The Best Time to Arrive at the Airport

Showing up early will always be smarter than depending on the latest viral hacks telling you to just show up 15 minutes before your flight takes off, just scan your ticket and walk onto the plane like nothing happened.

Social media has been buzzing lately with people claiming that you can just show up 15 minutes before your flight and board the plane without any issues. Yes, that sounds amazing, efficient, and pretty dangerous.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) still requires travelers to arrive two hours early for domestic flights and three hours before international flights. They believe that two hours is sufficient time to complete all the steps involved with check-in, baggage drop, security screening, and the many other “unforeseen” issues that will happen along the way.

Boyer is the GM of an airline and says that it depends; every airline has different policies on cut-off times for checking in, boarding times and luggage rules. If you miss one of these deadlines, you can watch as your flight leaves without you.

Boyer says that depending on the airline and if you have a good understanding of the airlines’ rules, you may be able to board a domestic flight just prior to departure (one hour before departure) if everything runs smoothly.

Additionally, Delta Air Lines encourages the use of traditional waiting times of two hours prior to takeoff for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. This allows enough time for parking, checking in, dropping off luggage, clearing security, etc. You won’t have to worry about running late because you will be able to arrive at your gate without feeling as if you are in a reality TV competition.

Airports are no longer places where one has to simply wait for their flight to board. Airports also include areas where you can relax while at a coffee shop, lounge, charge your mobile device, etc. If you arrive at the airport early, you can take advantage of these areas to relieve stress, rather than adding to it.

If you would like to make things easier and shorter when traveling, you can enroll in TSA PreCheck, which allows you to bypass long TSA lines when traveling through security. Additionally, other options for processing your boarding pass (touchless ID), will also allow you to spend less time waiting. However, most experts agree that your personal travel plans ultimately determine how much time should be given at the airport to complete the necessary processes/check-in.

Traveling with children?
Traveling with a person needing assistance?
Traveling at peak times during holidays?

If so, add any additional time that you can.

Joe recommends arriving to the airport 90-120 minutes prior to a domestic flight and 150-180 minutes prior to an international flight. Additionally, during busy travel seasons, Joe recommends that you should add at least one hour to these recommended times, as security lines will generally be considerably longer than you anticipated.

Smartly timing your flight can also have a different effect. Early morning rush hour flights provide more chaos than mid-morning or late evening departures. If you checked in online already and you’re not checking any bags, generally, you will go through the airport quicker.

Also, little prep tips will also come in handy. Making sure your laptop and liquids are easily accessible in your bag. Pack your bag organized. Install the MyTSA App to get the estimated wait times for security. Little things can add up to minutes saved.

Even if you arrive early for your flight, your flight will still land at the same time in your destination! Only rushing adds to the added pressure of that stress. You start off better by sitting back sipping a cup of coffee with a little time to look at the gate number flashing in front of you.

So the 15-minute airport hack you hear about sometimes might work for some travelers, but for most travelers this old school advice still holds true.