The summer holiday season is finally upon us, meaning many people will be jetting off abroad for a spell of sunshine and relaxation.
With the coronavirus lockdowns hopefully behind us, and social distancing measures now fully eased, getting onto a plane is significantly less stressful than it was a year ago.
However this does not mean that it's likely to be a walk in the park.
Whether it's long lines for security, expensive drinks as you wait for your flight, or the anxiety of forgetting one of many crucial travel documents, airports can be sources of great stress.
So if you're travelling through Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester or other UK airports this summer, be sure to heed the following top tips to start your holiday as you'd like it to go on.
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Freeze your liquids
Restrictions on the amount of liquids that can be brought onto planes are the bane of every cosmetic loving traveller's life
Since the rule limiting amounts to 100ml came in in 2006, reservoirs of perfumes and shampoos have been lost to the airport bins.
There are plenty of easy tricks to get around the 100ml limit.
If you're heading back from the US, frozen liquids of any size can be taken through security, a former flight attendant has claimed.
They told Yahoo! News: “If you have an important liquid, but you don’t want to pay to check a bag, it’s worth trying to freeze it so it goes through the security scanner as a solid.”
"Even if it melts a little bit on the ride to the airport, it shouldn’t be a problem as long as it’s stored properly."
The technique has some fairly obvious flaws, primarily that solids can melt and some liquids - particularly those crammed full of chemicals - have high freezing points.
It is not thought that the same technique can be applied in UK airports.
Wait until the boarding line disappears
It is a common scene; boarding is announced and great crowds of people flock to the boarding desk, only to wait in a lengthy queue.
There is no need.
Instead kick back, enjoy a snack and read your book while the line is slowly whittled down, before swooping in at the end.
Your seat on the plane will be waiting for you, so long as you don't leave it too late.
Choose the left hand security queue
In recent months getting through security at airports such as Manchester and Birmingham has been a huge issue.
Travellers have resorted to arriving many hours before their flight departs, only to be stuck in mammoth queues none-the-less.
One way to get a slight advantage is to choose the security checkpoint on the left hand side.
Studies have shown that people naturally tend to turn right when presented with a choice, likely because most people lean towards their stronger hand.
You may also want to check out these airport security experts' top tips for minimising your wait time - including the easy way to spot which queues will move the fastest.
Ask for an upgrade
For most of us, trooping through the first class section and looking dispassionately at those luxuriating in their roomy seats is the closest we'll get to flying premium.
According to the Post Office, it is possible to get to the well-to-do end of the aircraft without paying through the nose.
The organisation recommends arriving as early as possible for a flight, dressing smartly and flying alone to maximum your chances.
Then simply approach the check-in desk and ask if a free upgrade will be possible.
Often staff have the ability to oblige, and may feel inclined to do so if you're nice about it.
Bring a T-shirt and a toothbrush
The sensation of getting to the end of a long flight, having lugged yourself blearily to the airport in the early hours, and feeling more Monday morning than ready to holiday, is a common and unpleasant one.
While a crisp white T-shirt and a toothbrush won't reverse jet lag, they can certainly make you feel a lot better.
Picture yourself walking down the sun soaked plane steps sporting a dazzling top with teeth to match.
Certainly a better way to start the holiday than covered in crumbs and feeling like you've been mouth breathing in cabin air for the past eight hours.
Book night flights to avoid the queues
Not only have things been hectic at certain UK airports this year, they could well get worse.
Yesterday Ryanair's Michael O'Leary warned that the queues could get even longer over the summer months as staff struggle to deal with demand.
One way to avoid the worst of the chaos is to book flights late at night or very early in the morning.
Fewer departures mean there will generally be less people travelling through the airport.
Take photos of your car and luggage
On Monday passengers coming through Bristol Airport found themselves waiting three hours for their luggage to arrive due to a lengthy mix-up.
Worse still, 31-year-old traveller Victoria was recently parted from her bags while heading through Heathrow Airport.
She's not been reunited with the luggage - which included expensive designer dresses - seven weeks later.
As well as tying a bright ribbon to your bags so you can easily spot them when they come round the baggage carousel, take a photo of them before you set off.
This could make it much easier for staff to find it if it does happen to go missing.
The same trick applies for vehicles, which are easy to lose in vast airport car parks.
Have you got any good airport tricks to share? Let us know in the comments below...
