Lessons learned, tricks and tips

It is only July, but I have already racked up quite a few flights to DTW (Detroit Wayne County) airport. I started off by flying out of San Antonio, but as it turns out, there are a lot more options if I head north and fly out of Austin. I always fly into Detroit so I have stuck with Delta as they have a huge hub out of that airport.

As a part of my role I need to fly out to visit with my team a couple of times a month until we have built in the routines and performance and then fly out at least once a month. This commute is approximately 1,200 miles or about a 3 hr flight each way.

Having done this at least 10 times now I have to say that I am trying still to find the right flight schedule both to and from so that I can maximize my time. So far a mid morning flight is my least favorite as I spend at least an hour driving to the airport, I arrive 2 hrs prior to the flight, and then an hour to my destination. A mid-morning flight just means no work gets done, as I have spent 8 hours commuting.

The first of my lessons learned is that the TSA Pre-check process is WORTH it!! I paid around $60 if I recall correctly, and now I go through a much smaller line, and don’t have to practically undress to get through security. If you are going to travel at least a few times a year domestically, get the TSA pre check capability, and link it to your travel. In my case I only had to input it once into my company’s travel and lodging system and any time my EA books my travel or I book travel, it clears me to go through TSA-pre check. Make sure that you provide each of the airlines you book with that number as you book travel so that you don’t have to go through the regular TSA lines.

The next thing I’ll be reviewing is the AirFly wireless headset adapter.