How Early Should I Get to the Airport

No one wants to miss their flight, but even if you fall in such a situation, all you can do is just book another one and drain your money. Human tendency to miss out on things can never end, but the fear of missing out on your flight is quite terrific. It might ruin your travel plans including your connecting flight and your reservations for the day.

One thing a traveler always ensures is how to avoid such agitating circumstances, what precautions should I take? And, how early should I get to the airport?

To begin with, you should do all you can to make it on time to the airport, forty-five minutes before departure of the scheduled flight, with checked bags, checked documents, ready to board. And, in case you’ve met the unavoidable, make sure you don’t lose your wallet to get on another flight.

Let’s dig a little deeper on how you can avoid missing out on your flight?

How Early Should You Get to The Airport?

How Early Should you Get to the Airport

What is the correct time to reach the airport? It has become quite a matter of concern to get on track, how early should you get to the airport? You don’t have to visit at the crack of dawn for an evening flight. However, rushing at the end moment is also not an option. 

Generally, you should get to the airport two hours prior to your flight for domestic flights and three hours for international flights, as it gives you enough time to park your cars, check and recheck your bags, get done with the security checks and reach the aircraft gate on time. 

Experienced travellers don’t panic when it comes to reaching the airport at times. However, they might also miss a close call because what time should i get to the airport depends clearly on several factors such as: if you have a domestic flight or an international flight? Are you travelling out of a regional airport or an international airport? Let us further breakdown the questions for you. 

what time should i get to the airport

Is it a Small Regional Airport or a Large International Airport?

Large international airports tend to be a lot more crowded compared to the small regional airports. Whilst the small regional airport sometimes might feel familiar to you, the large international airports feel like a puzzle. It becomes tough for passengers to make their way out of the airport to the aircraft on time because of this unfamiliarity. 

How early to get to airport for international flight? International flight travellers must visit the airport at least three hours before the scheduled departure time, as international reservations include additional security check-ins, which includes your document verification. Only after the check-ins are done, will you get your boarding pass. 

How early to get to airport for domestic flight? When it comes to boarding a domestic flight, you must arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

What Time Should I Book My Flight?

What Time Should I Book My Flight

If you are someone who panics at the idea of booking a midnight flight and missing it, then this is the right question for you. As we have noticed, midday flights are quite popular amongst the passengers and they usually don’t prefer travelling on an early or a midnight flight. 

How early should you arrive at the airport? If you are travelling out of the country, booking an early morning flight might be the right choice for you, as the airports are less busier around that time and you’ll get enough time to go through the security check-ins. 

Check-in on Your Flights Online 

Checking-in on your flights online is one of the best ways to avoid missing your flight, as some people still confuse themselves with the A.M and P.M criteria, they tend to miss their flights for this reason only. 

When you check your flights online, you can easily access the details on your mobile phone or laptop, this gives you an idea of how early to get to the airport. 

For travelling internationally, you will have your bags to get checked, documents to get verified, it’s necessary for you to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to your flight departure time. So, in case, if there are some additional check-ins, which you were unaware of, can be done on time. 

Plan on How Early You Should Leave for the Airport?

This is one of the major factors you should consider when you are planning to travel by air. The distance between your pickup point to the airport matters when it comes to what time you should leave from your home. To reach the airport, you should be aware of traffic jams, road blocks, strikes, and other such cases. Make sure to book your drive accordingly

If you plan to travel by public transport, it’s better to catch them quite early, to reach the airport on time. If you plan to drive yourself to the airport, make sure to plan ahead where you will park your vehicle as getting a place to park is quite a task.

Contact the Airport 

If you are still unsure of how early to arrive at the airport? You are always free to check in with the airport and confirm your flight departure timings and other such important information. The customer care executive will ask you for information such as your name, flight number, and so on, so you should keep the ticket handy to get the information instantly.

Bottom line

Arriving ahead of time is advantageous when it comes to reaching airports, but arriving at the crack of dawn can be quite hectic and stressful. So, keep in time that you arrive early enough to get your check-ins done one time and to relax in the departure hall. Happy flying!

Frequently Asked Question

Can we Calculate the Departure and Arrival Time on Google?

Google maps often gives you real time updates when it comes to departing or arriving at the airport. In the google maps you can set the time setting option as “arrive by” and it will automatically plan your route to the airport.

How Long Does the Security Checks Take?

Security check goes hand in hand with how busy the airport is. So, if you are travelling out of a busy international airport, the check-ins might take longer. But if you are travelling out of a domestic airport, the check-ins might take less time. It also depends upon what time of the day you are travelling because midday flights are often crowded with the travellers.  
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