Flight delays get a lot of attention, and certainly mechanical and staffing issues are the fault of the airline. There’s also air traffic control which creates congestion – it isn’t just responsible for delays but also for longer flight times that get built into schedules. We don’t talk enough about that.
Maybe the biggest failure in air travel is something we don’t talk about at all. How is it possible that people are being told to show up at the airport 2.5 to 3 hours before their flight, and that isn’t considered a failure of massive proportions?
We know you just came back from the track, but the airport is not the place to race. Stay ahead of the curve by giving yourself extra time to get through the airport!
✈️ For domestic flights: Arrive 2.5 hours early
For international flights: Arrive 3 hours early pic.twitter.com/KyFc802rnc— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) March 27, 2025
The lengthened times for showing up at the airport mean that it no longer even makes sense for many people to take shorter flights, but aircraft technology (electric, short and vertical takeoff) is changing and becoming far more viable in the coming years so we should be thinking about that. The FAA is considering standards for vertiports but are we thinking creatively enough or will that conversation be too status quo-focused either because of regulator bias or because it’s entrenched interests most involved?
These are really important conversations and not just about convenience, although convenience matters more than we often give it credit for.
- In 2024, U.S. airlines carried around 862.8 million passengers million passengers on domestic flights across the United States.
- Airline passengers skew higher income, so let’s conservatively assume a $100,000 average income or $48.08 hourly wage.
Taking an extra two hours per passenger on average, that’s 1.725 billion hours, or $83 billion cost to the economy just for extra time wasted for domestic passengers.
And that’s only the extra cost of time wasted on departure. It doesn’t count delays on arrival,
- airlines forcing passengers to gate check bags, which sends them to baggage claim
- poor processes for baggage claim, that can delay bags for 45 minutes or longer
- buses to rideshare and rental car lots
Why do we simply accept showing up 3 hours before a flight, and taking an hour to get out of the airport, turning a two hour trip into 6 hours without even considering the time it takes to get to and from the airport?
We’ve turned airports into shopping malls, because airline passengers aren’t an airport customer they’re the product to be sold to. Longer dwell times to fill with shopping, therefore, have become a feature not a bug. Airlines frequently share in that revenue, either directly or through lower airport costs. Passengers alone can’t push for this – things won’t change until the airlines see it as in their interest.
More and smaller airports are needed. Streamlined security, that doesn’t wait for nationwide universal rollout, is needed. We need runways and taxiways and air traffic capacity to increase throughput without stacking delays. Most of all, we need to avoid complacency that accepts the status quo as given.
@ Gary — This is ironic content coming from a credit card salesman. Don’t you want us to all show up to the airport several hours early so we will “need” premium credit cards that provide lounge access?
“Flight delays get a lot of attention, and certainly mechanical and staffing issues are the fault of the airline.”
Umm, yeah, and since time is money, we really should legislate a fix, like EU261 or Canada’s APPR… get paid when they screw up!
Your article demonstrates both the airport revenue model & their desire to get you spending at the expense of passenger convenience. If Passengers could pass through the departure gates in an hour that would mean less coffees burgers beers whisky and tobaccos sold. Airports accrue absolutely no benefit from processing passengers quickly. End of…………
Agree. Lots of unnecessary downtime. Good for airport bars.
This business of showing up 2-3 hours before a flight is absurd and always has been. It was 1 hour before the flight – back in 1970! And that involved checking in a bag, dealing with a paper ticket (usually on carbon paper in triplicate), and then getting to your gate. Granted, there was no security yet at that time, which made a difference. Also made for delays due to unexpected diversions to HAV.
Still, the 2-3 hour thing reeks of systemic failure. And it really is a true failure. We can do better. Nor is this a USA thing; other countries are usually even worse. Do better!
What a coincidence ! Gary, you state that $ 83 Billion was wasted on Air Travel, and I assumed that you were referring to the news pasted all over the major MSM Outlets last week: They stated that Pete Buttigieg wasted $ 80 Billion in DEI Initiatives related to Air Travel over his 4-year term. Apparently, he funded over 400 DEI Grants. One classic quote from Pete’s FAA Website was the following: “Targeted disabilities are those disabilities that the Federal government, as a matter of policy, has identified for special emphasis in recruitment and hiring… They include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism…diversity is integral to achieving FAA’s mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel across our nation and beyond.” For the record, Pete Buttigieg apparently spent almost nothing on FAA Air Traffic Control Technology, that $ 80 Billion and 4 years of time would have gone a long way to addressing our urgent needs in this area.
two hours is a waste until you get to the TSA line that moves at a snail’s pace and stretches down the concourse. Then you end up sprinting to your gate. It isn’t the airline slowing things down; they are simply reacting to the reality of the mess we call airport security
Well, Gary, at least this is different argument that your usual “If you’ve never missed a flight, you’re arriving at the airport too early” bit. That said, this is only a failure IF you think the government worries about an individual’s wasted time vis-a-vis productivity and the role of the TSA. To be sure, if a new system were being designed from the ground up, it would certainly look different than the “hurry up and wait” of today’s airports. But it’s really only wasted time if the individual is playing solitaire on their phone instead of reading a book, twiddling their thumbs instead of having their fingers dance over the keyword, answering emails, getting some work done, or talking on the phone to that BFF or relative they haven’t spoken to in years….
I don’t think I’ve ever shown up THREE hours early for a flight. But 1.5-2.0 hours is my normal arrival time. I do this for several reasons. First, it gives me enough time so as not to worry about traffic and/or unforeseen delays — be it normal rush hour or a car accident in the tunnel that shuts down the bridge, etc., etc. Secondly, it gives me enough time so as not be stressed by the length of the security line and the fact that the person in front of me has obviously never flown before. Third, I can go to the never overcrowded (in my personal experience) lounge and have a barista-made coffee and relax while reading the newspaper, or answering emails, or just talking with my wife.
I don’t consider that to be a waste of my time. I consider the relaxed feelings and distinct lack of stress to be healthy for my well-being…
Short flights? Time to think differently. I can get from Rome to Naples a 140 mile trip in one hour and 10 minutes for 35 euros and one half of the emissions AND arrive at the train station just 10 minutes before departure.
Hell, if you live in Atlanta you NEED to be at the airport 2.5 hours before your flight to ensure you get through TSA and that is sometimes STILL with TSA Pre-Check and CLEAR.
Delusional story here as the country lack of people willing to work low labor and wages keep increasing pushing cost of everything up. The country is full of laziness of people who prefer to be on welfare than working
Madrid airport is recommending arriving 4 hours in advance due to heavy tourist traffic in the summer season….
To clarify one thing about delays (which really wasn’t the topic of the message but an underlying subtext). Gary said: “There’s also air traffic control which creates congestion…”. Point of fact, ATC, or lack of staff thereof, is causing delays. My flight out of Boston to LAX was 48 minutes delayed on Sunday. Almost all flights were delayed due to staffing issues in the ATC tower. I don’t know what, exactly, was going on, but the United terminal was an absolute mess. Enough so that two of us on the flight thought we would miss our connection (I had a 3 minute sprint to catch my gate before doors closed, but they knew I was on the way – and UA had already booked me a flight the next morning.
My arrival was 1.5 hours early, and it took me less than 5 minutes to walk to the CLEAR line and get thru CLEAR and TSA PreCheck. Including the walk. No line.
Well TSA eliminating the shoe carnival this year was a bold step. And liquids on the docket.
Those are big improvements.
@Gary – I know this is one of your top 10 gripes and I honestly don’t disagree with you but a post detailing real world practical solutions rather than vague generalities would really help move towards improving things.
Why do airlines now say to be at the airport so far in advance? I don’t know. Maybe a combination of worry about security line waits, general ineptitude of operations, and because it’s easier to inconvenience the passenger? You did a great analysis on how AA could be vastly better than it is a short while back; Why not do the same deep dive for how to improve things to make the airport experience better?
@TexasTJ — Personally, I’d love to see greater investment in the FAA, generally, better technology, more ATC staff, etc. And, also, I am aware that some people, such as yourself, apparently dislike ‘Mayor Pete,’ but I’m pretty sure Congress sets funding for DOT/FAA; and also, it’s not like Sean Duffy, Bryan Bedford, or any past (or even future) heads of either entity are going to get back much time ‘wasted’ at airports. Occasionally, I stub my toe, but I know better than to blame my perceived political enemies, lest my TDS act up… So, we can hate folks, but if we want real change, actual improvement, our elected officials, both sides, have to actually effectively serve the public interest. Haven’t seen it in a while… and honestly couldn’t care less what ‘team’ they’re on, so long as the job gets done.
Like any rule that has no common sense behind it. Ignore the rule.
The ignorant don’t know and don’t care and all the airport food vendors cry foul. Never buy anything at an airport and it will go away. As long as the lemmings follow absurd rules they will perpetuate the airport business rip offs.
As a retired trucker, I absolutely REFUSE to fly anywhere inside a standard 11-hour duty shift (for truckers.)
The amount of time spent in airports, picking one’s nose, just to fly from DFW to IAH, is mind boggling. You can make the drive faster, and not worry with all the garbage on both ends.
Why that remains a profitable flight baffles me.
Its about one thing: airports make a lot of money on retail and concessions sales. 2-3 hrs is a long time to find yourself perusing and buying things you don’t need and dropping $20 when you went for a bottle of water. Not to mention Duty Free. Its Its own retail category. Money, money, money is the answer.
Denver redid their entire security checkpoints to add more stores in the Great Hall.AFTER security to boost revenue.
8 years. Huge construction delays. Fired first contractor. Over a billion dollars.
I have yet to see anybody linger in any of those shops or see passengers decide to take a train from their Concourse to the Great Hall just to go shopping during layovers. It was Kim Day’s vanity project and ironically enough all of the c-suite at Denver International that were engaged in it are gone and moved out of the state so it’s to not be associated with the debacle.
Huge fail to turn DIA into an airport mall that people arrive early to shop in.
@Kaley — Wait, there are shops? It’s anecdotal, but I’ll add to your theory; I recently went through DIA, entered via CLEAR with PreCheck at the West 3 checkpoint, then straight to the train to Terminal C for Amex, and later to B for UnitedClub and my gate. I didn’t spend a dollar outside of that.
@TexasTJ – attribution is sad and fake.
About the Buttigieg attribution
• Pete Buttigieg became Secretary of Transportation on Feb 3 2021.
• The identical language is visible on FAA archives from 2012–2013 and remained through subsequent administrations.
• No public statement, press release, or speech links the quote directly to Buttigieg. Fact-checkers note that attributing it to him is misleading. 
You also misstate the passages which are separate text and lack a mandate:
• “Targeted disabilities … include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism.”
• “Diversity is integral to achieving FAA’s mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel across our nation and beyond.”
Bottom line:
The quote is authentic FAA website text describing long-standing federal disability-hiring categories and the agency’s diversity rationale. It is not a new initiative, nor is it something Pete Buttigieg personally said It’s a priority of all government agencies to hire people including those with disabilities. They have to meet the same standards. It is to be posted on all govt offices. Except now we can discriminate against them apparently by shaming people from hiring them. Great job, TexasTJ!
Depends upon the purpose of the trip, of course, but especially for vacations, I’ll either be spending spending time waiting at home, or waiting in an airline lounge. The thought of missing a day of vacation because I cut it too close getting to the airport is so horrific I’d rather show up way early and not stress it.
I’ve always found this type of article to be ridiculous. (1) Take a large number of people, (2) estimate the number of hours they spend doing something, (3) assign an arbitrary monetary value to their time, (4) multiply and come up with a ludicrous economic impact number. The problem is many of those people would’ve spent those same hours watching “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”‘ or playing Bingo Blitz on their phone. Not exactly activities someone would be willing to pay them $48/hr. for.
@Oscar M. — Bah! Best not to take the commentary here too seriously. Nice examples, though. Sort of related, I recall one of Gary’s posts earlier this year that included a reference to the founder of jetBlue, David Neeleman, wherein Gary oddly emphasized that the guy was a member of LDS; it was funny to read the discourse in the comments (basically, some performative outrage over nothing.) Maybe, as a ‘thought leader,’ the true value of VFTW is just getting us all to ‘talk amongst ourselves.’ Hmm.
I see very few real improvement possibilities in metro situations as there are too many items which could cause significant delays on any given journey: transport to the airport, bag drop lines, security lines, gate position etc.
Personally, with my status, the only one I seriously worry about is transit delays to the airport. Something big goes wrong there (and it does once a year) and I lose an hour, easy. The other delays are vanishingly rare for me, but not for others. And transit delays are a much bigger topic than airlines, airports or anything else – stuff happens.
So, in a situation like mine, aiming to arrive 1hr 50 mins ahead works well. I still meet the minimum cut off time if I’m delayed by an hour, and the hour can be spent in the lounge, rather than stressing.
For the one off leisure travellers, it’s a different equation, but perhaps the productivity loss is less pronounced.
Ugh, this again. If you leave work early to go to the airport, then sit there and twiddle your thumbs, then ok. But if you can work from airport there’s no economic cost. Or if you just actually enjoy being at the airport, going to lounges to eat/drink/relax, enjoy people watching, planespotting, etc, then it’s your own recreation time and not an economic cost.
Also, there’s a cost to going to the airport late. There’s the cost if you miss your flight or just board late and have to gate check, but also there’s the cost of higher stress levels even if you make your flight.
Personally I prefer to plan to arrive about an 1-2 hrs before boarding time if there are lounge options, 0.5-1 hrs if not.
Chinese airports are in a race to reduce check-in times with many airports shooting for 40 minute or even 30 minute check-in cutoff for domestic flights. Shenzhen Airport recently touted the reduction of its check-in deadline from 40 minutes to 38 minutes. There are special queues for “late” arriving passengers at check-in and security. A big reason for this is so airports can better compete with high speed rail, where passengers can often arrive just 10-20 minutes before departure.
This is exactly why Brightline train makes so much sense for MCO-MIA. When you factor in that airport time, you’ll get there faster on the train (or at least equal), and have a far more comfortable experience. Your point about making “short flights” no longer worth it is spot on.
TexasDick whines about Mayor Pete, who hasn’t been in office this decade. But hey, Texas, where history are things we durn not read ’bout.
TSA is not “security”. At best it’s security THEATER.
In the 1970s we did have security and it wasn’t performative theater. TSA is a step down.
US Air carriers have CHANGED THE RULES so if you’re not ready to board 15-20min prior to the time they say you could lose your seat. Absent that, 30min is fine. International flights are no different due to EAPIS.
It’s all about a CULTURE OF FEAR. FEAR the government. FEAR the laws. FEAR the airlines. FEAR the FA/GA because all of these entitites can make your day worse with ZERO accountability. If you don’t want to live in a culture of fear don’t fly! (h/t John Gilmore).
It’s all disgustring performative crap that does NOTHING to increase safety, security, or flight expectations.
If only every airport were my hometown airport
In 2019, I had gotten comfortable with arriving at the airport about 90 minutes before my flight. Then one day, there was an unreasonable delay at the skycap. Then SJC blocked one of the stairways to TSA, causing a bottleneck. After that, there was a drug-sniffing dog checking out every single passenger. And then, I had to jog a half-mile to get to my gate. When I arrived, the gate agents were making announcements that they were about to stop boarding. They told me I didn’t have time to go to the bathroom or buy a bottle of water. After I boarded, they let 20 more people on. I was so furious! I won’t let that happen again.
This is how unregulated markets work! Companies shift costs externally so they can sell at a cheaper price. More airport revenue equates to lower landing fees. More time to wait at baggage equates to less baggage workers. And so on.
Deregulation at work. And you’re a fan of deregulation, so quit whining (or writing against good regulations). Things were much more efficient when America was great in the 1980s, and it’s still a breeze to fly in Asia.
I don’t mind getting there early. Gives me a chance to spend more time in the mens room stalls.
Deregulation did this. Before 1978, we had more, and smaller airports with direct point to point service, and even adding post 9/11 security measures would have meant short wait times on account of the airports smaller size. Second and third tier cities like St. Louis and Indianpolis, and Cleveland Columbis, etc. had more available destionations than they do today. Maybe one day the unsustainability of the current model will bring back proper regulation.
@Gary, I think you should also note separately that some airports/terminals are designed so bad, it takes HOURS to get out.
We landed at 5:28pm yesterday in ATL at gate D9, were sent to Int’l Terminal for luggage (WS 1596) even though we cleared customs in YYV, then waited an hour (!) for the shuttle to the Domestic terminal (to take MARTA).
The design of this $1.4B Int’l terminal is awful. The “shuttle” which comes every 15-20 mins and takes maybe 20 ppl at a time, and is operated by former mayor’s buddies; it costs the city $5M or more a year, and it’s a disaster. The lines to get on are huge, wait times are ridiculous (we spent an hour in line). And it’s 100 degrees outside…
It’s an embarrassment. What a first impression for visitors to our city! 🙁
I’ll be going to Miami in September. That gives me three options 1) drive myself – 5-6 hours each way, one gas fill, and $20 daily parking costs in Miami. Estimated cost to arrive tired – $250 round trip 2) Take Redcoach bus (service equal to flying business class) – 5-6 hours each way. Arrive rested and for $130 round trip, plus Uber/taxi in Miami if needed. 3) Fly – 4 hours each way (1 hr drive to/from the airport, 2 hrs waiting, 1 hour flight, plus Uber/taxi in Miami if needed. Cost is around $700 round-trip. I’ll be taking the bus.
The airports and airlines want passengers to arrive that early for money reasons.
More passengers at the airport spending more time at the airport = more food&beverage & other retailer sales revenue. That’s good for the airport’s finances and for the airport’s airline tenants.
Also, this means airlines don’t need to staff as many employees for check-in as if everyone showed up 30-80 minutes before departure.
I believe this could qualify as a personal preference issue. My take on it was solidified years ago when going on a missions trip from Raleigh to Kenya. I was convinced that our leader had lost his mind when he said we had to be at the airport 5 hours early. However, when weather in Chicago affected our flight and we were actually able to get an EARLIER flight instead just by being there, my opinion started to change. Once again just at the beginning of covid on a trip to Mexico as flight cancellations were rampant, my husband and I were able to get an earlier flight because we had come to the airport super early. One of my favorite hobbies in life is beating what feels like a price-gouging system, so I bring my own snacks and sandwiches. They get me on the coffee, however due to the no liquids at TSA, but being able to take that large personal hot-cold cup of coffee on the plane to drink whenever I’m ready even eases the sting of the airport coffee price. Now if someone can tell me how to do this without hurting the economy….?
On FL topics, @Mike and @Ron are onto something. I agree with @Mike that the state has come a long way with the Brightline (somewhat high-speed rail between Miami and Orlando); now, if only it could be connected to other cities in the state, like Tampa (future route planned), Jacksonville, Gainesville, Naples, Tallahassee, Pensacola, etc. Then folks like @Ron could skip those intra-state flights, or the Turnpike, I-75/I-95, etc. to get from wherever he’s starting from to Miami. Maybe someday. If so, it’d rival the DC-NYC-BOS NE corridor Amtrak, etc. Alas, our current government is not interested in anything but oil-based personal automobiles, it seems. Also, shoutout to Redcoach; those buses are indeed luxurious. Glad they’re still around!
I wouldn’t show up early if the system were more efficient, sure. But there’s this gadget called a laptop and this magic known as wi-fi so I am still productive at the airport. Also, if you’ve ever missed a flight because you cut it too close, that just means you didn’t really need to go there. I fly when I need to be somewhere at a specific time.
More, smaller airports when we don’t have enough flight controllers to staff the ones we have? Brilliant. And Gary, from his home base in Austin, must be familiar with that problem since AUS has been impacted by air controller staffing issues many times.
Let’s be realistic: nobody really needs to show up for a flight in America more than 2 hours in advance. If you are not a true frequent flyer, it’s probably a good idea to show up 2 hours in advance, as you will be less familiar with the processes and may be checking a bag and not have precheck. True frequent flyers, who mostly have pre-check and don’t check bags (or have access to elite check-in bag lines), certainly don’t need to show up more than an hour and a half before a flight, and that time budgeting is really more necessary for unpredictable traffic to the airport than delays AT the airport. For example, I can’t remember the last time I waited on a TSA PreCheck line more than 15 minutes, and my average wait is probably less than five minutes. That said, the majority of frequent flyers now do choose to show up about 2 hours in advance because they have access to nice lounges and enjoy the food, drink and lack of stress (and opportunity for productivity) associated with relaxing at the airport before your flight. Bottom line, this is not a big issue as you are making it out to be.
Airports have gone from being functional places of commercial airline transit to Mall of America. 50 years ago amenities were limited to a book/general store, one or two small cafes/coffee shops and maybe a place to sell duty free booze. Americans might be skipping the mall for Amazon but at an airport they’re a captive audience.
This has airports into a total cluster. There are certain airports (MIA and ATL at the top of that list) in which if a passenger does not have Pre Check they will need two hours during peak periods.
I am in the airport for one reason…to fly somewhere. I may grab an over priced sandwich if I have time. With arthritis in my knees, I need the moving sidewalks. Take the “new” Salt Lake airport. I had a 90 minute connection time. We arrived at Terminal C in Salt Lake on time. I barely made it to the connecting flight in Terminal A. I was out of breath and sweating from the long haul. Take Minneapolis…many of their moving sidewalks don’t work and yet there are no shops in the corridors. Why are the sidewalks always in “maintenance”? Atlanta international arrivals from Terminal E to F is a LOOONGGGGG hike with sporadic moving sidewalks, escalators up then across another span only to go up…across then down again. Heathrow??? I can get off the plane and within a few minutes at CBP and within 90 minutes be in my hotel room! GRRRR
Hey @1990, @Fleetflyer & @Ehud Gavron: @1990 was closest to reasonable, we’re certainly in agreement on increased investment in ATC Technology as well as personnel. That said, his comment “I’m pretty sure Congress sets funding for DOT/FAA” while technically true in the aggregate (they do), is inaccurate relative to the specific investments Pete made (those were his call). @Fleetflyer didn’t do so well, he says “attribution is sad and fake”. Sorry, when a dozen different major MSM News outlets all report the same data, it’s not Fake (they all do tend make biased conclusions and insinuations), but when that many state specific facts regarding Funding & Programs it’s accurate. In addition, of course the FAA Website statements were discontinuous (duh), I separated them with … appropriately. They were in fact accurate, which is the relevant point here. @Ehud: Worst of the bunch, you descended into kindergarten potty language, you might want to start acting like an adult.
Echoing many others.
Airports make money in two main ways – fees from airlines. And retail rentals. The more people spend in retail outlets in airports, the higher the rent the airport can charge the vendor.
Result – get people there hours before their flights to spend money in the retail outlets of the airport.
Then leave it to airline crew to deal with drunken rowdy passengers that have spent hours in said retail outlets.
“More and smaller airports are needed.” Really? Name a small airport currently that works well. They may be easier to get to and have shorter lines, but they have fewer flights to fewer locations. Most of the people I know who live near a small commercial airport in a small or mid-sized town wind up driving to the nearest big city airport to take flights. Why? Because the local airport only has a few flights a day on a couple of airlines to their hubs. There would usually be a connection. Flight times tend to be very early or very late to make all those connections work. And any IRROPS means you are done for the day. A larger airport means more options to fly direct – maybe even international! – and more flights to choose from at better times, usually at a lower cost than for the captive customers at the small town airport. Now, I agree that I wish the security process were more efficient. But the smaller airports I know are not the answer.
Also, I have two minds about the airport malls. On the one hand, domestically I find them pretty annoying, and I wonder who possibly buys stuff in most of the shops. Internationally, I also never buy anything (save chocolate or toiletries I forgot), but sometimes enjoy walking around them just to stretch the legs during long connections. Looking at you, LHR T5.
It’s leftover crap from 911. Finally we can keep our shoes on and don’t have to open our electronics. Yet the shoe bomber is taking up space in prison still breathing.
Let it go Elsa….I mean, Gary.