Things I did not know about airports until last week

-    You have to sign up for alerts about your flight.

-    Even if you sign up, they often don’t update you until you’re already at the airport.

Let me give you some background. I am not a morning person. I hate early flights, but as any traveller knows, the red-eyes are always the cheapest and when you’re on a plane every couple of weeks, you’ve gotta consider your wallet.

So, on booking my most recent flight from Melbourne to Perth, I decided a 6.30am was as good as it was going to get. I woke up at 4.30am, and was very proud of myself for making to the airport on time, with room for breakfast.

As I go through the self-check-in, everything seems fine. Then I see The Board. The Board tells me that my flight has been delayed by three hours.

You know the feeling. Your sleep-deprived brain starts running through all the opportunity cost of not knowing this sooner - the three hours of sleeping in, the leisurely breakfast, not freezing in the early morning air, the amount of time you know have to try and kill…

Needless to say, those next three houses weren’t my favorite use of time. So, for disorganized people like me, let me tell you about how to never miss delay notices again.

It’s an app, because let’s be honest, the easiest way to remember something is to have your phone tell you. It’s called Boarding Path.

This handy airport pal can send you up-to-date notifications for any flight, anywhere you are, so that you always know as soon as possible when you should really be getting to the airport. Not only that, but it can help you work out the most money/time efficient way to get there! Since when you’re tired, you’re even more likely to forget the obvious - so why not get something that can guide your tired brain through it?

Red-eye airport dramas? Sorted.