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?
It happens to the best of us ✈️ unless you build in enough time
For arrival times: Flying domestically? We recommend arriving at least 2.5 hours early. Flying internationally? 3 hours early.
Tomorrow will be one of our busiest days, so please plan accordingly. pic.twitter.com/5PWWKsI9ZH
— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AUStinAirport) October 3, 2024
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 2023, U.S. airlines carried around 819.3 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 1.64 billion hours, or $78.9 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.
Observe any airport and you will notice that 80% of screening time is eaten up by carry ons.
There are so many of them now, no wonder it takes forever to go through the airport.
Force the airlines to include free bags with all tickets and we will return to the fast ways of the early 2000s.
And please stop subsidizing the screening of carry ons: anything beyond one per passenger should cost $10 to the person who carries it, not a cost paid by all
Showed up two hours early for an Allegiant flight. At least two dozen passengers that showed up late for a different flight that was about to leave were invited to jump the line infuriating those already waiting.
Granted, the agents were doing their best to accommodate the latecomers, but this is so wrong! I say, make them wait. Why penalize those that arrived early.
Times are unpredictable even with Precheck, Clear and usually some sort of status/flight in business class. I always arrive 2 hours before domestic flights. Despite that, I have missed domestic flights a couple of times. At other times, I have gone through security to the gate in 15 minutes. What a waste of time!
Gary, you are 100% right about building more small airports. Tired of the ATL DL monopoly.
Every airport parking lot should have luggage drop off stations, ticket kiosks, and a cart that delivers luggage to the terminals every 10 minutes. That would shorten the check-in lines, reducing the amount of time needed to get to the airport early. Another idea: night before and same day luggage pickup services (run by luggless, uber, Lyft, etc.) should be available for those that want to send their luggage ahead. These services should be allowed to check the luggage so the passenger doesn’t have to touch it until they deplane the aircraft. Finally, they really need to improve the passenger screening to the point that you just walk through (a short tunnel or whatever) that screens you and your carry-on luggage as you wheel it through without stopping (unless of course if the device detects something prohibited).
Sounds like somebody running for Office.
One: why do *we* arrive at airports three hours before the flight? Speak for yourself. I have never done that and have never paid for it by missing a flight.
Two: we need more smaller airports, etc. No. What this country needs desperately is a humongous investment in rail infrastructure.
3 hours? If I’m checking a bag I’m showing up to check the bag with 50 minutes to go, and of not to get to the gate with 20 minutes to go.
The only time.ive missed a flight is when I got 20 minutes into my drive and had to double back for a forgotten item.
Obviously that’s not going to work for novice travelers, but for anyone with status and CLEAR, it’s really easy to get your travel to within 5 minutes.
There’s also opportunities to make up time: I’ve ever had United refuse a bag at 40 minutes (they just don’t promise to deliver it if it doesn’t make the flight), and you can always run through the airport.
Even that 20 minute double-back flight I ALMOST still made it, 3 minutes after the door closed.
Pro Tip: Put your route into Waze and it’ll tell you down to the minute how long your drive will take.
There are a bunch of weirdos replying here saying “I like getting to the airport early”. WTF? You genuinely prefer being in an airport instead of at home?
I do not get to the airport 3 hours early, period. I do 2 hours for international and 1 hour for domestic. And it works.
I agree completely. It is ridiculous and just offensive that they want everyone to waste so much time because they refuse to properly staff. But, as many have said, they want you there to shop and eat. I personally do not want to do either. It also gives the airport an excuse to understaff security checkpoints. And the airlines to check a bag. I have waited to check a bag at LaGuardia over an hour before. And the longest security line was 1 hour at Orlando. Also, charge for carryons and make checked bags free. Boarding and exiting would be much faster. The bottom line is that nothing is done at any point in the process to make it easier for travelers. As it exists today, traveling by air is punishment.
.I use the “getting to the airport early” tactic to buy myself (after perusing the options) a proper amount of food/drink to get me through the flight
My very frequent flyer days began with the shuttle flights between NYC and DC, and back then I was routinely choosing to get to the airport 12-25 minutes before departure. Unfortunately, a couple of decades later and I have to show up 25-50 minutes early for domestic flights because the airport security screening times are a far more variable factor than they used to be and airlines have pushed out luggage drop-off times and become worse about gate boarding closing times.
At small airports as carry-on only passenger for a domestic trip, I am still fine with getting dropped off at the airport within 25 minutes of scheduled departure, but if I miss the gate closing cut-off then it may mean a long wait until the next available flight with space or a long drive to a bigger airport.
fine showing up
US air travel should learn about Japan air travel processes from checking in, boarding, and baggage claim. They even have a dedicated security line for late passengers. Checking in 3 hours before a domestic flight is ridiculous.
Am I the only one thinking where tf did you come up with a 100k average salary for flyers metric? That’s bananas. Just like allowing corporations to trap us in overpriced ‘shopping malls’ or allowing the government to fearmonger us into restricting the amount of toothpaste I can carry in my toiletry kit. I’m so so glad I don’t travel for work anymore, just like nearly everything else in the US, it’s really turned to hot garbage.
There are such misguided and sensational claims in this article. Do you really think the average flyer makes around $100k a year? Southwest carries over 100 million passengers, and I don’t think they all earn that much. Also, how many children fly every year? How many retirees? Such sensationalistic, histrionic nonsense.
I’d rather wait a few hours in the lounge before a flight than at home or in traffic. Today is our last day at an all-inclusive resort in Rhodes. The airport is less than 10km away, and we will arrive a couple of hours early tomorrow morning. There is no lounge, but I am sure we will survive among the masses, enjoying a drink and food while waiting to board the flight.
I prefer having quiet time before flights
In a lounge to eat and catch up on work. Some better lounges even have gyms, showers, and massage. Considering a long travel day may start at 3am and involve a lot of packing, driving on both ends, layovers, it’s just nice to have moments of down time built in.
I guess I’m different. I should up 1 hour before my flight, at most, if I have no carry-on. And I don’t have status or pre-check. Never been late for a flight. The 2-3 hours before the flight is a scam for people to hang around the terminal and spend money.
I fly fairly often and almost never arrive at the airport more than 90 minutes before departure for domestic flights. Security is pretty efficient from what I’ve seen (I fly out of RDU). There are a few things I do to make it smoother, including having things ready, but I also try to avoid getting behind families – they take forever to go through.
I’m just as productive in the lounge as at home or in the office, so I don’t mind some low-stress sitting in the lounge waiting a while. Admittedly, my local airports have nice lounges with decent food.
What I don’t understand (even though I was once that way) is running through airports stressed about making your flight.
If I can rent a car and make the trip in a day, it is faster (and more pleasant) than flying. Cars today are near autonomous on freeways and being able to stop when ever needed for food, drink and bathroom breaks removes every incentive for flying. The “work on the plane” thing only has a chance of working if you are in business class or better. It is cheaper to have a junior coworker come along as driver and gain the experience of the trip.
To fly, it only makes sense if the distance exceeds a 8 to 12 hour drive. Until that is fixed, the electric plane game is dead on the runway.
I only Carry on even for a month in Europe simply because every time I have ever checked a bag It has been Lost. Until the airlines improve baggage handling I won’t check.
Poor old backward Europe and Asia where you can travel on 250 mph trains. Fast, clean and super convenient. Budgeting 6 hrs of time for a 2 hour flight is insanity!
Try flying out of McAllen, Tx or Harlingen, Tx these days. The lines of undocumented (illegal) migrants who speak no English, nor most of them any Spanish is crazy. Most have no idea on procedures such as removing shoes, not carrying bottles of water etc… Plus they have to check everyone over since nobody has an ID card of course, just an envelope with government issued papers. The seats the airlines don’t sell are bought by US taxpayers at full fare. What used to cost $100 to fly to Houston now is $300,,, if you don’t like the price tough, the Government will buy it for $600…. What used to be simple, small airports that were a pleasure to fly out of now are a 2 hour mess just to get through the 2 security lines. Another great creation of the biden cartel.
@Jerry Gonzalez: The undocumented migrants use government-issued documents. Got it. Thanks.
Arrived at JFK on Internstional Delta Flight. Followed signs to Uber pickup. We’re told that JFK no longer allows Uber pickup at terminal. You have to board a bus to a ride share lot (20 min ride) THEN call your uber to pick you up there (another 20 min). Ridiculous.
I have never missed a domestic flight showing up 1 hour before departure. There is no need to show up 3 hours early ever.
I have close to 2 million miles of flying.. I get to the airport 1 hour before my flight if checking a bag and 45 minutes before if I am not. If its international then 60-90 minutes depending on the airline. The airlines are trying to get you there early to try and buy the overpriced food sold at aiports.
Sure, travel efficiency is a mark of how functional a society is; however, i get more done for work waiting at the gate than i do at the office it seems.
Think again about those delays you blame ATC for those other delays. The majority of those honestly are because more flights are booked than airports have capacity for, weather, or a combination of both.
This cost analysis is off by quite a bit.
First of all, leisure travel is a huge percentage of travel these days and that doesn’t really skew much above median income at all. Median household income is about $75k, but quite a bit less for an individual.
Second, the target audience for these “Arrive 2-3 hours early” messages are infrequent leisure travelers. Frequent travelers have Pre (and often also CLEAR) and priority queues and travel enough to know that it’s not going to take them 2-3 hours to get through the airport. These are the travelers whose income skews well above the median and they are not waiting anywhere near that long. I usually arrive at the airport 1-2 hours early, but even that is only because I live over an hour away from it and traffic delays aren’t always predictable an hour in advance. The only times I’ve ever missed a flight were due to excessive traffic delays getting to the airport. Once I’m actually at the airport, my time from the terminal door to the gate or the Sky Club is typically 5-10 minutes. Granted, it has increased slightly since TSA went to these new slower scanners, maybe closer to a 10 minute average from the door ro the gate vs. the more like 5 minutes with the previous scanners.
Even in Atlanta today, I was in the Sky Club within 10-15 minutes after walking in the door, with that time mostly just being waiting on my bag to go through the slow scanners and then taking the train over to B.
I usually fly out of Nashville, though, and it rarely ever takes me more than 10 minutes from terminal door to gate there.
The only real time problems I often encounter are TSA and traffic and the airlines can’t do much about either of those. TSA needs to stop gaslighting people, though, and just admit that their new scanners are significantly slower than the old ones. Anyone who flies much at all already knows this and it isn’t really even debatable. If they’re going to use these new slower scanners, they at least need to start cutting out the liquids restriction rules as soon as the scanners are implemented at a given airport.
The only thing I sometimes encounter that the airline actually does have control over is bag check lines. With Delta (where I can always use the priority queues,) I rarely wait more than a minute or two for this. However, on the occasions I fly Southwest, especially if I’m departing MCO, the bag check lines can be ridiculous sometimes. That could be solved by just matching their staffing schedules to expected demand. It’s not like they don’t know how many passengers they’re going to have at a given airport on a given day.
And we don’t really need airports to be smaller. We just need them to have adequate facilities for the traffic levels they have. Which is generally easier to do at medium-to-large airports due to economies of scale.
Agreed that sufficient runways are needed, though. This really varies a lot by airport. DFW, ATL, ORD, and even MCO and BNA have plenty and I rarely ever encounter significant delays for the runways there. Airports like LGA and DCA are a completely different matter, though. Unfortunately, they don’t really have good places to put more runways and their runways configurations were designed for traffic levels several decades ago.
Having multiple parallel runways also makes life much more pleasant when a runway needs to be temporarily closed, either for an extended period such as for resurfacing or even just for a shorter period when an aircraft has to stop on the runway for a while. This causes major delays at airports like LGA, SFO, etc., but nearly none at all at airports like ATL, ORD, DFW, MCO, BNA, etc. where there are a bunch of parallel runways.
I only drink alcohol when I’m out of country on vacation. Since I consider the international airport to be “out of country”, I arrive at least 4-5 hours early.
Gary,
You bring up just one of the reasons that the airline “day of” operation has failed.
Whether it is unnecessarily delivering 30% of the passengers late (A0 or on time zero), wasting over 5% of their fuel, generating over 5% more CO2 than necessary or the 20 minute buffers airlines have built into their schedules, the airline “day of” operation is mired in 40 to 50 year old assumptions.
The fact is that airlines fail all too often in the core product – delivering the passenger where promised, when promised. As Gordon Bethune told me – “it is all about reliability”, something airlines don’t seem to understand.
That said, I disagree that ATC creates congestion.
In aviation, today’s truth is that the root cause of most airline delays is the highly variable, yet predictable and easily preventable, “day of” point overloads of our aviation assets (airports, runways, airspace, ramp, gates, ATC, etc.), which can only be efficiently managed internally by each individual airline/operator, and only during the “day of”.
Not by ATC, not by FAA/Eurocontrol, not by adjusting schedules, not by a capacity limitations, not by a focus on D0, not by airports and not by labor. Only the individual airline can expertly prevent delays by internally rebuilding their “day of” production line, day in and day out, starting with the real time management of the movement of their aircraft.
Which aircraft lands first, second, third, etc., is crucial to the success and efficiency of the airline’s “day of” operation yet is unnecessarily left to random chance.
Finally, everything is in place to inexpensively prevent most delays, congestion and excess CO2 within 3 years. All that is needed is the airline/operator leadership to embrace a significant “day of” operational upgrade from today’s 1950s “day of” operation.
Arriving early is a lot more relaxing than losing my flight out of LGA to a fender-bender on the Grand Central