Balance dollars and stress
Five-dollar bag of almonds? No. Ten bucks to board first -- and stake your claim on that overhead bin? Maybe.
That's the kind of economic math that experienced fliers do all the time, Stallings says. Look at the cost of the fee versus what that service or perk will save you in time and stress, he says.
Also, be absolutely clear on what you're getting for the money, Stallings says. One example: With some airlines, priority boarding doesn't get you on the plane that much sooner than the rest of the crowd, he says.
To ease stress, pad your airport schedule. "Travel can be stressful," says Paul Brown, who travels both for his work with the Discovery Channel's hit "Auction Kings" and also as proprietor of Atlanta's Gallery 63. "Better to give yourself plenty of time and be sitting at the gate for 20 minutes than be freaking out worrying about it."
Another of his travel secrets: If you're navigating an unfamiliar airport, as opposed to home turf, build in a little extra time, he says.
Ditto dropping off a rental car. Allow an extra 30 minutes, says Brown. "You cannot control those shuttle buses. And some airports are more efficient than others."
