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Depends on the airport. When I've flown internationally out of Fort Myers, which is a small international airport, two hours has been more than enough. When I flew out of Miami, three hours was plenty but it was so stressful between parking, waiting for the tram, getting through security and walking a million miles to our gate that I was happy to sit and relax for an hour before boarding.
Travel is stressful as it is, so why make it even more so just to save an hour's worth of your time? Bring a book or fire up the Hulu on your iPad and catch up on a show you don't usually have time for. If it's an airport you're unfamiliar with or a huge airport like Miami, LAX or Atlanta (ugh), definitely allow the full three hours.
Nah, no civilian international flights out of VPS. But AFAIK, the one hour rule for international bag check still applies when you're starting from the airline's outstation.
All flights recommend an hour early for bag check.
and the small regional airports don't really care whether bags are going international or not.
On the other hand, even with the 3 hour recommendation, I see people dashing in at the last minute, loaded with stuff they want to take along, and get very testy when the airline won't just make the plane wait for them.
I'm a road warrior. I pretty much never check bags. Why would I show up at an airport 3 hours before flight departure?
Because gate numbers are changed all the time, sometimes you'll even get a ticket with no gate number at all. Because international terminals are often much father than domestic ones with lines that are usually longer. Because international flights are sometimes delayed, which will make you miss your connecting flight, and you need to be aware of the information. Because there is almost always traffic on the ride leading up to the airport
Are you sure you're a road warrior? The time is to compensate for the things you cannot control.
I'm glad some of you guys can show up 90 minutes before an international flight. Clearly you don't live near a busy airport.
OP--You mentioned your flight is very early. My experience has been that fewer security lines are open early in the morning in many airports. That can create a need to arrive a bit earlier than normal as the lines will be longer.
I'd rather get to the airport a couple hours before the flight time. Park, take the shuttle, go through TSA and arrive at my gate a 1/2 hour early for boarding usually leaves about an hour for a drink, a restroom stop and maybe some food depending on the time of day.
For a recent flight we spent the previous night at a hotel near the airport because we didn't want to get up at 3:30 am to make it to the airport for a 6:30 flight. The only bad part was no pre-flight bloody mary. Bars can't serve until 6:00 in my state--just when boarding started.
Because gate numbers are changed all the time, sometimes you'll even get a ticket with no gate number at all.
That's what the airline smartphone app is for. My iPhone definitely makes things easier on travel days- love the push notifications for gate changes and reports that my bags have been loaded on the next plane.
That's what the airline smartphone app is for. My iPhone definitely makes things easier on travel days- love the push notifications for gate changes and reports that my bags have been loaded on the next plane.
Sweet, now if only you could use your domestic smartphone in foreign countries without racking up a small fortune in roaming charges or signing up for paid wifi.
Depends on the airport. When I've flown internationally out of Fort Myers, which is a small international airport, two hours has been more than enough. When I flew out of Miami, three hours was plenty but it was so stressful between parking, waiting for the tram, getting through security and walking a million miles to our gate that I was happy to sit and relax for an hour before boarding.
Travel is stressful as it is, so why make it even more so just to save an hour's worth of your time? Bring a book or fire up the Hulu on your iPad and catch up on a show you don't usually have time for. If it's an airport you're unfamiliar with or a huge airport like Miami, LAX or Atlanta (ugh), definitely allow the full three hours.
Try flying out of Fort Lauderdale next time..easy to find, easy to park and easy to navigate. I threw Miami overboard after my first trip out of Lauderdale and now avoid Miami like the plague. Plus, I found tickets at FLL are cheaper.
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