Mid-Atlantic - flying in for an 8pm meeting, latest comfortable PHL arrival time?

Wondering if I am safe with a later flight and wondering what others do.

Assume for the discussion that you can't be late and would like to be a bit early, need to rent a car and drive about an hour. Will have checked luggage and it's winter, New Jersey.

Figure 10 or 15 minutes to get off the plane depending on where you are sitting, another 15 minutes or more for luggage, another 15 for getting the car and you are already at 45 minutes just to get off the airport (and that's probably being generous). An hour drive could mean anything, is that an hour without traffic? In good weather? Will you be going with or against traffic? Do you know where you are going, or will you lose some time figuring that out? If you are going on toll roads, will you be waiting in the cash lane or do you have an ez pass? Does the incoming flight have a good on time record?

I would say given the best of conditions, personally I would say 5:00 at the latest to arrive and hope to get there a bit early. If I was expecting traffic issues based on where I was going I would move that back to 4 or 3:30 and try to beat the traffic. I would rather be early then show up late and have to blame traffic.

If you can't be late, figure out (the previous post is a good place to start) the latest flight you can be on, and take the one before that - or even the one before the one before that. The odds are this will be a wasted precaution and you'll be early, but sometimes it won't be and you won't.

Stuff happens. There is no such thing as a flight with a 100 percent on-time record. You aren't expected to allow for once-in-a-century problems, but colleagues, customers and so on can reasonably expect you to allow for normal business travel problems. (Not doing so, and saying "my flight was late" or "my flight was cancelled," can send a signal about competence in other areas as well.)

If you can't be late, figure out (the previous post is a good place to start) the latest flight you can be on, and take the one before that - or even the one before the one before that.

+1. Good advice. PHL can be difficult. There can be lost time especially if you have to wait for a gate.

Bobette

Stuff happens. There is no such thing as a flight with a 100 percent on-time record. You aren't expected to allow for once-in-a-century problems, but colleagues, customers and so on can reasonably expect you to allow for normal business travel problems. (Not doing so, and saying "my flight was late" or "my flight was cancelled," can send a signal about competence in other areas as well.)

Couldn't be more accurate. Just this past Monday my flight arrived a few minutes early and ended up spending an extra 30 minutes on the tarmac waiting for "traffic to clear" so we could get to our gate. If you had timed your meeting by the arrival time of the flight, you'd already be late.

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I would say given the best of conditions, personally I would say 5:00 at the latest to arrive and hope to get there a bit early. If I was expecting traffic issues based on where I was going I would move that back to 4 or 3:30 and try to beat the traffic. 5:00 near PHL is almost guaranteed to hit traffic. 4:00 can be pushing it. 3:30 is good advice.

OP, are you heading to central or south Jersey?

5:00 near PHL is almost guaranteed to hit traffic. 4:00 can be pushing it. 3:30 is good advice.

OP, are you heading to central or south Jersey?

To South Jersey, Mt. Laurel or Voorhees, with a quik stop nearby first.

Thanks everyone for your good advice. My instinct is always to push it, and it's helpful to hear what others do.