There have been a few reports of people leaving their passports at the airport and being unable to ask a relative to bring them up owing to work obligations or the dread of being late for their trip. Stay calm and tackle this unforeseen issue with some practical firefighting techniques provided by Wanderlust Tips USA if you find yourself in such a situation. Depending on the circumstances, you can select the best option for yourself.
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How long you should come to the airport depends on many objective factors, including airlines, airports, and counter opening or closing times. However, for domestic flights at major airports, you should arrive two hours earlier if you have checked baggage. For smaller airports, the arrival time to the airport is 90 minutes and one hour, respectively, while for international flights, the ideal time to arrive at the airport before departure time is 3 hours. If possible, let’s arrange to be at the airport early to be able to handle unexpected situations that may arise when you forget to bring your passport, such as some of the useful approaches below.
Check-In Online
Known as one of the most effective solutions to help passengers handle the situation of forgetting their passports at the airport, the online check-in service is deployed by airlines to help passengers take control of their lives. Automatically check tickets online without having to go to each airline’s check-in counter at the airport. Airlines’ online check-in time usually starts 24 hours to 1 hour before the scheduled departure time. However, specific online check-in times may vary depending on the airline and ticket type. To be able to check-in online, passengers need to meet the following conditions: having a flight reservation code, passenger information confirmed on the airline’s system, and checked baggage having been paid.
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Notify airport security
If you cannot check in online in time or do not have supporting equipment, you should notify airport security for instructions in case of a lost or forgotten passport. Depending on the regulations of the airline and the country you are flying to, you can use other identification documents instead of your passport for comparison, such as a chip-embedded citizen identification card, a driver’s license, and a permanent and temporary residence card.
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Cancel your flight ticket
When you don’t bring other identification documents and cannot check in online at the specified time, it is necessary to quickly contact the airline to cancel or postpone your flight ticket. You will lose a certain amount of money, but you may not lose all of it based on ticket conditions and find an alternative flight when you get your passport.
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The thing you need to focus on most is being calm and handling everything. However, careful preparation before arriving at the airport will greatly limit the above situation. Especially on important occasions that require you to be on time, being late for a flight will become a “huge disaster”. Besides carefully grasping the useful tips above and preparing yourself well for unpredictable situations, it’s essential to double-check your belongings before leaving home and going to the airport.