Once past the airport’s security checkpoint, proceed to your gate’s boarding area. Look for departure monitors as you proceed, checking on the latest status and gate (yes, they can change) of your flight. Boarding typically begins about 30 mins prior to the scheduled departure time, so be sure to arrive there in time. You may risk losing your assigned seat (or even your flight) if you show up too late.

Check your boarding pass. Most airlines board by zones or rows. Listen to the announcements regarding boarding, and proceed when your row section or zone is called. You will pass an airline gate agent, who will take your boarding pass and may ask for ID. If you printed out a boarding pass at home, you will surrender it there for a bar-code scan. Embark the plane, find your seat, and make sure you do not put anything too large under the seat in front of you, as the flight attendant may ask you to put it in the overhead bin. Then fasten your seatbelt... the flight attendant will show a video (its done manually on some aircraft) explaining the safety features of the aircraft prior to takeoff.