How early should I arrive for my flight? If I have a 5am flight, do I still need to arrive early? What time does the airport open? - Fly ILM (2024)

FAQs

How early should I arrive for my flight? If I have a 5am flight, do I still need to arrive early? What time does the airport open? - Fly ILM? ›

TSA and the airlines recommend that all travelers arrive at the airport at least two hours in advance of their flight departure time to ensure they have enough time to check in with their airline and go through security.

Customers need to be checked in no less than 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure as the ticket counter closes. All other passengers should arrive 90 minutes before their scheduled departure for a domestic flight.

When you're traveling within the United States, we make the suggestion to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. For most airports, you must be checked in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time (airports requiring additional time are listed below, Go to footer note).

Airlines generally advise that you should get to the airport at least two hours before your short-haul international flight – but if you need to check in at the desk or drop off bags, consider getting there earlier, especially if you're travelling in peak times.

How Early Can You Check Bags? Generally speaking, you can check your bags two to six hours before your flight in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Ask your airline for their specific times.

Within the U.S. and in many other countries, most airlines recommend passengers arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight. This accounts for everything from check-in and baggage drop to security lines and boarding cutoff times.

How early should you arrive at the airport? Airlines generally recommend arriving at the airport at least three hours before an international flight and two hours before a domestic flight.

Many airlines have a deadline for passengers to check in before each flight. Check-in deadlines are usually between 60 to 30 minutes before boarding, and you are often not able to check in after those times (meaning you cannot go on your flight).

TSA recommends that you arrive at least two hours in advance of your flight time.

First, check-in closes an hour or two before flight departure; if you're not checked in by then, either through the app, online, or in person at the airport, you may not be able to get a boarding pass to get through security and will likely miss your flight.

Are early morning flights busy? ›

Airports are also less busy in the early morning hours. There are fewer departures and arrivals, so personnel can focus on getting the first flights of the day out on time.

Most airlines recommend arriving at the airport two hours before departure for domestic flights.

If you don't check in, you won't receive a boarding pass that allows you to board the plane, and your seat might be given up to a standby passenger. The check-in process also confirms your traveler details like your passport information and frequent flyer number.

The answer is more complicated than you might think. Generally speaking, we like to err on the side of caution and suggest you print out your boarding pass, even if you already checked in online and have a mobile version on your phone.

In general, most airlines recommend being at the airport at least two hours before departure. However, keep in mind here that long walks from the terminal to the gate, or long lines at security checkpoints can easily add up to 30 minutes.

What is a good connection time? Travel advisers say there's a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries.

In general, some airports will allow you to go through the security check-in much earlier while others may require you to arrive no earlier than 2-5 hours before the departing time. This is sometimes because the checked baggage counters and/or check-in gates are not open yet.

"The two-hour recommendation is fairly standard across the industry," says Heather Lissner, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport spokesperson. "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."