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Going Solo: Nathan's First Flight

katyvoyles
Employee
Employee

As a first time solo-flyer, 13-year-old Nathan was a bit nervous traveling from Rochester, New York, to Tampa, Florida, without the help of his parents. For Nathan, traveling to see his grandparents was a big adventure–especially since he was making the journey all by himself!

 

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Despite his nerves, Nathan’s experience through the airport and onto the plane went smoothly, with Southwest Employees assisting him with a dose of Southwest Hospitality. His preparedness leading up to the flight allowed him to sit back, relax, and enjoy his nonstop flight to Tampa.


Hoping to help other first-time solo travelers, Nathan has provided these dos and don’ts for flying solo for the first time:

 

Do: Check in 24 hours in advance on southwest.com. The sooner you board, the more choices you have for your seat!

 

Do: Arrive at the airport at least two hours before your flight is scheduled to take off so you have plenty of time to pass through security. Also, double check that you have your boarding pass, photo ID, and luggage before going through security.

 

Do: Pay close attention to the safety briefing once onboard the plane since you’ll need to know what to do if something goes wrong.

 

Don’t: Forget to use the restroom before boarding your flight. It can be tough to get out of your seat once the plane takes off.

 

Don’t: Be in a hurry; otherwise, you may forget something. Giving yourself plenty of time to find your gate, use the restroom, and board the aircraft is very important!

 

Nathan’s favorite part of the trip was looking out the window throughout the flight. He says it is amazing to see the world from 35,000 feet, and it definitely gives you a quite a different perspective.

 

Nathan was even able to get a picture of himself inside the cockpit to document his first solo flight. We hope to see you onboard again soon, Nathan. Thanks for sharing your tips!