How Early Should You Get to the Airport? [A Complete Guide]

The question of how early to get to the airport has been a point of contention ever since commercial flights became available to the masses. Some travelers like to get to the airport at the crack of dawn for a 2 p.m. flight, while others often have to run from security to the gate before the jet bridge door closes.

While all flyers have different preferences, most people like to get to the airport early enough that they don’t feel rushed but also prefer to minimize the amount of time they have to spend waiting around for their flight to board. Because of this, it can be hard to know how much time to give yourself at the airport.

In this guide, we will help you answer that question by breaking down the top factors you should consider when deciding how early to get to the airport.

General Guideline for How Early You Should Get to the Airport

Generally speaking, most airlines advise that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to a domestic flight and at least 3 hours prior to an international flight. That said, there are many factors to consider that will help you decide how much time you should budget for at the airport.

Most Important Factors in How Much Time You Need at the Airport

What Airport Are You Traveling Out Of?

This factor is easy to overlook, but it is an important one to keep in mind. Put simply, budget more time for yourself if you’re traveling out of a large international airport, as these airports are often much busier than smaller regional airports.

Are You Traveling on a Domestic or International Flight?

Flyers traveling to an international destination should arrive at the airport earlier than domestic flyers. This is because international flights can have additional check-in requirements, like passport verification, that need to be completed before you receive your boarding pass. Further, international flights tend to begin their boarding process 15 to 30 minutes earlier than domestic flights because of the larger plane size.

What Time of Year Are You Traveling?

The season can have a big impact on how busy an airport is. For instance, wait times are generally much lower during winter flights than they are for flights during the summer, when the demand for travel picks up significantly.

What Time of Day Are You Traveling?

Similarly, the time of day can also dictate busy an airport is. Have you ever noticed that flight prices are often the cheapest for the earliest and latest flights of the day? This is because midday flights are significantly more popular among travelers. Consequently, you should give yourself more time at the airport for midday departures.

Are You Traveling by Yourself or With a Group?

If you’re traveling by yourself, you’ll be able to move through the airport significantly faster than you would if you were traveling with a group of people. Consider this when deciding how much time to budget for. This is especially important to keep in mind if you’re traveling with small children.

Do You Have Bags To Check?

Not checking bags is a great way to save time at the airport, as it allows you to head straight you security screening as soon as you arrive.

Some airports offer a self-check kiosk that allows you simply drop your bag at the desk when you are done. Sirports that do not offer a self-check kiosk will require you to wait in line with all other passengers who are waiting to check their bags — and these lines can be quite lengthy, depending on the number of agents on staff.

Hot Tip: Need to check baggage? Many airline co-branded cards offer a free checked bag as a benefit. Read our guide on whether or not you need to pay with your airline credit card to receive free checked bags and other perks.

Do You Have Airline Elite Status or Priority Check-In?

Those with airline elite status or a co-branded airline card that offers priority check-in can greatly speed up the time it will take to check their bag or check in for their flight. This is because those with elite status or priority check-in have a dedicated line that effectively allows you to move to the front of the line.

While the requirements for airline elite status can vary significantly by the airline, both American Airlines and United Airlines offer priority check-in as a benefit for those who hold the Citi^®/AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^® or United Club℠ Card, respectively.

Do You Have TSA PreCheck or CLEAR+?

By far the biggest time-saver when you are at the airport is by having TSA PreCheck or CLEAR+. Both of these allow you to skip the sometimes extremely lengthy general security lines at the airport.

Wondering how TSA PreCheck and CLEAR+ differ? TSA PreCheck offers expedited security screening that lets you keep your laptop and liquids in your bag and keep your shoes on, and it offers shorter lines than standard security.

CLEAR+, on the other hand, expedites the ID-checking portion of the security process. After your identity is verified with CLEAR, you can go right to the front of the general security line or TSA PreCheck line, if you also have TSA PreCheck.

There are tons of credit cards that offer a TSA PreCheck membership as a card benefit, but currently, the only cards that offer a full complimentary CLEAR+ membership are the Platinum Card^® from American Express, and The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Are You Planning To Visit an Airport Lounge?

Once you’ve made it through all of the pesky steps like checking your bags and airport security, the last big item that you might want to budget some time for is a visit to the airport lounge.

Airport lounge access is easily one of our favorite credit card perks, as it significantly enhances the experience of waiting for your flight. Instead of waiting at the gate or overpaying for some barely edible pizza at the food court, you have a nice place to kick back, charge up your devices, and partake of complimentary food and drinks (including alcohol) while you wait for your flight to board.

In our view, the best card when it comes to airport lounge access is the Amex Platinum card, which offers access to 8 lounge networks including Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying with Delta), Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment), and more. That said, there are many great credit cards with airport lounge access.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, while 2 to 3 hours before your flight might be a good general guideline, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to deciding how much time to allow at the airport.

Instead, you might be better off treating each trip on a case-by-case basis, looking at the factors we’ve outlined in this guide.

That said, those who are looking to dramatically improve their airport experience should consider adding a premium credit card to their wallet, as many offer both the ability to speed up airport security with TSA PreCheck and CLEAR+ and allow you to relax in an airport lounge with the time you’ve saved. A win-win.