Airport arrival times

[dodgymanc]

Do I have to leave any extra time to get to the airport before my departure seeing as I'm going to America? Would two hours be ok?

[dzug]

Check with your airline - they have different rules. Two hours is probably OK but some say 3.

[carless]

Depends on where you are travelling from and to which airport you are flying from if I have understood the question.
If you mean is two hours before flying, I would sugest longer. You can get this information from the airline you are flying with or from the internet. have a good holiday

[dodgymanc]

Flying from Gatwick to Charlotte, via Philadelphia. Flight is at 12:30 so arriving at the airport 3 hours before (9:30) you guys reckon?

[dzug]

Yep - don't worry if you are a little late, but for safety, yes.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

we allways recomend 3 hrs to our customers,if they are flying transatlantic

[jno]

If you're going on BA you should be able to check in online, which means you can arrive a good hour later as you won't have to go through full check in. I'm not sure if other airlines offer this - have a look at yours. When you're through check in it's wise to go straight through immigration as there can be some terrible queues at the security checks.

[lady_p_gold]

I would deffo leave three hours, checking in on line is a good idea, but you never know what can happen, there can be an accident on the motorway etc. and there is nothing worse than that panicky feeling of being late. At least if you check in early you can then relax, shop or go to the bar!

[Dee Sa]

3 hours before for thecheck in on all international flights because fo security and an extra hour to allow for traffic /rail/coach problems.better to be safe than sorry, plus the later you check in the less choice of where to sit, 10 hours next to the toilet with passengers disturbing you the whole flight is not my idea of fun.

[jno]

when you can check in online you can generally choose your seat too. Of course the fewer people who know about this the better.... in fact I don't know why I'm telling you all this, so just ignore this post please...

[NORMANTHEDOG]

checking in online,sometimes is a waste of time,if a lot do it,then the bag drop queue can be longer then the check in queue.

[spudqueen]

We're flying to Florida next month and are aiming to get to the airport over 4 hours before departure. Mr Spudqueen went away on business last month (before the Glasgow car bomb) and the queue to get through security was horrendous. It took him an hour just to get through security. Our airline says it opens its check-ins four hours before departure so we are aiming to be there about 15-20 minutes before check-in opens. We don't mind queuing. Then we will join the queue for security. I would much rather be hanging around the airport for an hour or two longer than I need to than have any chance of missing our plane and therefore our holiday.

[KARL]

There is no hard and fast rule as to how long it will take you from entering the terminal to standing at the departure gate - unless you respect Murphy who will see to it that everything is particularly easy and quick when you allowed three hours and when you arrived two hours in advance you barely make it because all procedures were queued up and took extra slow. In practice it can take from one to one and a half hours to go through check-in and security, sometimes more. The airlines recommend three hours and it is just as well because those who observe that are through ahead of those who don't and there is less of a last minute crush as a result. But arriving three hours in advance means that most European flights in reality take you longer than travelling by train wherever that is an option. By the way, online check-in frequently saves no time in practice - in fact, I have seen the queue for BA's "fast" bag drop off to be longer and slower than the manual/traditional line. It is all a matter of how many go for each option. Your guess as good as anyone else's on the day.