nrr

At https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...l/default.aspx you are able to see flight status; starting a few days before your flight, check on your flights on-time performance, arrival and departure gates.
PS: I am assuming you are flying United (Denver is a major hub for them).

WillCAD

OP might also be flying Southwest, as they have a lot of flights out of both LAX and DEN.

So let's ask: Hey Magomi, which airline are you booked on for this flight? Knowing that will help us get you a few more specifics, like bag fees, size and weight limits, where your gates will be in the three airports, and even the boarding procedure you can expect.

Oh, and if you're willing to share any other details, such as are you traveling alone? With family? With small children? Any customers of size in your party? Anyone with special needs like mobility impairments or food allergies? You might not feel comfortable sharing such details over the internet, so if not, that's fine. But each of those things have best practices that you can use to smooth the process on the ground and in the air, and the folks on FlyerTalk know all of the tricks of the trade.

Magomi

Willcad - Thanks for info! And at present time I'm looking to book with United Airlines as it gave the cheapest price

I am traveling alone - I do have allergies/sinus problems, nothing food related however and I'm of decent size (won't need 2 seats or anything) aside that I do generally need to drink lots of water in general as it also helps me relax.

ajGoes

You may want to take a decongestant before the flights then. Air pressure in the cabin will drop to what you'd feel at 8,000 feet elevation. If your ears sometimes feel clogged when you drive in the mountains, that's the kind of thing that can happen when the airplane climbs and descends. It's not terrible but keeping your eustachian tubes open makes it more comfortable.

This reminds me of some other aspects of the flying experience: noises. Inexperienced flyers sometimes get startled by mysterious sounds the airplane makes. Your first one is likely to be the thump when the pilot retracts the landing gear and it folds up into the plane. It can be rather forceful, especially if your seat is near the wings. This happens early in the climbout.

You will also hear the engines change speed. It's no surprise that they get a lot louder before takeoff. They don't operate at maximum power for the whole flight, though. A few minutes after takeoff, the engines will get a lot quieter as the pilot reduces the power to a climb setting. They'll get quieter again when you reach cruise altitude. They may fluctuate some, too, as the pilot adjusts the climb or the cruise altitude. I remember reading a post on another forum where a passenger wrote that "the pilot TURNED THE ENGINES OFF!" Of course this doesn't happen, but the noise level drops so much that it may seem like they've been shut down altogether.

When you're approaching your destination the pilot will reduce engine power to let the plane gradually descend. Then, when you get very close to the airport, the flaps (big surfaces that make up a good bit of the trailing edges of the wings) will extend to help the plane fly slower. The equipment that extends the flaps makes a significant mechanical sound. The landing gear will be lowered, which makes another noise and makes the wind noise a little louder.

If anything startles you, it's a good idea to take note of the other passengers' reactions. Most of them have flown lots of times, and you'll notice that they pay no attention.

WillCAD

Here is United's page on baggage. I recommend you read over the policies regarding carry-on items, particularly the maximum size limits, so you'll know if your carry-ons will work.
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...e/default.aspx

If you drink a lot of water, you might need to use the lav a lot. If so, it would be a good idea to book an aisle seat, close to the front or rear lavs.

As a fellow allergy and sinus sufferer, you have my sympathy. But generally, I don't have any ill effects on the plane. The air in the cabin tends to be fairly dry, so you might want to pack some nasal spray if you have difficulty with dry nose, and drinking a lot of water will help keep your mouth from drying out. I generally use a little Afrin before the flight and I'm clear the whole way to my destination. But as the plane ascends and descends, I find I have to clear my ears several times with the old hold-your-nose-and-blow method, as if I'm scuba diving.

Paul56

It will be an adventure... you are going to see and hear lots
of new things.

Check with your airlines website regarding baggage and such.

Check the TSA website regarding getting through security and
what you are allowed to take.

In airports there is a lot of signage and monitors which will
guide you as to where to go.

Don't sweat it... enjoy the experience.

chrisl137

Also not mentioned so far is that you can "check-in" for your flight online 24 hours before departure and print your boarding passes at home. At check-in you can change seats within whatever seat category you have. This is especially useful as a non-frequent flyer if you haven't paid in advance for a seat assignment and you got stuck in a middle seat on one or both segments. You can check which seats have good or bad features at seatguru.com (it asks for your airline and flight number and displays a seat map).

Magomi

Thanks all and good advice on the online thing I do have a question about the cabin pressure - I haven't been to the mountains since I was younger so aside ear issues I don't recall much if anything different, is it really noticable beyond the dryness and occasional ear problems?

MADPhil

Unless you have a health problem that leaves you breathless you won't notice anything. The ascent and descent are more rapid than they would be driving so you will have to clear your ears more frequently than you might expect.

Have a great trip!

JetAirways77W

Whatever you read seems to be over-exaggerated by a LOT. I've taken 14hr nonstop flights (Dubai to Boston for example) and nothing has happened. Of course, I'm only 14 so my body may take it in stride.

Bottom line: Nothing's gonna happen, it's only two 2.5hr flights.

EDIT: OP seems to be taking a 757 LAX-DEN and an A319 DEN-GRR. Both have excellent safety records and you'll have no problem.

Magomi

Yeah, just google searches which eventually led me to here and me asking actual flyers lol

Yeah, I'm not too worried about like crashes and such, that's good peace of mind though. Was just the other stuff many made it sound horrible haha. I know flight sims aren't really the same but taking a few classes and playing some in general eased my nerves too since I'm more likely to panick if my body will act really weird than say the wings suddenly going transformers or something

jfiander

As long as you take a look at that map of DEN and have a general idea of how the gates are laid out, you'll know where to go right away when you check the flight monitor screens for your connecting gate. The Flight/Gate Attendants may also be able to tell you your gate if you mention that you have a short layover time. Make sure to check on the screen at the gate once you get there, since from time to time flights can change gates while you're walking to them.

"Fun" experience I had a few years ago: connecting through DTW, my aunt, grandma and I got out at gate A75 (far end of the big concourse) and had 30 minutes to get to gate C43 (on the complete opposite end of the terminal, through an underground tunnel, mostly by foot).

jfiander

If your ears feel funny, try swallowing, chewing on some gum, or wiggling your jaw. Yawning can also help. It's all very gradual, so you might feel a little pressure building up at some point in ascent (or possibly descent) but any of those tricks will equalize the pressure in your ears. Most of the flight, you won't notice anything, and you won't have to keep bothering with your ears.

Magomi

Will keep that in mind I do always hear the taking off landing tend to be the 'worst part' aside from crying babies haha.

jfiander

I almost never have any trouble with the little guys, so that's really not something you need to worry about much.

One exception: I flew DTW-FRA, back in 2007. Poor kid cried the whole 8 hours.