Do you guys who get to the airport super early also select longer connections?
Yes. I have major, major anxiety about missing connections (especially if there is only one flight a day to the place I'm going). I try not to select anything shorter than an hour and will default to about 1.5 hours if possible.
The problem with missing a connection sometimes is that the flights are so full that you can be stuck for a day and that totally sucks. I would rather not risk that.
That's why I take the train. 30 hour delay? No problem, I'll just get drunk in my private compartment and fall asleep on my full length bed.
Some of these timelines would give me a heart attack! I aim to get there 2.5 hours early without checking a bag. I fly out of a small airport, and it's never busy. I'm usually at the gate about 2 hours early, haha.
But why? I am genuinely curious in this case, where you know your airport is unlikely to be a shitshow, why you still want to spend 2 extra hours sitting around.
I do play it safer at airports that I don't know, but Santiago is pretty efficient (plus yes, I tend to have status which makes check-in much faster). For international flights I usually show up 1.5 hours ahead of time, and that's plenty. My personal record was rolling up to the airport in Buenos Aires 50 min before my flight (Aeroparque, NOT Ezeiza, I'm not stupid). I had time to go to the bathroom before boarding and everything!
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Aug 19, 2014 15:57:29 GMT -5
flight leaving at 10a
I'd be at the airport by 8:30a at the latest .... I'd rather wait forever at the gate than be forced to sweat it out via luggage check in lines, TSA, etc.
also since in all likelihood, I'd be flying w/ dd ... extra time is absolutely necessary .. you can't drag a kid through an airport running to make a flight !
SJC-I am about a 5 minute drive from SJC but the security lines can be a joke. Also, with the stories of stoaways, God knows what will happen at the airport.
OAK can be a hit or miss especially trying to get there
I cannot relate to these awesome airport bars everyone seems to be enjoying before flights.
I go to the lounge (assuming I am eligible - with FF status, I am for any international itineraries) w/ free booze, or I go to the USO (no free booze, but it's still quieter and much more likely to have spare convenient plugs for charging electronics than out in the terminal).
It's pretty rare for me to go to the airport bar, unless there is some massive screwup on the flight timing...
I cannot relate to these awesome airport bars everyone seems to be enjoying before flights.
I go to the lounge (assuming I am eligible - with FF status, I am for any international itineraries) w/ free booze, or I go to the USO (no free booze, but it's still quieter and much more likely to have spare convenient plugs for charging electronics than out in the terminal).
It's pretty rare for me to go to the airport bar, unless there is some massive screwup on the flight timing...
My H has unlimited and free access to United clubs/lounges for being an elite with Amtrak.
Post by dancingirl21 on Aug 19, 2014 16:13:55 GMT -5
I would leave my house 2 hours before, hoping to arrive about an hour before. I am in Chicago so traffic can be really unpredictable, as can the security lines.
Some of these timelines would give me a heart attack! I aim to get there 2.5 hours early without checking a bag. I fly out of a small airport, and it's never busy. I'm usually at the gate about 2 hours early, haha.
But why? I am genuinely curious in this case, where you know your airport is unlikely to be a shitshow, why you still want to spend 2 extra hours sitting around.
I do play it safer at airports that I don't know, but Santiago is pretty efficient (plus yes, I tend to have status which makes check-in much faster). For international flights I usually show up 1.5 hours ahead of time, and that's plenty. My personal record was rolling up to the airport in Buenos Aires 50 min before my flight (Aeroparque, NOT Ezeiza, I'm not stupid). I had time to go to the bathroom before boarding and everything!
Because I've conviced myself that THIS will be the day when there will be a car accident AND the security lines. I only fly once a year or so, so the extra time at the airport is worth the peace of mind.
I am chronically early to the airport. Usually 90ish minutes before a domestic flight and 2-2.5 before international. I rarely ever check bags. I just need time to settle after getting through security.
I fly nearly every week but I think the last time I checked a bag was when leaving to study abroad in college so I have no clue how long that takes now.
In our previous city, I would arrive at the airport an hour early because it often would take 30 minutes for me to find a parking spot. The airport had a separate security line for first class/passengers with status so I never, ever waited in line at security. Unless I was traveling during rush hour (and I never booked flights that would require me to do this), it never took more than 30-35 minutes to get to the airport from my home so I left home 1.5 hours before my flight.
Now, it can take anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour for me to get to the airport (not during rush hour). Parking takes no time at all, but the security line is such a crap shoot and they make elite status travelers stand in the same security line as idiots who never travel, bring oversized liquids in their carry-ons, and take forever taking their damn shoes off. I leave home 2.5 hours before my flight and hope for the best.
About 1.5 hrs early if checking a bag (maybe longer with kids). But I also live far from the airport, so I need to allow for the possibility of traffic. Also, it depends somewhat on the airport and the time of day. There have been a couple of holiday travel tips involving a busy airport where we nearly missed a flight having arrived 1.5 hrs before departure, because the lines were so long.
Post by mrs.jacinthe on Aug 19, 2014 16:47:52 GMT -5
My home airport (SMF) - 8:30 at the latest, but 8am would be preferable. Last time I flew through there I was the third-to-last person to board and I had arrived an hour before the flight. At 10pm it took me 40 minutes to clear security (they had ONE LINE OPEN and SMF has a LOT of red-eyes). They literally were making the last boarding call when I got to the gate.
My parents' airport (CAK), WITH the checked bag ... 9:15, and I might take my time. It's never taken me longer than 5 minutes to get through security there.
I used to have O'Hare as my home airport. Even with status, I frequently saw all sorts of fuckery there. Pre-check taking longer than regular lines, security lines for those with status being down and having to use the very long regular line with all the people who aren't nearly as efficient with security. Traffic on the highway at 5 am resulting in me having crazy anxiety because I'd thought I'd get to the airport in 20 minutes.
I'd rather get there a little early, stop at Rick Bayless for some food, and then when travelling for work use most of my daily $75 I get to spend on food to get drunk at the airport.
But why? I am genuinely curious in this case, where you know your airport is unlikely to be a shitshow, why you still want to spend 2 extra hours sitting around.
I do play it safer at airports that I don't know, but Santiago is pretty efficient (plus yes, I tend to have status which makes check-in much faster). For international flights I usually show up 1.5 hours ahead of time, and that's plenty. My personal record was rolling up to the airport in Buenos Aires 50 min before my flight (Aeroparque, NOT Ezeiza, I'm not stupid). I had time to go to the bathroom before boarding and everything!
Because I've conviced myself that THIS will be the day when there will be a car accident AND the security lines. I only fly once a year or so, so the extra time at the airport is worth the peace of mind.
Haha, well I hope it's never that day! And the last part I think is relevant too. When I was traveling at least once a month last year the thought of adding up all the time I was spending in airports was depressing enough without me adding extra time onto the total.
I precheck my bags online so all I have to do is drop them off and go through security with my carry-on. Even then DH panics if it's less than 1.5-2.0 hours before our flight leaves. I'm a closer to one hour kind of gal.
ETA: The day I picked kiddo up was a nightmare. The island is 2-3 hours from the airport (a bit over two hours from the ferry dock at the south end); we took the ferry instead of driving around. I joked with my son, who was flying back with me, that we had time to stop off and play at the beach while we were waiting for the ferry, since the ferry line was an additional 30 minutes and we still had about six hours before our red-eye left. On the way down there was a huge accident on the freeway which turned I-5 into a parking lot. We hopped off the freeway but our rental had no GPS (even though I had my cell phone, it wasn't a smartphone ten years ago). I had to drop off the rental car at a location that wasn't at the airport or normal airport rentals so I'm on the phone with them trying to get directions to their location and to make sure there was a shuttle to the airport. I ended up losing hours with the traffic and the detour off the interstate, plus getting a little bit lost finding the car rental place. I dropped off the car and made it to the airport with about thirty to forty-five minutes before flight time. I'm standing in security with a sleeping infant and all our gear, stressing, when the gate agent asked if anybody had flights leaving earlier than such-and-such a time; because I did they let me come forward to the front of the line (bless them). Then I had to go through security with a sleeping baby in a car seat; they made me wake her up so they could scan the stroller and car seat (well, I tried to get her out without waking her but it didn't work so well, and waking up in an airport security line with lots of fluorescent lights in her face didn't help). We got there, from having three extra hours before our flight to check in, to running to the gate to catch our flight. She was awake and screaming the whole flight, no matter what I tried to calm her down - food, changing, whatever - nothing worked; my stress probably didn't help. People (including me) were NOT happy that flight. My son heard rumblings of "I take the red-eye so I can sleep on the flight." and some pretty specific cursing toward the screaming baby and unprepared parent. I might add that I had never flown with an infant and had no time to do research on packing things, nor did I have a lot of time to go to more than Wal-Mart on the island to buy diapers, formula and a few toys.
What?! I would have had an anxiety attack getting there so late. So he missed his flight, right?
Of course! It was long gone.
Good. Well, I"m sorry that Mr.B missed his flight, but I hope he learned his lesson. And remind me to never travel with him. The anxiety of being that late would kill me.
Good. Well, I"m sorry that Mr.B missed his flight, but I hope he learned his lesson. And remind me to never travel with him. The anxiety of being that late would kill me.
No. It wasn't DH. Just a passenger checking in nearby. DH got there 1.5 hours early. We were both shocked the guy thought he would just walk in & catch a plane.
Good. Well, I"m sorry that Mr.B missed his flight, but I hope he learned his lesson. And remind me to never travel with him. The anxiety of being that late would kill me.
No. It wasn't DH. Just a passenger checking in nearby. DH got there 1.5 hours early. We were both shocked the guy thought he would just walk in & catch a plane.
Gotcha. I thought it was Mr.B. And I couldn't figure out why you hadn't said anything if this was about Mr.B.
Depends on the airport, the airline, the terminal, if I'm checking bags, and if I printed out boarding passes. I've arrived at the airport 10 min before a flight at Long Beach airport but will plan for the full 2 hrs if I'm leaving from LAX on Southwest or on any airline in Terminal 1 on a Friday... As a chronic late person who's always pushing the edge I have to factor in many variables. Lol