What does your airport routine say about your personality?
Whether you show up super early ‘just in case’ or cut it close says something about how they ‘manage anxiety’. But I’m not sure it says what the experts think it says.
Many early arrivers will try to take control of the situation and leave (way) more than enough time for all possible contingencies.
And many late arrivers will deal with the headaches of travel by avoiding thinking about it altogether, and then scrambling at the last minute.
Does arriving close to departure and not wasting moments of your life standing around at the airport signal avoidance, or just that you’ve got a routine down?
- Sure, airport parking might be a mess but some airports let you pre-reserve spots. And traffic could glitch, or public transit could break down, so maybe you have a bit of a buffer.
- And how much of a buffer may just depend on how big a cost it is to miss your flight, based on a combination of how important the trip actually is and whether your status gives you confidence you’ll make it onto a later flight?
Instead of claiming that your past experience may manifest itself in your airport routine (“That one time you missed a flight might have flipped you from late arriver to early bird”) perhaps it’s your overall experience – that you know what you’re doing – which leads you to be rational about the decision?
A regular weekly traveler spending an extra half our at the airport in each direction will spend 52 extra hours at the airport each year or more than 2 days each year unnecessarily waiting.
Biden Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived at the airport hours early (and, for that matter, flies coach). I think that’s the wrong approach, on both counts.
My default is to leave home 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to departure. That puts me at the curb of the Austin airport 50 minutes out. In Austin PreCheck and CLEAR are right inside the main doors of the airport. Even if security takes me 10 minutes to clear, I’ve still got a few minutes to reach the gate before boarding even begins. And the truth is I don’t need to board first! I just need to not board last, so I’m not stuck gate checking a bag. I follow a similar routine leaving my Arlington, Virginia office for National airport.
And at the end of the day if you’ve never missed a flight you’re spending too much time in airports. I’ll only add a larger buffer when it truly matters that I don’t miss that given flight.
At the old LaGuardia, flying American, I would arrive 35 minutes before departure, go through security with PreCheck, buy a bottle of water, and board the plane.
The new LGA is amazing and I am sure overall less delayed because of the new airfield and ramp layouts, but man it was great having to walk no more than 100m max from security to the gate
Sigh – the same old Gary. On a soapbox to justify his preference (or quirks). I have millions of miles and prefer to get to the airport 2 hours early. I go to the lounge or just relax and use the free WiFi. I don’t consider it “wasted” time. The only reason it would be wasted for ANYONE is if they were doing something productive elsewhere they couldn’t do at the airport. However with internet access and cell phones that is rarely the case.
You don’t though Gary – just don’t preach to the rest of us that your preference is the “right” way for anything. You are an odd dude in a lot of ways.
I’m definitely an early bird to the airport most of the time. A large part of this is determined by my airport lounge access. Especially when traveling during the work day and needing to “thread the needle” between meetings, the lounge provides an extension of my work desk, allowing me to maintain productivity while also reducing any stress.
If I have an early morning flight before lounges are open and I have carry on only, then it all changes I try to get through with 20 minutes before boarding.
The shuttle parking van is the biggest wild card. Sometimes you wait 20 minutes to get on, it picks up more people and still can take 15 minutes to airport.
For me at least, if I was spending 52 hours a year in the airport because of this I wouldn’t say that it is wasted time, at least with today’s technology. I’d be using that time to catch up on emails, reading, making phone calls, etc. In other words, using that time to do things that I would otherwise need to to later after I land. So I think it saves time on the back end of the flight. Sure, some people would sit and stare at a wall or play games on their phone, but a lot of us would make that time productive.
This isn’t 1988 when you arrived at an airport and couldn’t do much more than read a book or newspaper before you’re flight. With technology you can work, watch a movie, catch up emails or social media, etc. Being stuck at an airport or in lounge you can do what you would do from your home or office.
I always plan to arrive at least 2 hours ahead of time and it’s usually more than 3 hours. But I don’t like unexpected stress. What happens if I get behind an accident? There’s long big ass Pre Check Line (very common at MIA)?
Ditto on connections. Nothing under 90 minutes and ideally two hours or more. Too much can go wrong even if your flight is on time.
If you try to cut it close at DFW you WILL assuredly miss flights. I suppose this isn’t the case at smaller stations, though.
Arrival time has more to do with the airport than my emotional well being. Flying out of Aspen on a weekday you might as well show up as they’re boarding, there’s never a line anywhere. Flying out of DIA at any time is a total crapshoot, depending on which entrances are blocked off due to construction, parking, and what sort of mood the TSA is in (although the new screening section is much better than before). IAD still requires long walks from the train to the C gates for unknown reasons, so don’t be late!
Agree–the same old Gary. We already know you think very highly about how valuable your time is and how important you are that you can’t waste even a minute extra waiting for a flight. We also have already heard that you business is super important to the airline companies, and they will always upgrade you to a later fight if you’re late. Maybe you could also give us some advice on how the movers and shakers in the business world recommend we all should get off an airplane too.
My biggest unknown was the unpredictable traffic around my home airport of Atlanta where the commute to Hartsfield could vary significantly. I would always plan enough time to deal with whatever traffic there was and have a decent breakfast before my morning flight. Return flights would be cut closer unless my client irritated me enough to require consuming adult beverages preflight.
>>> “…if you’ve never missed a flight you’re spending too much time in airports. I’ll only add a larger buffer when it truly matters that I don’t miss that given flight.” <<<
No, Gary, what it means is that missing a flight is simply poor planning on your part, and that — depending upon from where to where you're flying, it means a delay of anywhere from one hour if you're lucky to as long as a day or in some cases, even longer. Obviously I am referring to things which are *within* one's control, such as making sure you leave enough time to account for reasonable traffic delays (e.g.: possibly heavy traffic at the start of a holiday weekend, NOT having the Golden Gate Bridge shut down for 6 hours because of a potential jumper). It's one thing if there's a flight between LAX-SFO once an hour on the hour (as in the old days of PSA or even AirCal), but it's another thing entirely if you're booked on the last flight of the day…or there are only flights between X and Y 3x a week. Missing that flight when it's your fault means no compensation (or consideration) from the airline.
I'm with AC (and others) on this. I get to the airport ~2 hours early, relax (and get some work done) in the lounge, and easily walk to the gate just before boarding begins. No stress. (This is also why I avoid those stupid <40 minute connections that AA insists on booking in PHX, DFW, CLT, and PHL. I have NO DESIRE to race through airports like O.J. Simpson in those Hertz commercials.)
How long you arrive at the airport before departure depends on the characteristics of the airport. For 25 years I planned to arrive at Tampa airport one hour before departure and never missed a flight.
I plan to arrive at Denver Airport two hours before departure and at about one in every five trips, something goes wrong and I end up arriving one hour before departure. I have lounge access and do not regard time as spent in the lounge as a waste of time since I can get caught up with work/hang out, etc. Before long-haul international flights I will walk from one of terminal to the other to get some exercise.
100% of my trips are leisure. I am in vacation mode and have lounge access more often than not.
I am not wasting any time at the airport by arriving 2 hours early, i am in vacation mode. (i am still working running my own business).
7 trips so far this year, both domestic and international with 3 planned for the rest of the year.
Individual decisions for everyone! No time is lost or wasted enjoying life!
For Atlanta Airport, I arrive at my pre-reserved parking spot about 2 hours and 15 minutes before my flight. Shuttle takes me to the airport, I check my bag, then go through TSA Pre-Check, a lounge for about 45-60 minutes, then board my plane either as my group is called or at the very end of boarding if overhead space is not needed.
I live in Europe, and have to consider the airport, and their various security procedures, For some, its terribly risky to cut it close, especially during summer, when there are throngs of tourists creating long queues at security. Brussels can be horrible for those going on non-Schengen flights…as they have many flights to Africa, Turkey, Morrocco…and this creates a mess due to people that simply take forever to get through security. Amsterdam is normally ok, except during peak tulip season or summer tourist season. French airports…well, that all depends on who is on strike that day. Frankfurt…long walks. Milan, oh well, it’s Italy, so don’t expect efficiency. For fast check ins, If you have One World Emerald, Heathrow T5 is the lowest risk, as you can use the executive check in and there’s never a queue there.
I go early and go to the lounge for food and drink and to relax . No need to cut it close. I also hire a regular driver to take me to the airport in comfort and pick me up when I come home. If my plane is late he notices and picks me up when I arrive . Comfort is important.
I’m as productive on my laptop in the lounge as I am in the office, so I don’t understand why “waiting” in the airport is considered wasted. It isn’t. Also, missing some of the flights I take would mean a 24 hour delay (plus lots of complications). Do that twice a year and there goes your 52 hour “savings”.
Personally, I’d like to be where I need to be when I need to be there, and not be that guy who misses the family weddings and flips out when he misses a flight, but still says that line about “if you haven’t missed a flight you are spending too much time in the airport”. (You know who you are.)
Indeed. Gary being Gary. If you’re waiting around at the airport, show up later. If you’re waiting around at home, go to the airport. When I’m at the airport, I’m in transit, and I don’t have to deal with interruptions like meetings. And I work better surrounded by people. So, yeah, I go early. I’m more productive in the lounge than in the office.
This is so dependent on which airport and airline, because at some places, like DeltaOne at JFK, Polaris at EWR, or Chase at LGA, I’ll happily be at the airport 3 hours early with that kinda access. But, if it’s middle of nowhere, like an Omaha, NB, or Wilmington, NC, and there’s no lounge, 1 hour before if just carry-on baggage and online check-in is ideal. @Robert is right about Europe; very different experiences if non-Schengen. AMS is super efficient. CDG is hellish for tight connections. As with nearly everything in life, ‘it depends.’