Absolute latest time I should arrive at the airport to not miss my flight? [duplicate]

Absolute latest time I should arrive at the airport to not miss my flight? [duplicate] - Man in airport waiting for boarding on plane

I find myself yearning to spend the last few minutes of my time in the country to be with the people I love.

Given that I'm already in the airport up to the point where non passengers are allowed, how much time should I give myself to go through the processes?

I understand that this might be a question that is very dependent on the airport, but I hope anyone can shed some light.

I notice that if the flight is 9pm, they request the passenger to be at the boarding gate on 8:40pm. How far can I push this?

It would be nice to discuss both cases with and without check in luggage. I'm also not looking for an exact answer like 1 hour. I'm looking for a comprehensive answer like "enough time to go past all checks to arrive 10 minutes before flight departure".



Best Answer

The airline can refuse transportation if you are not at the gate at the boarding time printed onto your boarding pass. They will close the gate after the announced boarding time when there no more passengers waiting next to the gate to be boarded (whatever event comes later). Sometimes they may decide to wait for connecting passengers coming with delayed inbound flights. But that's their choice!

Note that for a 9 o'clock flight, 8:40 is already very late. Boarding times of 45 minutes are quite common and 8:40 leaves only 20 minutes, which is already very tight, as there are ground handling procedures to be performed after everyone is seated. On international flights (and large planes), boarding often starts 60 minutes before departure. So since the boarding time is already tight for your flight, I wouldn't risk being late late for your flight.

The time to go through security and to your gate varies from 5 minutes to more than one hour, depending on the airport, the time of the day, and whether you will be invited to a secondary security check. So we can't give a good answer here.




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How soon should I arrive at the airport?

The TSA advises arriving at the airport two hours before your flight for domestic travel and three hours before for international travel. If you're traveling during peak times like early morning or evening, or during holidays and other events, please plan accordingly and allow for extra time.

Do you really need to arrive 2 hours before a flight?

"The two-hour recommendation is fairly standard across the industry," says Heather Lissner, a spokeswoman for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. "We recommend the two hours so that travelers have enough time to get dropped off or park their cars, check their bags and get through security to their gates."

What happens if you check-in late airport?

Under most domestic airline policies \u2014 which are outlined in the contract of carriage on the airline website \u2014 if you miss a connection, it will rebook you on the next flight at no charge. If that means staying at the airport overnight, the airline will cover a hotel stay.

Can I make my flight if I get there an hour before?

The airline has no idea what time you arrive, unless you check in at the airport or check bags. You just have to be at gate, ready to board your flight, at the required time. The point of arrival time recommendations is so people allow themselves enough time to get to the gate.



How Early Should You Arrive At The Airport?




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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