You’ve arrived at your destination. I hope that you had a lovely flight and are well rested. But, what now? You obviously have somewhere and something to do in your new destination. So, let’s get you there. This article will take you from the plane to your destination; step-by-step. If you’re still sitting at home thinking about how you’re going to get on the plane, start with this article: From Car to Plane: Step by Step
When your plane arrives, your captain will make some announcements. These will include where you’ve arrived, the local time, the weather, and such. They may also tell you what baggage claim you’ll need to go to pick up your bags. You’ll want to catch that one if they announce it. As soon as you’re safely parked at the gate, the captain will turn off the seat belt sign. This indicates that you’ve stopped and it’s safe to move about the cabin.
PRO-TIP: Just because a bunch of people are immediately jumping up and grabbing their luggage and heading for the door; none of them are getting off the plane right now. Unless you have a tight connection, I recommend staying seated comfortably. Watch them all wait impatiently for the door to open. Especially if this is your final destination, there is no rush whatsoever to get off the plane. Your luggage won’t even be ready at baggage claim yet.
From Plane To Destination: Getting Off the Plane
Deplaning
While you’re waiting for all of the impatient people to get off the plane, take a look around your seat for anything you might have dropped or placed in a pocket somewhere. Especially take a moment to ensure that you have things like your sunglasses, keys, ID, phone, and headphones if you took them out of your bag. You’d be amazed at how often these things get left behind on airplanes. Finally, I always strongly encourage you to grab any trash that you may have stuffed into that seat back pocket. Make life a little bit easier for the folks who have a tight window to get this plane cleaned and then back up in the air.
Don’t forget to grab your bag(s) from the overhead bin. Make sure they are yours. Putting an unusual bag tag or ribbon on them will help you tell your bag from all of the others. Once you’ve confirmed that you have all of your stuff, head out up the aisle, and out of the plane. Feel free to thank the pilots and flight attendants who are usually waiting by the door on your way out. Head up the jet bridge and into the airport.
From Plane To Destination: Passing Through The Airport
If you’re arriving from anywhere outside of the United States, there will be a few more steps that you’ll need to complete than if you were flying domestically. Of course, I’m speaking to arrival in US airports, but you’ll find a similar process at nearly any other airport anywhere in the world with just some regional differences. If you’re flying domestically (to and from a destination in the same country), you’ll skip immigration and customs.
Immigration (International Flights Only)
Immigration is the process that allows you as a traveler into a new country. In some instances, you might be able to complete immigration before you take off. If so, you can skip this stop upon arrival, as I was able to do in Toronto before flying back to Boston. But for the sake of this post, we’ll assume you haven’t yet. We’ll also assume that you’ve gotten your passport and any necessary visas. For more on that; See our post about things you’ll need to know for international travel.
The Immigration Process & Visas (International Flights Only)
Immigration always occurs before you pick up your luggage. It’s generally a quick and painless process, but it is mandatory. Unfortunately, in some rare cases, you can be denied entry into the country. You’ll be put back on an airplane heading back to where you started. Generally, though, they are just going to ask you for your passport, and a couple of general questions;
- Purpose of your trip?
- Length of your trip?
- Where are you going to be staying?
- Proof of a return ticket (For visitors)
They’ll check for any required visas if required for your circumstance, but they aren’t required from a large number of countries. Visas aren’t required for US citizens coming back into the USA. They may ask additional questions depending on your answers to your general questions. They are responsible for making sure that you are allowed in the country, and they have no reason to believe that you will break any laws while in the country. Although it may seem intimidating, just answer their questions truthfully and you shouldn’t have any problems. This is one of those required steps between the plane and your destination.
PRO-TIP: If you are traveling internationally you may want to check with your phone provider before you turn your phone back on. Remember you may not have international data, or it may be very expensive to use. We recommend getting a Travel E-Sim from Airalo before you begin your travels to ensure that you remain connected no matter where you are.
Once they are satisfied, they’ll give you back your passport. Potentially with a new stamp to indicate that you’ve been approved for entry, and welcome you to the country.
Baggage Claim (Domestic and International)
If your pilot announced it when you arrived, head directly to that baggage claim carousel. Generally, there are lots of signs in the airport pointing you toward the baggage claim area. If not, follow any group getting off a flight and they are likely heading toward baggage claim. Obviously, if you don’t have any checked baggage, you can skip this step completely.
If your pilot or flight crew didn’t announce your baggage carousel number, you could generally find screens that will tell you which baggage carousel is assigned to which flight. At some airports though, this may mean having to go up to each one to see the sign on it. To save yourself time and effort, downloading the free FlightView App will also tell you which baggage claim is yours.
Depending on how long it took you to arrive at baggage claim, your bags may or may not be there already. If it’s not, be patient. They have to unload the whole plane and then drive all of the bags to the building before the first bag will come out. Keep a close eye out for your bag(s) and grab them when you see them. If you have several, you may want to get a baggage cart. You can usually rent for cheap in the baggage claim area. ALWAYS check the physical airline tag attached to your bag. It should include your name and verify that this is in fact your bag.
PRO-TIP: Some airlines will give you miles or points if it takes too long to bring the luggage to baggage claim. For example, Delta will give you SkyMiles if it takes more than 30 minutes for your luggage to arrive.
Customs (International Flights Only)
Once you have all of your luggage, you’ll need to go through customs. Whereas Immigration was to allow you as a traveler into the country, Customs is allowing your luggage into the country. Some people, websites, and articles will say that Customs is “Optional,” but to be clear, Customs is not optional. However; you may not need to speak to a Border Patrol/Customs Agent if you have nothing to declare. By walking through the “Nothing to Declare” line, you are stating to customs that you don’t have anything to declare. That declaration can get you into trouble if you do in fact have things that you need to declare.
So, how do you know if you have something to declare? Nearly every country has a website that will help you determine if you have anything to declare. If you’re flying into the US, you can also do it digitally on the Mobile Passport Control App which will give you a QR Code to scan at Customs. This will help speed you through. If you have nothing to declare, follow the signs indicating that. If you checked yes to something that requires declaration then head to a Customs Agent. They’ll ask you some questions about what you declared and determine if you can legally bring it into the country or if there are any required fees or paperwork involved in bringing it into the country. Here are some of the Customs and Border Protection requirements for coming into the US.
Once you clear customs, you’ll pass through some doors and officially into your country of destination. You’ve almost made it from the plane to your destination. Welcome! Now, let’s get you some transportation.
From Plane to Destination: Leaving the Airport (All Arrivals)
Now you’ve gotten all of your luggage, and cleared Immigration and Customs (if applicable), you’re ready to head out of the airport. Unfortunately, this is where every airport is different. Although all of them will have doors heading outside, there are often different places for picking up a car rental, a hotel shuttle bus, a ride-sharing service (Uber/Lyft/etc), or even the city subway system. What is generally pretty consistent is that there is lots of signage, but sometimes too much and it’s confusing.
PRO-TIP: If you’re heading to a new city or new airport for the first time, get a detailed travel guide with detailed information on how to find transportation from the airport, as well as how to get around the city and what to see there. For many of the cities that we’ve visited, we’ve made detailed travel guides that you can find here.
Getting Help
To best find transportation out of the airport if the signage is confusing or overwhelming, either find an airport map (usually on their website) or find an information desk or airport employee. The larger the airport, the more complicated it can be. This also means more help desks and maps that will be available.
Welcome! Have an amazing trip to your new destination! Hope we were able to get you from the plane to your destination.
