How early should we arrive for a domestic flight?

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Just Jess

It's hard to say since I don't know what city you're flying out of and what time of day you're flying. Are you checking yourself in on line or do you have to go to the ticket counter? Are you checking bags? All of this figures into the amount of time you need.

For example, if I fly out of Seattle in the late am or early afternoon I only need to give myself about 1.5 hours to get checked in, go through security and get to my gate on time. However, if I'm flying out of Maui on the red eye I need to give myself at least 2-3 hours as I can spend 1 hour or more just waiting in line at the ticketing counter.

The TSA has a handy tool on their site that gives the *average* wait times at security checkpoints. This can help give you an idea of how long it will take you to get through the check point. Here's a link: http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html Keep in mind that this is only an average. Actual times may vary.

Death's High Priestess

depends on where you are leaving from. If it's a busy hub, you need 2-3 hours. If it's a small airport, 1.5 hours is plenty. 1 hour would be okay in a small airport, but why risk it? Check in online if possible.

private_jet_charter

For a domestic flight the TSA suggest that you arrive at the airport around 2 hrs prior to your departure time. You want to allow plenty of time to get through the security checkpoints and at airports like New York the lines can get pretty long. You can check average wait times for specific times of days at specific airports here:
http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html
Hope this helps and have a great trip!

MOH

you should arrive at the airport to check in 1 hour prior to departure for domestic flights. (i work for an airline-and that is the recommended minimum domestic check-in time). if you are going to a super crowded airport you may want to go earlier..... you should be at the gate at least 30 minutes prior to departure.

Samham

2-3 hours

brian

The suggestion is that you should arrive two hours before domestic flights, three hours before international flights.

ewachtler

At least an hour and a half.

astudyingstudent

For domestic, 1 hour should be fine. I would err on the side of more time than less, but two hours is a bit excessive. You can also save a lot of time if you check-in online or if you do self-check-in in the airport.

Master Baiter

1 - 1.5 hours..................

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