I'm a bit of a nervous flyer, so I always get to the airport early to sip on some courage at the bar. It helps me keep calm and, well, it's hard to pass up a good Bloody Mary. Over the years, I've learned a few tips to ensure the airport bar is always a good experience.

I'm terrified of flying.

After a particularly rough battle with the flu earlier this year, I've gotten pretty obsessive about watching what I touch in public places. I also carry around antibacterial wipes whenever I fly (a habit I've had for years), and immediately wipe down my tray table, seatbelt, and armrest as soon as I take my seat on a plane. As it turns out, I should probably be paying more attention to what I'm touching in the actual airport before I board.

A man trying to fly from Iceland to England was recently denied boarding for wearing all of his clothing at once in an attempt to avoid a checked bag fee. This is a terrible attempt at a travel hack. He claims that the gate personnel said it would be OK beforehand, but even if they had let him board, he would have been miserable. Please don't try to do this, people.

Plane travel is incredibly safe -- your odds of dying on a commercial flight are about one in 11 million -- but accidents still happen and travellers sometimes make it to a different kind of final destination. Many past fatalities may, however, have been avoidable. Here's the safety info you should be up on in case you go down.

Flying dehydrates you -- a lot. You probably know that it's a good idea to drink water before, during, and after a flight, but how much is enough?

Missing a connecting flight is one of the most stressful and frustrating things that can happen to you when flying. If you want to avoid it, you need to give yourself ample time between flights, and do a little homework before you fly.

When you're suffering through a long flight in cramped seats the last thing you probably want is to be dressed to the nines, but skipping out on those pyjama pants does have its advantages. You might even get a better seat.

If you've flown in the US at all in the last few years, you know the TSA wants you to pull out your laptop and place it in a separate bin for security screening. Well, now they want you to do the same with your tablets, e-readers and even game consoles.

New -- hopefully temporary -- flight restrictions mean that if you're catching a plane in Australia, you have to be at the airport either two hours (for domestic flights) or three hours (for international flights) early. Here's a few ways to pass the extra time you'll inevitably have after you pass through security.

Arriving at the airport much earlier than your actual flight time is good advice in general, but thanks to recently introduced "security measures" from the government, the major airlines are now recommending international passengers arrive up to three hours before their scheduled departure times and two hours for domestic trips.

Uber? Cabs? Train? Pickups aren't always an option, either. So to streamline your next trip, we've researched the cheapest ways to get from the runway to the CBD at each Australian state capital airport. Here's what you need to know.

One of the most tedious aspects of overseas flying is filling out that annoying green card prior to departure. There are never enough pens to go around and you usually forget your flight and/or passport number. Ain't nobody for time for that!

Well, it appears the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) agrees. From July 1, you will no longer be required to fill out these pesky cards while passing through immigration. Hurrah!

If you want to know which airports in the world have the best food, ask someone who's been to almost all of them. This is the grub chef and travel host Anthony Bourdain can't wait to get his mitts on when he flies.

Airlines in the US are within their rights to kick you off an overbooked plane, even if you've paid for a ticket and don't want to leave. According to United employees, a "computer" picked a man who said he was a doctor and needed to see patients in the morning to be dragged off a flight this weekend. How does the computer know who to pick? The airlines' policies offer some clues.

Today, the world woke up to a very disturbing video of a United Airlines passenger being bloodied and dragged off an overbooked flight so that a United employee could fly in his place. The footage has caused outrage with numerous calls to boycott the airline. Many have pointed out that the man was a paying customer who posed no threat, so the airline had no right to forcibly remove him.

There's no question that what happened to this passenger was completely over the top. But on a technical level, it was also entirely legal to eject him. It turns out airlines can kick you off a flight for all sorts of reasons. Let's take a look at the facts.

United Airlines made headlines around the world today after a gate agent refused to board two young girls on a flight to Minneapolis because they were wearing leggings. The choice of attire was deemed "improper" for United representatives, even though both passengers were children.

Despite almost universal condemnation and boycott threats from celebrities, United is sticking to its guns and refuses to admit any wrongdoing. While we won't defend its draconian and sexist policy, the airline does have one thing right - leggings are a pretty terrible choice for an aeroplane. Here's what to wear instead.

The Department of Homeland Security is instituting a ban on all electronic devices larger than a smartphone on flights from eight Muslim-majority countries. That means you'll need to store all laptops and tablets in your checked bags.

Airport security in the US is getting more awkward, and with confusing travel bans and other searches at the border, it's hard to keep track of what your rights actually are. Thankfully, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has put together a quick pocket guide with a breakdown of your digital rights.