How far in advance do you arrive at airport?

[lisareneeo]

Leaving tomorrow. Spending the night at an airport hotel tonight.
Our flight leaves at 7:00am
We are flying on Airtran out of Philadelphia.

What time would you plan on being at the airport before the flight?
We will be using the hotel shuttle. The hotel is 5 minutes from the airport.

Thanks

 

[Jestocost]

That would depend. Will you have luggage to check or will you be doing carry-on only? Will you have your boarding passes printed and ready or will you need to get them at the airport? Are you experienced with the processes of checking in and going through security, and familiar with the layout of the airport?

Assuming you have to check bags and don't fly on a regular basis, I would be at the airport at least 90 minutes before your scheduled flight departure time.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Did you check the AirTran website?

http://www.airtran.com/faq/q/how_ea...spx?tt=At+the+Airport&rt=index_faqs&nav_id=85

 

[deegack]

at least two hours. A larger airport like JFK more like three hours. I hate rushing and would rather grab a bite to eat or drink after going through security.

 

[dudspizza]

For you, it will depend on the airport shuttle. Many shuttles run on a schedule. Most of time the run once or twice per hour. If your shuttle runs on the hour and the half our, I would take the 5am shuttle. That would get you there a little under 2 hours before flight.

Also, double check your hotel to see if the shuttle shares with any other hotels, as that might take some extra time to get there.......

Our last flight was 545am. The shuttle only ran on the top of the hour. 5am was too close, so we took the 4am shuttle. We were the only ones in the airport, but we were not stressed over it either.

Duds

 

[Minnesota!]

We fly out of a very small airport - HHH. We always aim to arrive 2 hours before take off. 95% of the time, we make it thru security and are at our gate with at least an hour to spare. We use that time to hit the bathroom, grab some snacks, and watch planes take off.

however, this past trip, we arrived 2 hours early to our tiny little airport...and security took over an hour!!!! It was nuts! We didn't get in line for security (because DH has a small bladder, had to check luggage, etc) until about 620. At 720 we got thru. I knew our plane would start boarding at 730 and I was near tears. I hate rushing. We got to our gate, I put my stuff down, ran back and got the kids some breakfast sandwiches, came back, took them to the bathroom, DH ran to get his breakfast sandwich, and before he got back, we were in line to board. Had we arrived even 15 minutes later...we probably would have missed our flight. They loaded and were pushed back before the 8:00 scheduled departure.

There were a LOT of cranky/frantic people that morning who, assuming since it was such a small airport, they could arrive 1 hour before their flight and be fine. When we hopped in line at 620, the woman in front of us - her boarding was being called. She still had an hour wait for security in front of her.

Never can be too early, IMO

 

[WC*123]

Philly is my home airport and I travel often for business. There are a lot of flights between 7AM and 8AM...seems to be the "rush hour". It depends on your comfort level, but I'd say arriving 90 minutes early at the airport is a good recommendation with bags to check. The shuttle will not take long since there is rarely traffic around the airport. Print boarding passes today and check the outside check-in/baggage lines when you arrive. I flew Airtran once last year and the check-in process was not very efficient.

 

[mb187143]

i also fly out of Philadelphia, and often to Orlando. More often, on a Thursday AM flight, around 7:00 AM. My fiance and I stayed at the Mariott before one of our trips last year, and though the hotel is 5 minutes away, we had to wait on a shuttle, and then stopped at several terminals to let off other passengers. We did curbside for our bags and already had our boarding passes, and waited about 25 minutes in the security line (that has been consistent from PHL every time we have a 7:00 AM flight, always about 20-25 minutes to get through security). So we left the Mariott at 5:00 AM, and finally got to the gate around 6:10 AM for our 7:00 AM flight. Just to give you an idea.

 

[Anna114]

Each airport is different. My airport Islip McArthur, it is recommended that you get there 2 hours early. I know there is a website out there advising how early for each airport. Airtran recommends 60-90 minutes before your flight. You can never go wrong getting there early. Getting there late has its ramifications.

 

[ncc1701]

Have a good trip. If you are still reading this thread find out when the shuttle leaves.It may only be minutes away but if your terminal isn 't 1st it can take 10 mins. Plus the shuttle may only run every 15 mins or so.We fly out of PHL and try to be at the checkin at least 90 mins. ahead of the flight.

 

[aubriee]

I fly out of DFW. We always arrive at least 2 hours before our flight. We are normally always early to our gate. However, about a year ago we got stuck behind a 'grand gathering' and I swear none of them knew what to do. There was only two lines open that early in the morning and they were in both lines, so there was nowhere else to go, except behind them. There was like 30 of them and I swear none of them had ever flown. They argued about everything with the TSA agents. It took forever to get through security that morning.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I am always there 2 hours prior to flight time.

 

[2disneyboys]

unless its a big airport, I get there right @ 2hours before. larger airports 3 hours.

there is nothing worse than having to watch the clock as your inching through security or bag check or whatever. Once we get through security, we usually have at least an hour before takeoff so we can stretch our legs, get something to eat, use the restroom or whatnot until time to load up. I hate the pressure of being rushed or watching the clock so I just get there a little early.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Atlanta one hour to 1.5 hours

MCO at least two hours.

(Gee, the busier airport takes less time LOL!)

Sorry I can't help with Philly, but....

 

[Anna114]

(Gee, the busier airport takes less time LOL!)

LOL I've noticed the same thing too in NY. Our local airport, on Long Island, is longer arrival time then JFK or LaGuardia.

 

[Anna114]

(Gee, the busier airport takes less time LOL!)

LOL I've noticed the same thing too in NY. Our local airport, on Long Island, is longer arrival time then JFK or LaGuardia.