How Early to Get to the Airport: A Simple Formula
Start at two hours, then add or subtract for bags, crowds and PreCheck.
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Arrive too early and you sit at a gate for two hours. Arrive too late and you miss the flight. A starting number and a few adjustments get you close every time.
Key takeaways
- Two hours before a domestic flight is the usual advice from TSA and airlines.
- Add time for checked bags, holiday crowds and unfamiliar airports.
- Check your airline's bag drop cutoff, because it can be stricter than security.
Start here
TSA asks travelers to arrive about two hours before a domestic departure, and most big airlines say the same. For international flights, airlines commonly suggest about three hours. Check your airline's own page, since it can differ.
That time covers parking or a ride, check in, bag drop and security. Your job is to adjust it.
The formula
Start with 120 minutes for a domestic flight. Then:
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Checking a bag? Add 15 minutes. Bag drop lines can be long, and airlines set a cutoff time. Look it up for your flight so you do not get turned away at the counter.
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Flying on a peak day? Add 30 minutes. The days around Thanksgiving, Christmas and summer holidays are the busiest. See our holiday travel week game plan.
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Large or unfamiliar airport? Add 15 minutes. Long walks, train rides between terminals and confusing signs take time.
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Returning a rental car? Add 30 minutes. You have the return line and a shuttle on top of everything else.
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Traveling with kids or extra help? Add 15 minutes. Everything takes longer, and rushing makes it worse.
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Have TSA PreCheck and only a carry on? You can trim 20 to 30 minutes. TSA's wait time standards are under 10 minutes for PreCheck lanes and under 30 minutes for standard lanes. Standards are not guarantees, though, so do not cut it too close. Not sure PreCheck is worth it? Read PreCheck versus Global Entry.
A quick example
You fly out of a big hub the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and check one bag:
- Start: 120 minutes
- Checked bag: +15
- Peak day: +30
- Large airport: +15
- Total: 180 minutes, so three hours before departure.
A quiet Tuesday morning with only a carry on and PreCheck might be 90 minutes.
Day of travel
- Check the wait times. The free myTSA app shows estimated checkpoint waits at many airports.
- Wear slip on shoes and empty your pockets into your bag before the line.
- Know your bag cutoff. Also see what airline baggage fees really cost before you choose to check.
A common mistake
Many people plan around the flight time and forget the boarding time. Boarding closes before the plane leaves, at a time that varies by airline, and the gate can be a long walk from security. Treat boarding as your real deadline, and count backward from there. Being at the gate early is cheap. Missing the door is not.
Your checklist for this week
- ☐ Look up your airline's recommended arrival time and bag drop cutoff.
- ☐ Work out your number with the formula above.
- ☐ Download the myTSA app.
- ☐ Plan how you will get to the airport and how long it takes at that hour.
- ☐ Set a "leave the house" alarm, not just a flight time.
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