The 90-minute rule: and why showing up at minus-30 is not a flex
Reach a domestic terminal 90 minutes before departure to clear three separate deadlines: check-in, security, and the boarding gate that shuts 25 minutes prior.
Airports and air travel
Indian air travel grew faster than Indian air-travel etiquette. The result is the most visible globally-shareable evidence of civic friction. We teach the airport-to-airport sequence end to end, with calm and specificity.
19 lessons 55 min in total
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Web check-in and why it's not optional anymore
Web check-in for an Indian domestic flight opens 48 hours before departure and closes 60 minutes prior. Skipping it adds a counter deadline you did not need.
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The bag-drop line: the things you should already have done
The airport bag-drop counter is a fast lane for flyers already checked in, within the 15 kg limit, with power banks moved to the cabin bag. What to do first.
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Laptop, liquids, belt, watch: the 5-second tray dance
How to clear airport security fast: what comes out of your bag and in what order, the 100 ml liquids rule, and why power banks fly cabin-only.
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Power banks, lithium batteries, lighters: what's allowed where
Where power banks, spare lithium batteries, and lighters can fly: the cabin-only rule, the 100 Wh math, and what Indian aviation security bans outright.
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The boarding-zone system: how it works, why it works
How airline boarding zones actually work: why the aisle, not the gate, is the real bottleneck, what boarding research shows, and the calm way to board.
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Aisle seat aisle blocker: the 60-second clearance
Why the aisle seat makes you your row's doorman: what boarding research says about seat interference, and the 60-second clearance that speeds boarding.
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Overhead bins are not personal storage
Overhead bins are shared space: one bag per person near your row, the second under the seat. How to pack and find space without hogging the bin.
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The recline question: the right to recline meets the right to knees
When reclining your plane seat is fine and when it isn't: never during meals, the short-flight default, and the one-glance warning that settles it.
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The 30,000-foot toilet: the things to leave behind, and the things not to
Aircraft lavatory etiquette: what goes in the bowl versus the bin, why vacuum toilets jam, the 20-second exit routine, and what smoking mid-flight costs.
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Meal carts, special meals, and the magazine rack
In-flight meal service on Indian airlines: pre-ordering special meals 24 hours ahead, deciding before the cart arrives, and why the seat pocket is not a bin.
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Flying with kids: the 9-step prep that saves you and everyone else
A nine-step prep for flying with kids: seats booked together, a seat-level kit, offline entertainment, and feeding on descent to ease ear pain before it starts.
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Bassinet seats, child meals, and entertainment
Flying with an infant on Indian airlines: how bassinet seats are requested, why child meals close 24 hours out, and the headphone rule for kids' screens.
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Deplaning: rows in front go first, this is a known law
Deplaning etiquette explained: why rows in front exit first, what the aisle rush actually saves, and the country now fining passengers who stand too early.
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Baggage carousel: the meter-back rule
Why crowding the baggage carousel slows everyone down, and the meter-back rule that lets every arriving passenger see the belt, spot their bag, and clear it fast.
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Duty free: the limits, the receipts, the customs queue
India allows Rs 50,000 of duty-free goods, 2 litres of alcohol and 100 cigarettes. When to walk the Green Channel, when to declare at Red, and what going over costs.
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Customs declaration: when to walk red, when to walk green
The Green Channel is a legal declaration, not a shortcut. What forces a Red Channel walk in India: gold, satellite phones, drones, forex, and advance filing.
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Long-haul: hydration, movement, and the seatmate truce
Long-haul flights roughly double the clot risk of sitting still. How to hydrate, move each hour, and set the seatmate truce so a long cabin stays civil.
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Layovers, lounges, and the airport-overnight survival kit
How to handle a long airport layover: why lounges cap your stay, sleeping in the terminal without hogging a whole row, and the transit survival kit that helps.
