How early do you get to the airport?

[Neesy228]

I am usually traveling with my DH and three kids when we fly...this time, it's me and my DS9. No strollers, only two bags instead of 5, no chaos going through security with the two smaller ones....SO, how much time should I allow to get through the airport? We are flying out of Philadelphia and I'm unfamiliar with that airport. Someone is dropping us off at the terminal...is an hour enough time to check our luggage, go through security and get to the gate?

TIA!

 

[tedhowe]

I have three questions before I could try to answer -

What time of day is your flight?

What day of the week is your flight?

What airline are you flying?

All three can impact how long you will need to get to your gate from the front door of the terminal.

In general, I would say that 1 hour is too short for a comfortable journey through bag check-in and security these days.

However, our upcoming flight is at 7:55AM on a Sunday morning - not peak time at all. We're planing to get to the terminal at about 6:40 that morning.

 

[Neesy228]

I have three questions before I could try to answer -

What time of day is your flight?

What day of the week is your flight?

What airline are you flying?

All three can impact how long you will need to get to your gate from the front door of the terminal.

In general, I would say that 1 hour is too short for a comfortable journey through bag check-in and security these days.

However, our upcoming flight is at 7:55AM on a Sunday morning - not peak time at all. We're planing to get to the terminal at about 6:40 that morning.

Our flight is at 7am on a Monday morning.

We are flying Southwest.

 

[tjm mom]

Those are GREAT questions, tedhowe. I am a very frequent flyer, and always err on the side of caution with regard to time left for flights.

Some airlines board much earlier than others, and more time is definitely better. Arriving two hours before your flight time is ideal, especially if you're taking off from a bigger airport. This gives you plenty of time--especially with younger kids--to get through security, and feel like you aren't rushed.

Wouldn't you rather have too much time than not enough? Have a great trip!

 

[bas71873]

Our flight is at 7am on a Monday morning.

We are flying Southwest.

U r doing on line check in 24 hours in advance right? If not, do that at EXACTLY 24 hours before your flight so you get a good boarding section/number.

7 AM out of Philly on a Monday. I would give myself 1.5 hours at least, but probably 2. Especially since you are not familiar with that airport. I'd say that's right at about peak time, especially for business travelers at the beginning of the week. I personally would rather have time to spare than be running to catch to my flight. AND, most flights start to board as early as 30 minutes before take off (not always, but sometimes you get lucky).......just my opinions though!

 

[tedhowe]

U r doing on line check in 24 hours in advance right? If not, do that at EXACTLY 24 hours before your flight so you get a good boarding section/number.

7 AM out of Philly on a Monday. I would give myself 1.5 hours at least, but probably 2. Especially since you are not familiar with that airport. I'd say that's right at about peak time, especially for business travelers at the beginning of the week. I personally would rather have time to spare than be running to catch to my flight. AND, most flights start to board as early as 30 minutes before take off (not always, but sometimes you get lucky).......just my opinions though!

I totally agree with this advice - 7AM monday is one of the peak times for air travel - business travelers heading off for the week as well as some leisure travelers who were stretching the weekend before heading home.

For that time flight, especially if you are unfamiliar with PHL, I'd recommend arriving 2 hours before your flight.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I'd be there no later than 6:45. You never know how many people are working the counter at that hour. I can't tell you the number of times I stood in line at the counter (for ALL airlines) that early in the morning and there was only 1-2 people working.

 

[melancholywings]

We give ourselves 3 hours now as we have medical issues that could slow us down at security. But we always have breakfast at the airport.

 

[LWatson]

We always have arrived 2hrs b4 hand and usually only have a small wait after checking bags and getting through security w/ 2 little ones and walking to our gate. It was that way at Orlando International too when using DME.

 

[dfchelbay]

I am usually traveling with my DH and three kids when we fly...this time, it's me and my DS9. No strollers, only two bags instead of 5, no chaos going through security with the two smaller ones....SO, how much time should I allow to get through the airport? We are flying out of Philadelphia and I'm unfamiliar with that airport. Someone is dropping us off at the terminal...is an hour enough time to check our luggage, go through security and get to the gate?

TIA!

I would probably check the luggage with the SkyCap outside. You'll avoid the baggage line and go directly to security. That should be your only delay is waiting in security line.

 

[crashbb]

I'd be there no later than 6:45. You never know how many people are working the counter at that hour. I can't tell you the number of times I stood in line at the counter (for ALL airlines) that early in the morning and there was only 1-2 people working.

Their flight is at 7am - 6:45 is far too late. Did you mean 4:45am? Or some other time?

 

[Flight]

A Monday 7:00 a.m. flight is a busy time at the airport.

I always plan to be at the gate one hour prior to departure, so I work my schedule backwards from that time.

If you are checking in your two bags, allow 45 minutes for check-in. If the bags are carry-on, then you have saved 45 minutes. Allow another 30 minutes for security processing. Since you are unfamiliar with the airport, give yourself another 15 minutes.

Look at it this way, would you want to miss the flight because of unexpected crowds and potentially ruin your trip because you wanted a few more minutes of sleep? Get there early.