How Early Should I Get To The Airport? A Detailed Guide

Reaching the airport earlier is better than at the last moment. Wondering how early you should get to the airport?

Even if you planned everything right to reach the airport on time, things could come out of nowhere, so it is always good to be prepared. 

There are many hurdles, such as your taxi showing up late, that can slow you down. Don’t let those obstacles get you down.

Identify Time Consuming Activities

Summarise all the time-consuming processes and plan accordingly in advance. There are four major ones to take care of.

1. Type Of Flight

International flights impose additional formalities before boarding. They require you to go through immigration and passport control. Even if all goes smoothly, you can expect 30 minutes minimum for the entire process.

And if something goes wrong or it’s busy, you can expect that time to increase exponentially. So add some extra time as a provision for such mishaps.

2. Check-in Baggage

If you have baggage to check-in, you’ll have to wait in a long queue. Baggage check-in can take 20 minutes or longer on domestic flights and over 30 minutes on international flights. During rough weather or busy days, this timeframe can extend further.

Be mindful that some airlines refuse to accept check-in 45-60 minutes before take-off. So be sure to get there at least 90 minutes before the plane leaves.

3. Security

Airports have a mandatory security check that you can’t skip or hurry. The time required here depends on the crowd. You’ll have to go through the entire check along with your luggage (if any).

A routine check can take around 20 minutes on a good day. If it is hectic, this time can double.

4. Transportation

Add up all the above to get an estimated time of the formalities at the airport. Now, evaluate the travel time between your pickup and drop location. Take traffic into account. Heavy traffic can cause delays.

Suppose you’ll need 2 hours at the airport, add that to the travel time (say 30 minutes). That means you’ll roughly need 2.5 to 3 hours to make it to your flight on time.

Quick Transportation Advice

Once you’ve got an estimate of how early you should reach the airport, it’s a good habit to add 20 minutes. A taxi is the best transportation mode to reach the airport on time. It’s fast, reliable, and personal.

When you’re in a hurry, opt for a reliable taxi. While you can’t save time on airport processes, you can cut time on travel. It’s better to wait at the airport rather than making it just on time, as you could miss your flight. 

Book a taxi 30 minutes earlier than your schedule. You can get the best Nottingham taxi quote now to avoid a bitter experience.

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