Ex-American Airlines CEO Shares the One Travel Tip He Swears By

Passengers are always trying to game air travel to make for the most pleasant and seamless of an experience as possible, whether it's coming up with the magic number of hours you should arrive at the airport before your flight or avoiding common mistakes that can get you turned away at the gate. And the former head of American Airlines has now imparted his own advice to travelers.

Doug Parker, who served as CEO of American Airlines from 2001 to 2023, appeared on a recent episode of the Airlines Confidential podcast, where he answered a reader question about best travel tips. Though Parker admits that "there are no silver bullets" that he knows about and others don't, he revealed what he tells his family.

"Don't check a bag. Yeah, wherever we’re going, you can buy stuff when you get there," he said, before reiterating: "Do not check a bag."

"It’s not that the airlines don’t know how to get there, but it’s just incredibly complex, and it makes your experience much more difficult," Parker continued. "So that's my major tip to anybody, just figure out a way, no matter where you're going, to get it into your carry-ons and don't check a bag."

Parker's second piece of advice, however, was something that all of us can do, and doesn't even involve agonizing over which belongings to squeeze into a carry-on suitcase.

"But probably a better trip is just be nice to the people who are out there working. While it's hard for the traveler, that makes it harder for the people out there," he explained, noting that this includes everyone from TSA agents to airline employees who work extra hours over the holidays, in particular.

"All they're trying to do is do their jobs well and get people moving and get people where they want to be. And it's so much nicer on yourself if you're nice to them," he reasoned. "You can see it and feel it if you actually take the time to stop and thank those people, how much they appreciate it, and how much better your experience suddenly feels, instead of getting upset about something that is completely outside of their control."

And if kindness in itself isn't the only reward; if you're extra nice to your flight attendant, you may even get a free drink out of it.