The departures process consists of several steps, which are applied to all airports.

First step – Airport Procedure

The first thing to do before the flight is to go through the check-in process. Check-ins can be done online, at least 24 hours prior to departure, during which passengers can reserve preferable seats. Reservation details needed are - Passport information and Email Address. Completed check-in information will be sent right to the indicated Email. There are special rules for people flying to or from the USA as they need to have and register their immigration information. 

Usually, airports are quite big and busy. That's why both – airports and airlines request to arrive at the airport a minimum 2 hours earlier and have more than 1 hour for the check-in procedure. During the process, the airport staff can ask several intimidating questions, but it is done for the additional safety of the passengers.

After the check-in online, the flight ticket itself is not enough for passengers to board on a plane. All travelers should get their Boarding Passes, which include information about the gate, departure time and the seat number. These passes can be obtained using these three ways:

• Printing the Pass out
• Saving the Boarding Pass to the mobile device
• Obtaining the Pass at the airport

The check-in process itself is divided into three main parts and consists of the

• The check-in part itself, when the passenger should provide the confirmation about intending to board the particular flight to the airline
• Giving the baggage to the ground staff, who will weight it, mark it and send it to the specific place. The customer will only get it back after reaching the intended destination
• Getting ready to go through the security check with the Boarding Pass

Second Step – Security Check

This step is very important, as all passengers are being checked on the existence of the banned items. This step is the warranty of safety for all the passengers going on board, the whole airport and for the countries of arrival.

The first step during the security check includes putting the baggage on a special tray that is assigned for the electronic screening. A particular officer sees all items of the carry-on luggage through the special screen and rates whether they are safe to travel with.

All coins or metallic objects like keys, belts, and phones should be put on a different special tray.

Women, in the last months of the pregnancy, should have permission documents from their doctors that they are able to handle the flight.

Passengers with metallic units in their bodies (for medical purposes like artificial joint or the pacemaker) should keep the doctor's certificate with the description.

After the security checks, passengers claim their carry-on luggage and all the accessories they have left for inspection. In case of a domestic flight, travelers go to the ‘airside’ terminal, and in case of an international flight, passengers should head to towards immigration and customs controls.

Third Step – Immigration and Customs

Passengers, who have booked international flights, will have to go through immigration and customs check twice. Both – during departure and arrival too.

Important things to know while going through that check:

• Passengers should carry their Passport, Visa, ID and other relevant documents with themselves and state the reason of the trip.
• It is important that passengers don't carry banned items. For example, any kind of exotic plants or animals as they may have infections or bacterias harmful for others.
• The country's apex monetary authority strictly controls the amount of cash that the international passenger handles. Also, some countries like Thailand, request to have some local currency on arrival.
• It is important to know that almost in all cases carrying banned items lead to prosecution. So in order to avoid all the above-mentioned situations, passengers should get acquainted with the rules.

Fourth Step – waiting Lounges  

After going through the security check, passengers can visit different shops, cafes, restaurants, duty frees and many other places that are in the secured area. Of course, prices at these places are much higher than in the city. Although, Duty-Free offers prices, that do not include taxes.

For those, who want to rest instead of going shopping, they can visit special lounges with extra facilities. Some airlines allow to enter their lounges for free and have services like Wi-Fi free of charge. But in most cases, these kinds of lounges require payments.

Fifth Step – Boarding 

Passengers with Boarding Passes should go to the assigned gates on time, as the boarding process closes 15 or 20 minutes before the departure. Generally, late passengers are called by name twice. After that, the entrance closes, and no more late passengers are allowed to get on board.

 Arrival procedures consist of Several steps:

First Step – Leaving the Plane

After arrival, individual paths with signs lead passengers to the terminals. Sometimes, people have to walk outside the airport, and there is always a particular group of people guiding them to the terminal. In most cases, there are special busses moving between the airplane and terminals.  Generally, planes are connected to terminals with special moving tunnels.

Second Step - Quarantine

The next step is Quarantine. Passengers should indicate if they are feeling bad, have diarrhea or fever. 

Third Step – Immigration Checks

In most airports, airlines ask passengers to go through immigration checks at first. Tourists are led to special small kiosks, where they have to show their passports and visas if needed. In case of questions, passengers should be honest and clear. 

Fourth Step – Luggage Claim

The next step is to claim the luggage. Airports have particular areas, where people are waiting for their luggage to go through the carousel. Travelers should keep their flight number in hands, as in big airports there can be lots of carousels, so they will have to find the right ones. Airports have special electronic signs that indicate the right ones, and sometimes the crew announces the numbers. 

Fifth Step – Declaration Process

The last but not the least step is a customs check, but it is optional. People who have nothing to declare just leave this zone and passengers who have imported goods to declare, have to follow the indicated path and put their items through the special X-Ray. After, they should fill out an official form.

Generally, these steps don't last too long, as nowadays most systems are innovative and automated.

There are several additional services that airports offer, and one of the most important ones is Lost and Found. There are situations when people lose their luggage or carry-on items. In this kind of cases, they should go to this facility, fill out a special form and leave all needed information (about the size, color or the type of the lost item and personal contact information).