Reccommended arrival time at the airport?

[jporter]

We have not flown in awhile. How early are people reccommended
to arrive at the airport before their flight. We have a 9:00 a.m.
fight plus an hour drive and 2 small children so we want to
leave as late as possible and still be properly checked in.
Thanks J.

 

[MickeyB426]

Assuming your flight gets you into Orlando around noon, by the time things get settled you'll be out of the airport around 12:30.

That means you'll be at the port around 1:30.

Is it enough time? Yes, if there are NO hitches with your plane.

If there are any flight delays, you risk missing embarkation, unless you booked your flight plans through DCL, which means they're obligated to get you on that boat no matter what.

If all things are equal in your vacation planning, it might not be a bad idea to fly in Friday night and spend the night in a motel.

 

[jporter]

Actually what I'm trying to ask is what time we need to BE at
the airport before our flight leaves. We are going a day ahead
so arrival time in Orlando is not an issue. Thanks J.

 

[outahere]

Everything I have read lately advises to be at the airport 2 hours before your flight time. The past few times we've flown, that was way too long, but probably better safe than sorry. We too have an hour drive to the airport, and have spent the $ to stay at a hotel close to the airport the night before when we have an early flight.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by jporter
Actually what I'm trying to ask is what time we need to BE at
the airport before our flight leaves.

Two hours is good advice -- and that doesn't mean pulling off the the freeway onramp into the airport two hours before departure.

Remember that checked bags now go through a screening. Depending upon the airport and airline, for US domestic flights, checked baggage must be checked in 30-60 minutes before departure -- or they can refuse to check your luggage and they can refuse to let you carry it on (unless it complies with the carry-on rules)! I don't know of any list the tells you which airports have 30 minutes rules and which have 60 minute rules (and which have something else), so I just always assume it's 60 minutes.

Let's assume you get to the ticket counter line at a large airport 75 minutes before your flight. (Perhaps you were trying to get there two hours early, but you encountered traffic, took a wrong turn and had trouble getting from the remote parking to the terminal.) Now let's assume there's a 25 minute wait because there aren't enough agents working the counter (the airlines are trying to save on labor expenses). When you get to the front, you're told, "Sorry, the computer won't let us check bags for that flight any more." You answer, "But I was here 25 minutes ago!" Guess what? You lose.

Now, let's consider a best case scenario instead. You're at the front counter two hours before your departure. There are no delays anywhere -- not even at the Security check point -- so you get to the gate almost two hours before your departure. Just find a place to have a meal. After all, they aren't going to feed you on the plane if you're flying coach from the Midwest to Florida.

But get back to the gate in time. The airlines tend to start boarding 30 minutes before scheduled departure, and they often close the doors 10-15 minutes before departure.