How Early Do you get to the Airport for flights?

[mnms]

How early do people generally get to the airport before their scheduled departure?

I'm particularly interested to know about how early people would go to the airport for an 8:30 flight out of Newark/Liberty on a weekday morning. The airline says 2 hrs, but that seems crazy for a domestic flight.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

How early do people generally get to the airport before their scheduled departure?

I'm particularly interested to know about how early people would go to the airport for an 8:30 flight out of Newark/Liberty on a weekday morning. The airline says 2 hrs, but that seems crazy for a domestic flight.

I fly a lot for business and pleasure. I try to arrive at the terminal two hours before scheduled departure — which is actually 90 minutes before boarding (because flights begin boarding 30 minutes before scheduled departure).

Sometimes I get through check-in and security very quickly, and I have time for a decent table service meal. (It helps that I can use the elite lines for several airlines). Sometimes I run into traffic on the road or long security lines or other delays. Then it's off to the food court for a quick meal instead of a table service meal.

As I've walked through the concourses of O'Hare, I've seen too many cases of people running up to a boarding gate, only to find it's too late. Sometimes it's not even departure time, but the door has been sealed. If someone arrives late at the gate because the airline check-in counter was understaffed and security took forever, it simply means that person didn't allow enough time — no matter whom they try to blame.

It's better to be at the gate an hour too early than a minute too late.

 

[amburger]

I usually end up getting there about 2 hours early. It's always nice to be early as you never know what can take up your time. Problems with security, long lines at check in, traffic, getting lost in the airport, etc. So many things can take up your time, so it's nice, or at least I think it is, to have a lot of extra time to fall back on so that you don't need to constantly feel so rushed and you can just relax and take your time in getting checked in and finding out where you need to go. Then you can get something to eat and read a good book as you wait to board the plane.

Like said above, I'd much rather arrive early and be a bit bored for awhile then to be a minute too late and running to the gate only to find it's too late.

 

[safetymom]

I agree. At least 2 hours. Many many times at MCO it is very crowded and you will be glad you allowed the extra time.

I was in the check in line in Miami last week with a number of folks that missed the flight because they didn't allow enough time. By the time they got to the counter they had stopped accepting luggage for their flight. They weren't sure if they would be able to get them out that day.

So allow at least 2 hours and be relaxed while waiting at the gate.

 

[sue1013]

I fly out of Newark and would stick to the recommended 2 hours ahead. On an early flight I've never had long security lines. But the traffic getting to the airport can be heavy even at that time of the morning. I go past the airport to get to work at about 6:30 every morning some days are ok but most there seems to be some kind of backup.

 

[goofy4tink]

I know that 2 hrs seems like a long time to be at the airport. But...we always get there 2 hrs beforehand. It's so much nicer to not have to worry about long security lines or not being able to get a close to the terminal parking spot. It gives us time to grab something to eat, relax a bit, and then use the restrooms. It's much less stressful traveling that way. Of course, there are the times that we get to the airport early and then have flight delays..leaving us sitting for 4-5 hrs. That's not so much fun.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

We usually get there 60-90 minutes early. This year we will check in and send our luggage from our resort, so we will get to the airport no more than 60 minutes early.

 

[antmaril]

Two hours early. You just never know what you will find in terms of traffic, check-in lines, long security lines. I would rather have extra trime and wait leisurely at the gate.

 

[Bill From PA]

I asked, in another thread, whether Tiffany's pickup time at Swan of 2 hrs prior to the MCO flight was enough and the consenus opinion was that it was. There were a few dissenters. We've got an 8 am flight on Sun., 3/12 with USAir and Sunday was the thing that many cited as their reason for saying a 6 am pickup would do. Any thoughts from you grizzled vets?

Bill From PA

 

[Mish]

I always get there early too. Two hours would be good. I would rather be early then worry about missing my flight. Lines can sometimes be long at the airport.

 

[TDC Nala]

Last Monday, the security line alone at MCO took 45 minutes. I caught a Magical Express bus about 20 minutes earlier than the one I was supposed to catch, and wasn't checking luggage, so I had about another 45 minutes to wait at the gate. 2 hour pickup by a town car would have worked in this situation if you didn't have to stand in line to check luggage. Depending on the length of the check in line, it might have been cutting it close. Arriving 60 minutes ahead of time would have given me 15 minutes to get to the gate (remember also that sometimes persons passing through security are held a bit longer for extra scrutiny) and flights generally start boarding 30 minutes before departure time.

I'd make it 90 minutes without luggage check, just in case.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I asked, in another thread, whether Tiffany's pickup time at Swan of 2 hrs prior to the MCO flight was enough and the consenus opinion was that it was.

To try to arrive at MCO 2 hours before your flight, you'd want to arrange a towncar pickup 2.5 hours before your scheduled flight departure.

If you arrange your towncar pickup 2 hours before, you'll probably also be fine — unless you run into traffic delays and long check-in lines and long security lines. It simply means that you're cutting out some safety margin.

There are folks on this board who schedule their towncar pickup 90 minutes before their scheduled flight departure. I think that's cutting it way too close. It means that they're counting on everything to go perfectly. If there's a traffic delay or a long line at the airline counter, they won't get to the front of the check-in line 45 minutes before departure, which usually means the airline won't accept their luggage. And although I've never personally encountered 45 minute security lines at MCO as some people here have reported, I recognize that such lines are a possibility.

The last time I took a towncar, the towncar company recommended 2.5 hours. I agreed.

 

[Sleeping~Beauty]

We flew out of Newark airport this last October with two toddlers. We got their two hours early, just to be ready for all those little things that can pop up.

 

[mom2riceboys]

In Tulsa, we arrive about an hour early. Larger airports, we arrive a couple hours early.

 

[beccasmom]

2 hours for us, too. In November that meant a long wait for our flight, but Security can often hold up things.

 

[Alexander]

If you don't have to stand in line at the check-in counter, you won't need as much time. I still haven't figured out why so many people get in this line...

We always print our boarding passes from home when we are leaving for vacation, then we check our luggage at the curb and go directly to the gate. When we return from vacation, we either 1: have the hotel print our boarding passes and check our luggage at the curb or 2: check our luggage and get our boarding passes printed at the curb. Then we head straight for the gate.

There is always the option of checking in at one of the kiosks that almost all of the airlines have, you can print your boarding passes right there too. Don't understand those that get in those huge lines....

 

[maps]

It depends on the airport. MHT is a small airport and by printing our boarding passes on line all we have to do is check our bags curbside. Then it's a quick walk to the gate right after the security check point which usually has no wait. This is all done in a matter of 15 minutes so arriving an hour prior to departure is OK.

However, returning from MCO is another story! Horrible lines and a long trek to the gate---sometimes 2 hrs is cutting it close.