International flights...how early to the airport?

[MaryAnnDVC]

I always heard to arrive "3 hours" before an international flight, but if the first leg of the trip is still in the U.S. (in this case, Boston to Miami), does the 3 hours hold true? There will only be a carryon...no checked bags.

Also, are wet wipes considered liquids to be put in a quart bag? I know years ago, the TSA woman had a fit mine weren't in the bag, but since then, I've kept it in my handbag (along with lip gloss, which I realized later, which I assume should be in the quart bag but they didn't catch it). Thing is...this trip...it's going to be a pretty big package of wipes that won't fit in the quart bag.

Anyone have experience with this?

 

[uva185]

If your first segment of an international itinerary is a domestic flight then you do not need to show up 3 hours in advance. Furthermore, since you are doing carry-on only then you can just check-in online and show up early enough to clear security and board the plane.

 

[skiingfast]

Why don't you put the wipes in your checked baggage? If you need some with you, just put some in a ziplock.

 

[NotUrsula]

Regular diaper-type wipes are normally fine in a carryon; we always carry a full-sized container of them in case of airsickness disaster. Clorox-type wipes might be treated differently, though, because there are stronger chemicals in those (and I tend to find them "wetter" for want of a better word -- there's more liquid in the container.)

 

[pr surfer]

If it's on the same itinerary, your travel documents will have to be verified at the point of departure... allow enough time to wait in the check-in line for this.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The standard arrival time is 4 hours before your flight time

No it is not. Arriving 4 hours before an international flight would be ridiculous, except in very unusual circumstances. Most airlines recommend arriving two hours before the flight.

it is decresed to 3 hours because the passengers are facing problems regarding their time schedule.

I don't understand what this means.

 

[crashbb]

No it is not. Arriving 4 hours before an international flight would be ridiculous, except in very unusual circumstances. Most airlines recommend arriving two hours before the flight.

Agreed. And the exceptions (for longer check in) are, in my experience, more likely to occur when leaving the international destination, rather than when flying to it.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

This thread is about my DD, and she left yesterday. I dropped her off at the airport at 5:15 PM and her flight was at 7:15. I got home from the airport just as she texted DH and me her "goodbyes", so I guess all went well.

She's in Haiti. She had 2 "bags" including a sleeping bag (I had forgotten about the sleeping bag), and could only check one bag, so she wanted to check the sleeping bag. She had items in her duffel bag that she wanted with her overnight (the group had to spend the night in the next airport until the next leg of the trip this morning). I guess it all well went with the wipes in her bag, but won't know if there were any problems with anything until she comes home.

When I tried to take face cleanser wipes to Orlando in my carryon a few years ago, the TSA woman angrily stuffed them into my quart bag, threatening me with confiscating them if they didn't fit. Honestly, she could have taken them...I was too stunned to react. I was just concerned with my DD's trip that if they didn't fit in her quart bag and they were taken, they would be taking her "showers", as they won't have access to real showers.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Agreed. And the exceptions (for longer check in) are, in my experience, more likely to occur when leaving the international destination, rather than when flying to it.

Besides a longer check-in I would also include longer lines if you are able to clear Customs of the country your flying to before arriving there. Best example is when your flying from Canada to the United States out of Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

 

[skiingfast]

I understand why wipes can be a problem. I don't think you were treated unfairly. I have some knowlege of explosives and how security works regarding them. Much more than a typical TSA agent.

I think the main thing now is that they can check carry ons and checked bags for explosive residue. It's more a pain to check when going through security lines.

It's one of the really stupid problems though. Baby wipes are a nessecity and are mostly sold in large containers. But hey, I don't make the rules.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I understand why wipes can be a problem. I don't think you were treated unfairly. I have some knowlege of explosives and how security works regarding them. Much more than a typical TSA agent.

I think the main thing now is that they can check carry ons and checked bags for explosive residue. It's more a pain to check when going through security lines.

It's one of the really stupid problems though. Baby wipes are a nessecity and are mostly sold in large containers. But hey, I don't make the rules.

I wasn't stating that I was treated unfairly, as far as whether wipes SHOULD or SHOULD NOT be classified as a liquid...I was just trying to clarify if it IS or it ISN'T. If anything was "unfair" it was that she was unnecessarily a *****. I really didn't (and still don't) know if she was truly following a TSA policy, or just being a jerk.

For any other travel, we have checked bags and carryon, and I do put a pack of travel wipes in the quart bag, because I've got room. But I was asking because my DD A) could only check one bag, B) that one bag was the sleeping bag, and C) needed to carry on a LARGE package of wipes, as that is her only means of getting clean in place of showers. I was just trying to figure out if she'd need a plan B, such as rolling the package up in the sleeping bag. But, as unfortunate as it would be not to have a sleeping bag if it got lost, it would be much worse to also have no means of staying fairly clean. I would've hated to see her check her sleeping bag, and then find out at security that she couldn't carry on the wipes.