Everywhere you look, you’ll read that travel numbers are still as crazy as ever. Hotels are getting fuller, cars are getting sucked up for rentals, and, of course, despite airline meltdowns here and there, there are LOTS of people flying (Florida had such an increase in aviation a couple of years ago that the FAA had to get involved because of all the flight delays).
The rule of thumb for commercial airports (except for the tiny ones) has generally been arriving 2 hours early for domestic flights and 3 hours for international flights. That may or may not still be the case. In fact, at least one airport has been promoting a recommendation of “3-2-1” for a while:
- get to the check-in counter 3 hours before your flight
- be in line at the TSA checkpoint 2 hours before your flight
- arrive at your gate 1 hour before take-off
I see some of you sneering already.
Hey, if you do this all the time and have your system down pat and can get from your car to the gate in 45 minutes, you do you. But also realize that the majority of the flying public isn’t you 😉 and those are the people this post is for.
So for the rest of you, is that really how long you should give before arriving at the airport? Honestly, it depends. Let’s break it down:
Check In/Bag Drop
The actual time it takes to check in and get the stickers for your bags if you’re using check-in kiosks, is pretty low…just a couple of minutes. It’s the queue for the bag drop that’s the time suck, with the potential for the queue going way beyond however many switchback lanes of stanchions they have set out.
Don’t think the time of day has anything to do with waits, either. We had a 7 a.m. flight to HI. So we stayed at MCO’s on-site hotel, the Orlando Airport Hyatt Regency (here’s what we thought about it) and got to the check-in area around 5:45 am (which was much later than I wanted, but SOMEONE – you know, that guy who put a wedding ring on my finger all those years ago – insisted we’d have plenty of time. He’s since apologized). Anyway, Delta’s bag check line was so long that at 6:15 am we had only gotten up to the switchbacks – and I think there were 3 or 4 lanes of those. That’s when we asked the “line monitor” to get bumped to the front so we didn’t miss our plane.
Besides the plethora of people going on vacation, another problem is that many airlines only have 2-3 reps for check-in/bag check. So if a group of travelers has a problem, say with a bag being too heavy, that representative will have to work with them for a while, which knocks available reps to only 1-2 for ALLLLLL those people.
So give yourself about an hour, if not more, to check your bag. Well, except for….exceptions ;-).
Exceptions
You won’t have to worry about the baggage drop line if you’re not checking a bag and doing only carry-on. You just have to take a few minutes to do the electronic check-in, and you’ll be on your way to the TSA security checkpoint.
If you’re flying domestic first class, international first or business class, most airlines in a selection of airports should have a special line, and you’ll be able not to have to stand in the regular queue with us commoners ;-).
It also goes without saying that small airports have fewer planes flying to and from them. Fewer planes mean fewer passengers. That means fewer people in the queues. So obviously, as the good blog says, Your Mileage May Vary.
Ways to save even more time
Most, if not all, airlines let you check in online. If yours does, and you did, and you’re only doing carry-on, you could potentially enter the airport and go straight to the TSA security checkpoint (it doesn’t make sense to do this if you’re checking bags because you’ll still need to get a bag tag/sticker at the kiosk).
Of course, even if you’re checking bags, there’s always this option, too. It should save you some time; I couldn’t tell you exactly how much time, because it depends on the day.
TSA/Security Checkpoint
Lines of travelers snake past TSA agents at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
If you’re lucky, you may only have to wait a few minutes. If you’re not lucky, or are traveling during a very busy time, your wait could be significantly longer.
The MyTSA app has gotten really good at telling you how long the approximate waits are for the TSA security checkpoint at your U.S. airport of choice. Check it for several days ahead of time, around the time that you would be getting there, so at least you won’t be surprised if you have a 45-60+ minute wait.
Exceptions
People who have TSA PreCheck get to stand in a much shorter line, since they’re “trusted travelers.”
People who have CLEAR membership get to stand in a shorter line (well, sometimes. Again, Your Mileage May Vary, so check both CLEAR & non-CLEAR, if you have that option) before getting to the TSA officer who checks their ID. After that, you get sent to the TSA PreCheck X-ray queue, or the regular X-ray queue, depending on whether or not you have TSA PreCheck.
Depending on what airport you’re using, you may be able to make a reservation time, ahead of time, to get in the regular queue. Check with your airport for details.
Finally, some airlines offer exclusive security lanes (granted, only at certain airports) if you buy upgraded tickets. For example, having United’s Premier Access gets you through the TSA checkpoint’s exclusive security lanes, AND you have access to dedicated airport check-in lines and priority boarding. If you buy a Business Select Fare on Southwest, or have their A-List or A-List Preferred status, you can use their Fly By Lane, which gives you direct access to the front of the ticket counter and TSA checkpoints at certain airports.
Other Things To Consider
Obviously, not every flyer or flight is the same, and you need to consider several other things:
- Able-bodied adults will generally get through an airport faster than those flying with young children, seniors, or people who need to take more time because of reasons.
- Larger airports will take more time to negotiate. It takes forever to get through Salt Lake City’s new airport. Key West’s airport? Not so much.
Feature Photo (cropped): Cory Doctorow (yes really!) / flickr
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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