Airports can be stressful places. Between getting through TSA, having to deal with delays, and the general stress of time limits, airports can be quite anxiety-inducing if you don’t have a foolproof plan of attack.
Of course, something that can reduce your stress levels at the airport is arriving early enough so that you have plenty of time to get through security and get to your gate without much urgency. That being said, “early” is relative and everyone’s definitions of the word will differ depending on their comfort levels.
Inspired by a recent tweet, I polled a good portion of the For The Win staff to determine how early you should arrive at an airport, among other flight etiquette questions. Let’s dive into the results!
So, how early do you get to the airport?
Mary Clarke: I like to be at the airport about two hours before my flight. I have TSA PreCheck, but I still get anxious about time, whether it be from traffic or from flying out of an unfamiliar airport (I fly out of Philadelphia normally). I’d rather be early and sit around at the airport than be late and miss my flight altogether!
Blake Schuster: No earlier than an hour.
Andrew Joseph: 60 to 90 minutes depending on the airline.
Bryan Kalbrosky: 60 to 90 minutes depending on the airline.
Christian D’Andrea: 45 minutes, but my local airport is Madison’s, where the longest security/check-in lines I’ve ever seen are maybe 10 minutes.
Charles Curtis: Two hours!
Mitchell Northam: My goal is to have about 30 minutes between getting through TSA and boarding time. My local airport (RDU) is pretty easy to get through. So, getting to the airport within an hour and 15 minutes of flight time is typically fine.
Alex McDaniel: Two hours because my luck isn’t great and I don’t take chances.
Mike D. Sykes, II: Whenever, honestly.
Caroline Darney: Two hours before my flight, unless it’s international in which case three hours. If I’m flying out of Charlottesville, an hour.
Prince Grimes: Most times, my goal is to get there with just enough time to make it through the gate and board with as little wait as possible.
Be honest, have you ever missed a flight?
Mary: Once, but that was a delayed connection into Chicago that caused me and my family to have to sleep in the Kansas City airport (it’s a long story) so I’ve never missed a flight through fault of my own.
Blake: No.
Andrew: No.
Bryan: Yes (Multiple times for multiple reasons).
Christian: Yes, but that was in Indianapolis thanks to its godawful long-term parking shuttles (one every three hours!) and I was actually there with what should have been plenty of time. Man, f*** you Indianapolis. Garbage a** city.
Charles: Yes (but it was because it was canceled).
Mitchell: No. But once, in Boise, I got my name called over the loudspeaker. I was the last person on the flight. This was 7 a.m. the morning after the 2021 college football national championship.
Alex: Connections, sure, but not actual flights.
Sykes: Nah, that’s terrifying to me.
Caroline: Not that was my fault (aka delayed flight meant a missed connection).
Prince: No, but I’ve been the last person to board more than once. The looks you get aren’t fun.
When you do get to the airport, what is your routine before you board?
Mary: I get through security pretty quickly thanks to having TSA PreCheck. Once I find my gate, I grab some quick food, often from a Hudson News or whatever. I’ve only had an actual sit down meal at an airport a handful of times, so snacks are usually the way to go for me. After that, I plug in my earbuds and either listen to music/podcasts, read a book, or play a game on my Switch to pass the time!
Blake: Get through security as quick as possible because I’m a fool who still hasn’t given in and done TSA PreCheck. Immediately buy a bottle of water. Depending on how much time I have left either get a quick meal or just a snack and try to spend as little time waiting around as possible.
Andrew: Breeze through security with PreCheck and Clear. Buy a bottle of water. Go to the Sky Club if I’m flying Delta. Sit at the gate if it’s a different airline.
Bryan: Keep my shoes on because I have TSA PreCheck. I usually buy gummy worms and Reese’s Pieces. Take dramamine about 45 minutes before the flight. Try to not forget to board my flight. (I once forgot to board my flight even though I was at the gate.)
Christian: Fill up my water. Pee four or five times because I’m nervous about having to make someone in my row get up and let me use the bathroom. Check in on the mini-bottles I’ve packed that I am absolutely not going to drink on the plane because that’s against the rules, see.
Charles: Wait on security line, forget that I have a belt buckle that sets off security, get patted down, get settled at the gate, go scout food options. Pick up lunch or dinner for the flight, rush back just as my group is called.
Mitchell: Between TSA and arriving at my gate, it depends on how much time I have. If I have 30-45 minutes until boarding, I might grab a beer and quick bite. If I have less than 30 minutes, I hit one of those stores and grab a drink, a snack, and gum. Then I’m hitting the bathroom, then I’m killing the rest of my time by reading or playing my Switch.
Alex: I use Clear to bypass long security lines, buy bottled water and magazines for the flight and spend the remainder of the time at a bar and/or airport lounge.
Sykes: I’ve got PreCheck so it’s normally pretty smooth sailing. I’ll just listen to a podcast before the flight and download a few more for the rest depending on how long it is. Nothing special though.
Caroline: Straight through security with TSA PreCheck, then I have to go look at the gate and make sure it’s there/real/not a changed gate. Once I do that, I will generally go to one of the lounges for a drink or snack if there’s time. If there’s no lounge or it’s too far, I’ll just grab a coffee. I have music on start to finish.
Prince: Straight to the line, through TSA and I’ll grab a snack if there’s time. Then I’m browsing through my phone until boarding if I timed my arrival too early.
