If flight is delayed, what is the minimum time you must be at the gate if already check-in?
If know that my flight will be delayed by several hours, what is the minimum time I must be at the airport and at the gate (per regulations) if I have already checked-in?
For instance, I want to arrive at 1900 when the flight will now be leaving the airport at 2100. Originally, the flight was scheduled to depart at 1800.
I'm more specifically concerned about the TSA and/or homeland security requirements.
Other details:
- I have already checked in and am a confirmed passenger with printed boarding pass. (This is the difference between my question and a flagged duplicate)
- This flight is the first leg of my trip.
Details that should not matter for the answer I am looking for but I know people will ask for:
- Flight is with a major US carrier.
- I do have a check bag (but once again, I am looking for the required minimum time not the recommended time).
- It is from a standard USA airport -nothing special.
- My trip is ending internationally (IE there is a layover in the USA but ending in Europe).
- My actual flight times are more tightly compressed (I just exaggerate for simplicity).
Best Answer
For the airlines I'm familiar with, they would say something like "you should be at the airport at 1600 and at the gate at 1730". In other words, the same as if the flight were not delayed.
There is almost always the possibility that the airline will be able to avoid the delay and have the flight leave on time, or with less of a delay than originally predicted. If this happens, and you miss the flight, they are not going to be be very sympathetic.
As an example, here is what Southwest Airlines says:
Since Southwest strives to maintain an ontime schedule, even after we notify you that a flight may be delayed or cancelled, we may substitute or reroute aircraft at the last minute in order to get flights back on the published schedule. Since flight status and gate assignments may change at any time, check airport monitors for the most updated information.
As far as I know, TSA / Homeland Security aren't relevant here; they should let you through security any time up until your plane has actually left (I'm not sure that they even check departure times at all). It's entirely a matter of airline policy.
Pictures about "If flight is delayed, what is the minimum time you must be at the gate if already check-in?"
Do I have to check in again if my flight is delayed?
If my flight is delayed, when should I get to the airport? In short, you can't show up late even if your flight is delayed. You can't be late to check-in on a delayed flight because the closing time for check-in is set relative to the scheduled time of departure, not the actual one.What time should I arrive at the airport if my flight is delayed?
"You should arrive at the airport at least two hours before the originally scheduled flight, even if there is a delay," Lerma recommends. For international flights, some airlines, like American Airlines, advise you reserve an additional hour and arrive three hours before your scheduled departure time.How long can you sit on a delayed plane?
Opportunity to Leave the Plane For flights departing from a U.S. airport, airlines are required to begin to move the airplane to a location where passengers can safely get off before 3 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights.How long does a flight have to be delayed before compensation?
U.S. flights: maximum compensation by type of delayNew flight arrival timeCompensation (% of ticket price)Within 1 hour of original arrivalNoneBetween 1 and 2 hours after original arrival (1 to 4 hours for international)200%More than 2 hours after original arrival (more than 4 hours for international)400%Oct 11, 2021How do airlines handle flight delays
More answers regarding if flight is delayed, what is the minimum time you must be at the gate if already check-in?
Answer 2
The thing about delays is that they are generally estimates; the airline might be able to shorten the delay, or it may turn out to be longer. Sign up for flight status alerts (if offered by the airline) and/or check the flight status yourself regularly to see if the estimated departure time has changed. If the flight still shows the delayed time, plan to be at the airport a little more ahead of the new time than you planned to be ahead of the original time (e.g., if you planned to be there two hours ahead of the original time, I suggest two and a half hours ahead of the new time).
The reality is that you probably will end up waiting at the airport for a long time, since delays often get worse, but sometimes they are shortened.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Gustavo Fring, Gustavo Fring, Andrea Piacquadio, Josh Sorenson