same two
- Belt and watch into a jacket pocket in the queue, not at the tray
- Boarding pass in a pocket on your body, never in the bag
At the gate
- Charge from the wall while you wait, not from your battery pack
- Refill the bottle before boarding — cabin service is 40 minutes away
- Move anything you'll want in-flight to one pouch before you stand up
Boarding and the overhead bin
- Wheels or base in first, handle out, so the bin closes on the flat side
- Bag goes above your own row, not four rows back
- Keep the laptop out until you're seated to avoid the aisle shuffle
On arrival
- Immigration app filled in before you land, screenshot saved offline
- One clean pocket kept empty for receipts and tickets you'll collect
- Bag closed and on your front before you leave the terminal doors
A note on honesty
We sell bags, so read this with that in mind. Everything above is what we tell friends who ask, and most of it costs nothing. If a cheaper bag does the job for your trip, buy the cheaper bag.
