Airlines and airports tell you to arrive at the airport 2 hours in advance for a domestic flight and 3 hours in advance for an international flight. And then during peak times they warn you to show up even earlier than that. This is insane.
Here are the things you need to account for when arriving at the airport.
- The time to get from the parking lot into the terminal, if you park
- The time it takes to check you bag, if you aren’t just carrying on
- Maybe you think it’s still 1996 and you want to wait in line for a human to give you a paper boarding pass?
- And you have to go through security – if you’re listening to the airline’s or airport’s advice you probably don’t have PreCheck or CLEAR
- Plus it’s a long flight and you may want to stop for a snack, and if you go to the bathroom prior to boarding you’ll weigh less so the airline saves a little bit of money on fuel.
If you’re leaving on an international flight throughout much of the world you’ll have to go through departure immigration, as well as security. For the most part that’s not how it works in the U.S., Canada, or U.K. Extra time for a U.S. flight assumes you’re waiting in line, document check takes awhile, and maybe there’s some confusion over your eligibility to travel (visa issues).
Even with all of this, an hour or hour and fifteen minutes is probably fine for domestic flights – maybe a little more for international if you’re unsure your paperwork is in order – 90% of the time. But it’s the outlier cases for which the advice is given.
Since airlines and airports are giving advice, they are kinda (not really) responsible if it’s wrong. So they offer an amount of time that will cover 99.9%+ of cases. And that leaves you with far more time twiddling your thumbs by the gate, in the lounge, or milling about the terminal than you possibly need.
On the other hand, maybe it’s all a conspiracy? They just want you to shop.
the myth that you have to arrive two hours before your flight is propagated by airports to make you spend more money on overpriced snacks. you really only need to arrive 5-10 minutes before departure
— Sam Weinberg (@SAMUELJWEINBERG) December 7, 2023
This is possible! Or at least, this explanation is consonant with other incentives that those giving the (usually bad) advice face.
Airports generally take a cut of retail sales on top of per square foot rent payments. And the higher the sales, the bigger those lease rates they can charge. Airlines generally share in this revenue. High end retail in airports isn’t because the average passenger has a huge urge for last minute Gucci. It’s because passengers skew higher-income, they have time on their hands, and a percentage of expensive item sales adds up.
This is also why airports have removed moving walkways. It cost $1 million to take out the walkway in the Dallas – Fort Worth D terminal. People were simply passing by retail shops using the walkway instead of wandering in. A walkway was similarly removed at O’Hare for the same reason.
Passengers aren’t the customer at airports in fact airports usually don’t even know who’s in the terminal (cameras and facial recognition notwithstanding).
The truth is – either way – is that you do not need to show up at the airport as early as you’re told. If you’ve never missed a flight you’re spending too much time in airports.
You need to evaluate, in each case, what the consequence would be of missing a flight. Sometimes it just means you’d take a later flight. Sometimes you’d just skip the trip. And other times it is a ‘very big deal’ and so you want to show up early for a flight that gets you to your destination very early, giving you plenty of buffer if things go wrong.
So when should you really show up at the airport? Check in online or using your airline’s mobile app and then:
- If you have no elite status and no TSA PreCheck and you’re checking a bag, probably 90 minutes. That gives you half an hour to get through the line and check your bag, and half an hour to go through security. Then go straight to your gate. You do not need to be the first to board.
- If lines are long to check your bag, see if it’s an option to pay a Sky Cap outside to take your bags and give you your boarding pass if you need it.
- If security lines are especially long, ask passengers around you to cut in line because you’ll miss your flight. If the terminal has CLEAR they do signups on the spot, and it could be a good time to join. Look for a Priority line that may not have anyone in it
If you’re traveling with young children, adjust accordingly. If you’re traveling the Sunday after Thanksgiving, out of Las Vegas at the end of the Computer Electronics Show or Austin after Formula 1, adjust accordingly. If you’re flying out of Denver, my condolences, the airport and TSA have never managed to get that one right. But in the limit, 90 minutes should be fine for most, almost all of the time.
Personally, with status and CLEAR and PreCheck and no checked bags I like to leave home 75 minutes prior to departure, hitting the airport 50 minutes out. Even if security takes 15 minutes, and I’m heading to the other end of the terminal, I’m still walking up just after boarding has started – so I’ve got at least a 15 minute buffer.
That part about 1996 and printed boarding pass…that hurt. I get a printed BP every single time. Saved my backside enough to keep the Pavlovian conditioning alive in my head.
Gary
Airport times vary so it is best to check online at the airports website the level of congestion each airport has and plan your time accordingly.
Gary whats your beef with DEN?. I’ve lived in Colorado for 12 years and fly out of DEN every week. I have preCheck and Clear and have never had to wait more than 10 mins to clear security. We also have probably the fastest International arrivals ever. I dont think the airport is perfect by any means, but we can handle winter weather better than most and the new UA lounges and blisteringly quick wifi throughout the whole airport make it an easy facility to use.
@Ryan Martin I promise I’m not being a jerk or trolling you… I am genuinely curious, in what way has having a paper boarding pass saved your backside?
It comes down to what are the risks and what are the consequences. If there’s a risk of a traffic jam on the way to the airport, or delays in public transit, and the consequence is having to shell out thousands of dollars for a replacement flight a few days later, then damn right I’m going to aim to be there 3 hours early. If it’s a short haul flight that doesn’t really matter to you and doesn’t cost a lot to rebook, then by all means cut it fine. Personally I’d rather be there early and relax in the lounge, than try to do everything last minute and have a stressful time. And if it’s a work trip, it’s really not my money to gamble with.
My last trip home from IST, I arrived almost 3.5 hours early and arrived at the gate just as it was boarding (with no stops for lounge, shopping or relaxing) due to the insane queues at entry, check in and security as well as being selected for additional checks at the gate. You never know what challenges you are going to face.
To some people, life is too short to get to airports early. To others, life is too short to stress about flights or rebook missed ones. I guess it just comes down to personality types!
Yeah,I only do carryon for a months international vacation or a 3 month around the world
It IS still 1996 for some international airlines who don’t give you an online boarding pass.
Someone has never been at JFK past 7pm when the PreCheck line is closed down. And you get to wait in line with everyone else.
Its a long flight, food is often crap and you may get one decent meal. Usual advice is to use the restroom because you don’t then have to rush to the airplane tight potty.
Further, the check in lines for international flights can be enormous, even fir business. Especially if you need to show destination country requirements.
I’ve seriously got to wonder how much international travel you do.
I agree with Steve. The last time I aimed for a 1 1/2 hour airport arrival I got caught behind an accident and ended up barely making the flight before the door closed. At 77 years old, retired and have a club membership. I don’t mind getting to the airport early and relaxing in the club. So far my wife and I have not encountered any of the long club lines that some have. Steve and I must have similar personalities and prefer to avoid agita.
How long it takes *to get to* the airport is a different matter from how long in advance of your flight you need to be *at* the airport.
The shopping angle isn’t something I thought of, that’s interesting. I always thought part of it was for the airport to cover its own butt in case something does happen there that causes a major delay and someone were to miss their flight. Or less cynically, they are being thoughtful and realize sitting down and doing nothing for a hour or two is better than dealing with the stress of rushing and/or missing one’s flight
I personally used to be a half hour guy but now with lounges I like to try spend an hour or at one to chill and grab a meal.
Also I’m a big advocate of walking through terminals for a couple miles to explore and move around a bit before sitting on a flight for multiple hours. Works nicely for bigger airports, for smaller ones not so much! People probably thought I was really weird for making a bunch of 45 second loops at OMA airside.
@Gary
Obviously you’ve never encountered a long check in line, Precheck being closed and a need to check bags for an international flight.
Missing my international flight and all my connecting flight for gaining an extra hour sitting around at the house isn’t worth it.
I get to the airport very early.
I hate worrying about missing flights.
I eat before I leave, so I am not depending on airport or airplane food.
I am quite happy to wait at the gate. With noise cancelling headphones I can work on my laptop for hours.
I try to be at the gate an hour before planned departure. If there are any changes in the flight, I will be sure to know about them. If I end up there 2 hours beofre the flight, so what? I have all I need and the seats at the gates are comfortable enough.
I use online boarding passes, of course. But I bring a paper pass in case my phone crashes right when I need to board the plane. This has happened once or twice. Simply whipping out the paper pass let me get on board with no other hassles.
I got burned earlier this year for not arriving at the airport two hours early. I arrived about 90 minutes early for my flight. Since it was a business trip and I needed luggage space I had a checked bag. I’m EXP so I was in the first class line but missed the 45 minute cutoff by less than two minutes. To make my flight I had to return my suitcase to my car, which messed things up impressively. But I did make my flight. Yay?
Why you should always print your boarding pass: https://www.travelandleisure.com/why-you-should-print-your-boarding-pass-7968707
Gary may not like the posting of a URL, so go to the website “travelandleisure”, and type in the search box: “Why You Should Always Print Your Boarding Pass”. There are some excellent reasons given !
@Patti
Starting off your comment with “Obviously…” is rude and dismissive. I think someone who runs a travel blog has probably done quite a bit of international travel. So maybe you could rephrase your commentary (which has some valid points, don’t get me wrong) in a more respectful way, while still getting your message across. Something to consider…
Two thoughts
If you have never missed a flight then you have spent too much time in airports
How do you know it is time to board until they call out your name?
😀
@Gary Leff: Gary writes, “and if you go to the bathroom prior to boarding you’ll weigh less so the airline saves a little bit of money on fuel.”
Fun fact: Besides saving the airline a little bit of money on fuel, passengers save the embarrassment of peeing in their pants when all the lavatories in their aircraft are inoperative, and all doors are sealed shut with FAA-approved speed tape. While holding back the urge to urinate, you might hear passengers recite the mantra, “From the mountains to the sea, all I want to do is pee.”
Does nobody else actually ENJOY air travel? The minute I hit the Uber on my way to ORD, I’m on vacation! I enjoy everything about it….including having plenty of time to mosey through T1 after I check my bag, time to hit the United lounge for a drink and maybe lunch, window shop, people watch. This is just FUN compared to the drudge of daily living. But I’m also the arschloch who leaves my window open on the redeye across the Atlantic, light streaming in around my fat head pressed against the plastic…. because I am FLYING AT 30000 FEET and how incredible is that?
If you’re doing everything you can to minimize the time you spend traveling, maybe you should go sit in the back yard and watch the grass grow or something. You’re in the wrong line of life.
I am with Steve and Frank. All experienced travelers have missed a flight at some point. It is a big headache. Often the reason a traveler misses a flight also can complicate rebooking. I would rather spend an extra 30-60 minutes in a lounge or gate rather than cut it closer and risk major stress at the airport. This is usually productive work time anyway. Just personal preference I guess.
I have mixed feelings about the quote “If you’ve never missed a flight you’re spending too much time in airports.” I would say that it depends on the type of traveler you are. I’m not going to focus on the different needs for people traveling with kids or people with physical disabilities, since it goes without saying that some people genuinely need to allow for more time to get through the airport because it will take them longer. Nor will I focus on the fact that some airports take more time than others due to size, layout, security lines, etc.
For someone like Gary who travels a significant number of days each year, this is absolutely true. Time on planes and in airports takes up a significant portion of your schedule, so you don’t want to waste time at the airport when you don’t need to be there. Also, if something goes wrong, you know who to call, what to do, etc because you travel frequently enough to know how to deal with missed flights or maybe you have status which helps make it easier to navigate problems. If you travel 100 days a year and miss 1-2 flights because you cut things too close, it isn’t the end of the world and the time you saved at home/hotel/etc. outweighs the cost of those 2 lost flights.
If, however, you travel one to two times a year, the situation is very different. Chances are that this 1 trip feels more significant to that person than trip 50 would to someone who travels 100 times a year. If you can only fly once a year, missing that flight has a greater impact than missing 1 flight when you fly 50-100 times a year. The trip might be something that you’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Also, if you miss it, chances are you don’t know what to do, whereas a frequent flyer could problem solve more easily in the same situation.
Bottom line, I think someone who travels a lot has less to gain from arriving early at the airport than someone who travels 1-2 times a year. They know how to glide through the airport more quickly than an infrequent traveler, so they really don’t need as much time.
I will agree that airlines and airports are always going to err on the side of caution when talking about arrival times. If they tell people to show up 90 minutes early and the person misses their flight, that person is going to get angry at the airport. If they say you should arrive 2-3 hours early and the person sits around for 90 minutes doing nothing, there is no harm to the airport/airline and maybe the person spends some money while waiting. On the whole I would agree that for many airports and travelers, 90 minutes is plenty of time.
Another Gary pet peeve we are sick of reading about! We get it Gary you don’t want to spend any more time at the airport than necessary. However to state getting there early is wasted time or unnecessary is your opinion and only that. I have over 8 million miles across practically every airline that has flown in the US over the last 40 years and still get there 2 to 2 1/2 hours early. I prefer eliminating any potential delay and can easily hang in a lounge (or just use the airport WiFi if no lounge or a line). You can be as productive or entertained at an airport as anywhere else.
You do you but PLEASE don’t act like that is the standard all others should follow. Yet again you blog is degrading into pet peeves, whining about any little slight by an airline/hotel or a “national enquirer” clickbait article. So sad!
It’s all about risk management and one’s appetite for a particular risk. My risk appetite is petit for potential fails before getting access to gate. So I go early, pack patience, & usually have acess to clubs – AA Exec cc, SQ Gold for UA Club access, or flying awatd international in the front of plane
Personally I have all the necessary acess including pre-check, clear (IMO now reaching its max utilization as more and more folks get ‘free’ access with cc and value prop drops)
If it’s early morning departure from home, I book Rideshare ahead.
Just because there is a store or two, you don’t need to buy anything 😉
OTOH My appetite is bigger for scheduling back to back round the world itineraies on different tickets 🙂
At my local airport (GEG) the key issue is the parking situation (will the long-term garage be full?)
The parking status isn’t shown in the airport’s website, but it apparently is on their social media channels.
So my routine is now to print out my boarding pass (as well as have it on my phone) and then check social media for parking updates. That will influence whether I drive to the airport or take a rideshare.
I never got the whole “I’m so important and busy that it’s wasteful to show up early” thing. Uh, if you’re so important and busy, and your very important schedule is jam-packed down to the minute, then wouldn’t missing a flight, having to rebook, and possibly spending a night in a different location be a huge disruption? And then your rebooked flight lands right in the middle of an important client meeting or something. As someone who has traveled for business for years, I’ve just never bought into it.
Boston Logan TSA and Pre/CLEAR open at 4:30 AM and between Terminals B and C there were 21 flights departing before 6 AM. Thousands standing around waiting for TSA to open. Terminal C (JetBlue) has a ‘scattered’ kiosk layout and for the less frequent traveler it’s total chaos, every single morning. TSA lines stretch back out of this recently renovated building out to the curb and then some. Do the airlines and TSA ever collaborate? What is the role of airport management in this? Any role in coordinating the two and their schedules? For the millions of workers the TSA has standing around at their checkpoints maybe a 12/7 approach would make travel smoother. But then the TV networks wouldn’t get those great “airport congestion” video shots…
I used to get to the airport and the gate 5-15 minutes before the gate closed but no more.
The security line is the main issue. If the airport is small, such as the 3 gate Paine Field in suburban Seattle, then arriving at the airport at the last moment is ok. JFK is different.
Now with smartphones and wifi, I can be more productive so early arrival at the airport can be time well spent. Wifi I use mostly for articles like this. Email, I don’t use free wifi.
I note that other contexts are different and US parameters can make one cocky. In Bamako earlier this year Air France (until banned some months later) would close checkin 2 hours before departure even for business class. I learned the hard way when informed of this 2 hours 15 minutes before my flight and had to leave a car in the parking lot with keys under a mat for a friend to pick up in order to make check in…
Digital boarding passes have failed me on some international flights. My Star Alliance and One World statuses get me through expedited security and into lounges but LOT and Air Canada have failed to have my United status and Avianca has failed to have my Alaska status. This has forced me to go back to a counter and get a paper pass showing my status, for lounge access and security.
O’Hare Airport removed a moving walkway to stop people from passing by the retail shops … but I have to wonder what their excuse is with regard to Terminal 5. At ORD Terminal 5, there isn’t even one “inbound” moving walkway for arriving passengers, who generally wouldn’t be expected to stop at the stores and restaurants in the first place. And the terminal has long stretches with no stores or restaurants (most of which are clustered together just past security), but with very few “outbound” moving walkways either.
I rarely have time to read. Sitting at a gate is reading time for me. I would rather get there early and sit and read than sit at home for that extra 30 – 60 min doing…what? Waiting to leave. Because I’ve. been packed and ready to go for hours. This way, I don’t have to worry about traffic, parking, long lines (yes I have pre-check and yes I have my boarding pass ready to go and no, I don’t usually check a bag but still…). There’s always that one time …like coming back from Peru, when we walked across the street from the airport hotel, entered the terminal at the 3 hr mark (with hubs bitching about it), got boarding passes and luggage tags from the kiosk in minutes, and then took the bags to drop-off. Only to learn that their computers were down and they couldn’t scan the bags in. We waited in THAT line for over two hours and then with Customs and security, barely made the flight.
So stuff happens. I’d just as soon not have to worry about it, rare though it might be.
If you arrive “5-10 minutes before departure” for American Airlines you will miss your flight and the same goes for many other airlines. AA tickets clearly state that “BOARDING ENDS 15 MINUTES BEFORE DEPARTURE” Also, we can’t accept domestic bags 45 minutes before departure and international bags 1 hour before departure which is a TSA thing and not an airline thing. Honestly, we don’t profit from the airport snacks so we don’t care if you buy them or not. You can bring your own snacks and you can bring an empty cup or bottle and fill it up with water for free at most, if not all the airports. As ticket and gate agents we get yelled at all the time because people show up late for one reason or another and can’t understand why we can’t hold the door for them. Our departure time means that is when we are supposed to be in the air. So, please don’t tell people that they can arrive ‘5-10 minutes’ before the plane leaves. We really do not like to have to close the door on people. But we will. A delay can cause huge delays down the line. If a passenger is not there 15 minutes before a flight leaves the computer automatically removes them from the flight and if their are people on standby it gives that seat to them. If that passenger shows up even 30 seconds after it doesn’t matter once the system has taken them out. There is very little we can do. 30 minutes before the flight leaves you can no longer check in.
And while we are on the subject, every airport TSA has different hours. Passengers should check the airport website to see what the hours are. If a flight is delayed until 12:00 am but the airport TSA closes at 9:00 PM they need to get to the airport before TSA closes. Airlines do not control TSA.
I love your blog and I hope that gives some insight.
Thank you
My husband used to travel for business, so I get why business travelers want to maximize their time at their work destination and minimize it in the airport.
But if you’re traveling for pleasure, I don’t see why it’s such a big deal to get to the airport 2 hours ahead of time, giving yourself and/or your family time to spare to get to your gate. Because I can think of several times in my life where I’ve arrived at the airport to discover the security line is unreasonably long and slow for no apparent reason. Or, when flying out of Canada to the US, the pre-clearance US Customs line was unreasonably long/slow, greatly increasing the time it took from arrival at the airport to being able to move freely through the terminal. Not to mention some of us have mobility issues and maybe we just need a little more time to get from Point A to Point B!
Knowing I have the time to work through the various lines means I start my travels less stressed. And I’m definitely WAY less stressed than the people that start begging people to let them go ahead because they miscalculated their arrival time, so their flight is boarding RIGHT NOW. I flew a few weeks ago and my bag got pulled for a TSA check going through security. (My Dad had gifted me a novelty item during the trip where the outline looked weird on the X-ray, but was absolutely harmless.) I was relaxed because I had plenty of time for them to check out the problem, and in turn, I had a pleasant interaction with the agents since I wasn’t all wound up.
PreCheck and Global Entry help a bit these days, but you still never know there, either. Sometimes PreCheck is busier than the regular line, and IAD is an absolute disaster for Global Entry, so we’re never coming back internationally through there again if we can help it. (In our experience the kiosks seem to refer everyone for an interview – even if you have nothing to declare – and they only assign one Customs agent for GE passengers. It takes longer than regular customs.)
As long as you are a traveler respectful of other people’s space, who cares if you want to get to the airport early? We did all the time when I was a kid – the excuse was my parents wanted to get a good parking spot, but it was really because my Dad loves plane-watching. (I remember after 9/11 thinking “What, everyone doesn’t get to the airport 2+ hours ahead of time?” )
@Gary, or should I call you “Last-minute Leff”? 🙂
My main comment about getting the airport with ample time is that time helps one solve a myriad of problems that were unexpected.
Even when I was flying domestically and internationally for work (~600K/yr) I never cut it fine, esp. since often I had hard connections to distant destinations. So not only did I allow ample time at the first airport, I never booked insanely tight connections.
I see this a lot at LHR where folk accepted AA’s or BA’s suggestions for time between flights. I’ve seen a lot of sad faces and running folk. I think Gary experienced this for himself recently.
Lost Items at the airport–
Since working at the airport I have learned so much. I thought maybe you could write something in your blog or maybe you already have. I’m new to it.
Item 1: Everything you take into the airport should have your name and number (EVERYTHING) including the your wallet. Obviously your wallet has your name, but they never seem to have a number. You would think that we would have that information at the airlines but we don’t.
Item 2: Cell phones–on the inside of your cell phone case put your name and then put someone else’s name and number that we can call if we find your cell phone.
Item 3: Laptops & Kindles (Electronics)–Put your name and number on them PLEASE
Item 4: Earbuds/Bluetooth/Headphones–If you want them back put your name on them or come to the baggage office of your airline and find out the procedure of finding a lost item.
Item 5: Lost items at the airport. If you leave a bag at the airport we have to report it to the airport police as an unattended bag. It’s a safety concern. We don’t know what is in the bag. It doesn’t matter if you leave the bag in front of the ticket counter, at the gate, or anywhere else. If the police pick it up it is more then likely going to be at the airport lost and found. If it is left on the plane it is with the airline lost and found. Every airline has it’s own policy so check with the airline. You cannot believe how many lost items we have to send out weekly. It doesn’t hurt to check.
Item 6: The zippers on your suit cases. If you lock them get a TSA approve lock. TSA randomly searches bags and if they can’t open the lock they will cut it and then zip tie it and leave you a card inside that your bag was searched by TSA. If you don’t use a lock then use some thing to hold your zipper closed. Zipper bags vibrate open. I would have never believed if I had not seen it so many times myself. A very nice camera fell out of a bag (expensive one) and I am sure the person just thinks that some stole their camera. It is still in our lost and found. We do not know whose bag it fell out of or which flight it came off of because it was found on a cart. When an item is missing it is not always stolen sometimes it really did just fall out. Secure your bags shut.
Item 7: Damaged bags. Bags go up and down these airport belts and sometimes even fall off bag carts. Damage happens. If your bat is damaged don’t wait to report it. If you wait you take the chance of not getting it covered. Report it before you leave the airport. Wet bags and scuff marks are not damage, it’s just a part of travel. If you have a nice bag and you don’t want it scuffed up try getting a cover for the bag.
Item 8: Your bag tag receipt. KEEP IT until you get your bag. PUT AN ID TAG on your bag. PUT YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER INSIDE YOUR BAG. Tags get ripped off so if you have your name and number on the inside that is helpful. We only open bag is there are two agents present and if we can’t ID the bag. If there is an outside pocket we start there. Some people write there name and number on the bag. When you get your bag receipt make sure it has your name and correct destination on it. Tag swaps happen. I have done it myself. We have long lines and we try to hurry and get people through and then mistakes happen. SO, keep us on our toes, check those tags, keep those tags until you get your bags.
Item 9: Picking you bags up off of the carousels. Check the bags and make sure it is your bag. Make sure it is your airline. If you take a bag and it is not your bag your have to bring it back to the airport immediately. I have had people take golf bags there were not theirs. I have had people take unique looking bags that you don’t see that often taken but it wasn’t theirs. I have seen people take bags that when they bring them back you wonder how they thought it was theirs in the first place. And I have had people who have had to drive over 2 hours to come back to the airport and I have had to have the police involved. So it is so much easier and quicker to take the time to look at the name and make sure it’s your bag.
Lastly, when you get to the end of your flight and your bag is not there don’t panic yet. People get upset and worried that their bag is “LOST”. I don’t use the “L” word. It is a four letter word after all. More times then not we know where it is and it is delayed. Yes, we can always do better but your are still dealing with humans so we want to get the claim in a quick as possible to get your bag to you as fast as we can.
I hope you will have time to write a blog on these tips. Who knows maybe we can connect some of these misplaced items. Here at the CHS BSO we are always happy when we are able to connect people with their misplaced items.
Thank you
Donna
Don’t assume that the above numbers apply to foreign airports. CDG is always horrible and MUC takes a surprising amount of time to transit. This is AFTER you arrive at both.
We were staying at the MUC Hilton, walked out the doors of the hotel at two hours before our flight and still barely made it – AA barely checked out bags in – then there’s VAT refund, the comedy of departure border control, very long walks to various checkpoints, waiting for shuttle buses, etc. I can just imagine adding in the long train ride from central Munich.
CDG is just so CDG – get there three hours before and you have a chance. If you don’t have the status to use the business check-in lines, plan on another hour at least. It makes LHR look organized.
“If you’ve never missed a flight you’re spending too much time in airports.” tells you everything you need to know about this idiotic article. Follow the advice in this article and you will eventually miss your flight.
You didn’t mention the time disaster that will befall you if you get the dreaded SSSS. My husband, a green card holder, is “randomly” stuck with extra screening every time he flies domestically. In some circumstances when a trainee is involved it can take an hour. Baggage check-in for international flights can be a nightmare, too. And airlines have started to ration water onboard. If flying long haul you must buy your own water after security and make sure you keep the receipt or it may be confiscated in a “random” gate check screening.
Being told to show up two hours early is NOT INSANE. It is a result of a litigious society. Does any airline risk getting sued for someone missing their flight because they said to show up earlier like a seasoned traveller might need?
I doubt airlines tell you two hours to help pad the pockets of airport concessions rather than CYA for causing them grief because a non sophisticated traveller missed their flight by showing up earlier.
Either I’m sitting at the airport or I’m being unproductive and lazy at home.
I’ll be at the airport early (and messing around on my phone) thanks.
People like Gary haven’t been through a normal tsa checkpoint in a major airport in probably a decade. If you are departing from a major airport (especially around the holidays) give yourself the two hours. MCO for example advises domestic passengers to arrive 3 hours prior to departure this is due to tsa wait times. Irregular operations the night before is all you need for a hour + wait time through security. His advice, is bad advice. Unless you are familiar with airport operations you run the risk of missing your flight, and being placed on standby until a flight has seats for you.
The idea of cutting your arrival time at the airport close, then begging to be allowed to cut in line because of that, is unbelievably obnoxious.
To be fair you have to ask not only the first person in line if you may cut in, but ALL the people in line behind him or her, as they are ALL affected.
I disagree…..
For those unfortunate enough to be departing Heathrow on British Airways, bear in mind BA’s spiteful attitude to latecomers. Whereas other airlines like Lufthansa are ready to assist and hurry you to the plane, BA has staff specially assigned to handle latecomers – by telling you sorry, you’ve missed your plane and you’ve been automatically offloaded. Too bad, even if the plane isn’t yet at the gate. The spiteful BA rule is, you must reach the front of the security line no less than 35 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure, regardless whether the plane is there or not.
And of course Heathrow is one of the world’s worst airports for unexpected hold-ups and screw-ups.
Asking people to cut because you’re going to miss your flight? Really? Or… get to the airport at the suggested two hours mark, so you have time to complete the necessary departure formalities.
Your logic applies to frequent flyers who partake in expedite programs, not first time or once-a-year holidays travelers, especially at larger stations with higher capacities.
If my choice is to have an extra hour at home or an extra hour at the airport, I opt for the latter given the reduction in uncertainty. Streaming services and my tablet make the time fly.
Also, since I almost always need to connect at a hub, I can flexibility by arriving early. If my 2pm flight to connect in an airline’s hubA is canceled of significantly delayed, the can only put me on the 1pm through hubB if I’m there before 12:30.
I got to IAD an hour and a half early yesterday (12/21) for my 5pm flight – was planning on two hours but once we got to the airport traffic was so backed up it took close to half an hour to actually get to the terminal entrance. Between long line for bag check (even with first class “Premier Access” and using United”s bag drop “short cut”), lengthy security wait (even with PreCheck), and clumsy buggy-to-the-D-terminal ground transport (which in fairness probably saved me time compared to the depths-of-hell voyage down to the sprawling Dulles train system), I barely made my flight.
FWIW I just moved out west from Crystal City, where I could leave my place and be at my gate at DCA in about 20 minutes tops even during the holidays – I’m still not used to the mayhem that is IAD.
How long in advance of your flight you need to be at the airport depends on risk tolerance and varies by a mix of factors. So you have to consider risk tolerance for all the various things that can go wrong sometimes and for the variability of one or more of those risks hitting and how they slow down things and under what circumstances you’ll be showing up at the airport and traveling.
When showing up at small US airports with only scheduled domestic flights and few passengers headed abroad on the tickets, you can cut it way closer reliably even with checked-in luggage than if trying to do the same as a non-status AF economy class passenger at CDG even if you think you are a cabin baggage only passenger.
When I know an airport well and am very familiar with its traffic patterns and am carry-on-only, I am more willing to not show up at the airport more than 30-75 minutes in advance of departure if I have already managed to check-in online and get an online boarding pass with a seat number. If I have luggage to check-in and drop off at the airport and it’s a peak travel day/time, I try to pad the time and show up at the airport earlier than usual for me so I don’t get hit by the baggage check-in cutoff times.
Unless I am “homeless”/“hotel-less” long before a flight or there is some anticipated major problem at the airport or for my flights or tickets, I try to avoid showing up at an airport more than 100 minutes before a flight.
William,
I have long preferred to originate my international-bound trips out of DCA rather than to head out to IAD and do the same. Sure it involved a connection for most such trips, but DCA just tends to be far more predictable with how long things take for me to get to the gate doors and that predictability counts for a lot.
I used to routinely leave home in Georgetown 36 minutes before my DCA-NYC flights and be reliably at the gates without issue. Could leave some government and government contractors’ offices in Arlington 25 minutes before departure and also reliably be on board the flights out of DCA on time. The TSA eventually came in and made sort of a mess of that, but DCA is still far more of a predictable process for me than IAD.
I still try to minimize use of IAD, but between the Metro rail connection at IAD and the expanded international route network at IAD, IAD gets me more now than it otherwise would.
@AC “Another Gary pet peeve we are sick of reading about! We get it Gary you don’t want to spend any more time at the airport than necessary.”
Until we take a vote, you will be much more credible if you’d stop appointing yourself commenter spokesman for this blog. You don’t represent my opinions. “We” isn’t yours. Use “I”.