How early do you arrive at the airport?

[Riverview]

I usually plan on 90 minutes early. I did get burned once at Southwest I was in the 3rd boarding group.
Riverview

 

[Beverly Lynn]

it depends but I usually get there about 1-1 1/2 hrs prior to flight time. I have this fear of being late......

 

[GoldenOldie]

Originally posted by Beverly Lynn
it depends but I usually get there about 1-1 1/2 hrs prior to flight time. I have this fear of being late......

Is there a secret you can share about getting another woman to feel this way?

 

[Disnydad]

Another vote for 1 1/2 hours prior here.

 

[sherry7]

Our September flight leaves at 7:56 AM from Pittsburgh. We are about 1 1/2 hours drive from the airport. DH wanted to leave our house at 1:00 AM!!!!!! We would be there 5 1/2 hours early if we did that! He's really worried about getting caught in traffic and missing the plane. I told him that if we left that early we might as well drive, since we could be almost half way to Florida by the time the plane took off. Granted, Pittsburgh does get some nasty traffic, especially around the tunnels, but I think he's just a tad paranoid. We are compromising and have decided to leave at 4:00 AM so we will be there by 5:30 AM. I still think that is way too early, but it's easier than arguing with him about it.

 

[dudlee930]

Well....actually here in Pocatello, Idaho....let's see...we leave our house (about 8 miles from the airport) about 30-40 minutes before our flight is scheduled to leave Then again, since when our family flys out we are usually about half of the population on the plane it isn't a great concern that we'll be left behind...and there are only 3 of us!!!

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Our (9yr son and myself) plane leaves at 7am. We are leaving for airport at 3pm day before. And airport is less than 1 hr away. Park n fly with overnight hotel stay doesnt cost that much more than parking only. Husband and MIL are leaving about 4 days before us to drive down from MA to MILs winter home. They will be at airport once we land with the car and they are driving our luggage with them. Son and I will only have our carry-ons with us. This is the 2nd time son has flown-last time he was 4.

 

[n2mm]

1 hour before departure. Sometimes a little less on our way home.

 

[GeminiMom]

Our Sept flight leaves @ 7:56 (same time as Sherry7's!) and we've decided to spend the night @ an airport hotel. The difference between parking rates & cost of room were minimal enough to make it the best route to go. Since we live about an hr. from airport, the time getting showered, organized & out the door that morning just didnt sound appealing to me. This way, we can pack leisurely on Sat. morning, get to the hotel in the afternoon where the kids can swim in the indoor pool till they turn into little prunes! Then Sun. morning we can pack up the few items we used & head to the airport with little worries about traffic (shouldnt have been a problem anyway on a Sun.) BTW, Sherry - i got so excited that perhaps we might have been on the same flight, but I did a search & found where you said you would be going to WDW the week before us. It would have been so cool to see a fellow DIS'er on the plane!!

 

[sherry7]

GeminiMom...too bad, that would have been cool. We could have talked each other's ears off about Disney! DH is clueless, so he's no fun to talk to (about Disney, that is ). 11 year old DS and I have talked so much about it that we have ran out of things to talk about! Believe it or not, he actually read the 3 Disney guidebooks I bought, so we can strike up a pretty intelligent conversation even though this will be our first trip. He wants me to buy the guide by Bob Sehlinger (I think it's 700 pages!), so he can read that too. I don't know if even I could handle that.

Could you tell me a little more about the airport hotel thing? What's the name of the hotel and do they have a website? How much does it cost for a night? Is it right in the airport where you can take a tram or something? Give me details please. This might be just as cheap as paying for 10 days of parking.

Thanks!

 

[Uncle Mikey]

I like to err on the side of caution. If possible, I like to get to the airport about 1 and 1/2 hours in advance of my flight. There are times when I've had to stand in line to check in for upwards of 45 minutes. I especially notice longer check in times with United. I do not like having to run for anything so I get there a little early and hopefully can relax with a cup of coffee and read a good book.

 

[glindamood]

We fly out in December at 6:00 AM! The airport is about 90 minutes away and the thought of being just 60 minutes early about did me in. Found a hotel that will allow us to leave our car there and shuttle us to the airport in the morning. Ahhhhhhh - that is somewhat better. We will travel down Friday night after school/work and go to bed early - I will anyway as since I know what kind of packer I am (very last minute) and will be exhausted from that so should not be a problem.

 

[BobH]

I am usually a fanatic about getting to the airport at least an hour early as recommended. However, if you are late and have to check bags speak to one of airline representatives that are near the ticket counters. I have seen people arrive late and get moed to the front of a line because the airlines are trying to stay on schedule. It aggravates me because the late person gets better treatment than those of us that slog it out in the trenches and wait in line - but it happens all the time.

 

[robinb]

I leave home about 45 minutes before flight time to get there 30 minutes before the flight. Then again, we live about 5 miles from the airport .

For those of you who live in big cites (or coming back from MCO, SNA or LAX), try the Red Cap service. When the lines are long at the airline's check-in, they are usually short at the Red Cap booth. They will be able to take your check-in luggage and also check you into your flight. I usually tip about $1 per bag for the service and pleasure of not standing in line forever.