(Newswire.net — October 1, 2018) — How early should you arrive at the airport? Two hours prior to flight time for domestic flights, and at least three hours for international flights.
Let’s cut to the chase: nobody likes missing a fight or waiting for countless hours until flight time. While two hours might seem like plenty, you may want to add 30 minutes depending on the time of the year. During busy holiday days, customs screening can translate to longer lines. Always make sure to check TSA guidelines and updates before traveling to ensure the smoothest experience. Below are some reasons to keep in mind and why you should arrive to the airport earlier:
Gate Arrival Requirements
One of the key factors to consider is the actual gate closing time. Ideally, the gate will close earlier than the actual departure time. The closing time will also depend on a number of factors. For short distance flights (domestic flights), there is usually a very short time before the gate closes. On the other hand, the international flights have a longer gate closing time. Be sure to make it to the boarding gate 30 minutes before flight departure time. As long as you arrive at the gate before time, you’ll make it to your flight. Any passenger who arrives late may have to wait for the next flight.
Baggage Check-In
If you plan to bring baggage for check-in, it’s important that you arrive early. This also means you add one more queue to your boarding. Fortunately, most airports have self-service bag drops. To scan your bag, you simply drop your bag off the belt. Make sure the bag sticker is visible. To make the process a breeze, you should arrive earlier than the scheduled time. This will also compensate for any time lost when there are long lines. Check the time to report at the airport by visiting the website of the airline. Also, confirm how many minutes to the fight the airline stops checking the bags.
Airport size
The airport size influences your boarding time. If you’re flying from big airports, you may be required to walk for long distances before you get to your flight. You also need to arrive earlier if you’re flying from an airport you’ve never been to before.
Reasons to Arrive Later
With technology moving at breakneck speed, arriving a few hours before your flight is not always necessary. There are several strategies to minimize the two-hour protocol to one. If you don’t have baggage, you can check-in online. This means you can afford to arrive later than other travelers. You don’t have to deal with an agent; all you require is to have your documents ready. With the ease of checking-in with your laptop of Smartphone 24 hours prior to your flight, you have no reason to wait to get to the airport to check-in. You simply arrive at the airport and go to the airside.
Today, most airports have mobile check-ins. This reduces the number of queues to get to the gate. Even if you decide to check-in your baggage at the airport for international travel, the process is straightforward. Another reason why you don’t have to arrive early is if you’re an elite frequent flyer. When you have your elite boarding pass, you can use the premium security line (faster moving line).
Final Thoughts
So, how early should you arrive at the airport? Airport Shuttle of Phoenix says that the basic rule of thumb is to check-in at the airport 1 hour prior to flight time for domestic flights and 2 hours for international flights. You may want to pad your time a little bit if you’re checking baggage, traveling during peak time, or departing from a busy airport.