early arrival at foreign airports?
Jul 3, 2015, 5:06 am
#1
formerly dave h.
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Seattle - it's not Hell, but you can SEA it from here!
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early arrival at foreign airports?
flying from Seattle to Hong Kong, Delta advises to arrive at SEA 3 hours early.
but how early do i need to arrive at out-of-US airports? there's no TSA, but i have no idea how foreign airport security works.
my trip is still in the planning stages but these are my flights:
Seattle, SEA to Hong Kong, HKG- Delta
Hong Kong, HKG to Perth, PER - Qantas
Perth, PER to Athens, ATH - Emirates
Athens, ATH to Stuttgart, STR - Aegean
Stuttgart, STR to Paris, CDG - Air France
Paris to London - Eurostar train
London, LHR to Seattle, SEA - British Airways
on a related note, do all of the above airlines have on-line early check-in and electronic boarding passes?
thanks
but how early do i need to arrive at out-of-US airports? there's no TSA, but i have no idea how foreign airport security works.
my trip is still in the planning stages but these are my flights:
Seattle, SEA to Hong Kong, HKG- Delta
Hong Kong, HKG to Perth, PER - Qantas
Perth, PER to Athens, ATH - Emirates
Athens, ATH to Stuttgart, STR - Aegean
Stuttgart, STR to Paris, CDG - Air France
Paris to London - Eurostar train
London, LHR to Seattle, SEA - British Airways
on a related note, do all of the above airlines have on-line early check-in and electronic boarding passes?
thanks
Jul 3, 2015, 6:31 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,607
early arrival at foreign airports?
I would aim for 2h for Heathrow these days. Security has been a mess since a change in management last year. Don't dawdle between checkin and security because Heathrow T5 has a unique system of refusing to let you into security if you have less than 35min before your flight.
Except for Heathrow your only real concern is getting your bags checked before the bag cutoff time. Usually that's 30-60min. once your bags are checked go straight to security and get airside and you shouldn't have any problems.
Except for Heathrow your only real concern is getting your bags checked before the bag cutoff time. Usually that's 30-60min. once your bags are checked go straight to security and get airside and you shouldn't have any problems.
Jul 3, 2015, 7:06 am
#4
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I would aim for 2h for Heathrow these days. Security has been a mess since a change in management last year. Don't dawdle between checkin and security because Heathrow T5 has a unique system of refusing to let you into security if you have less than 35min before your flight.
Except for Heathrow your only real concern is getting your bags checked before the bag cutoff time. Usually that's 30-60min. once your bags are checked go straight to security and get airside and you shouldn't have any problems.
Except for Heathrow your only real concern is getting your bags checked before the bag cutoff time. Usually that's 30-60min. once your bags are checked go straight to security and get airside and you shouldn't have any problems.
Bag cut off times are the key and they are 45-60 minutes at most airports - and those are hard cut offs, so you should always allow leeway for arriving at airports later than you expect. My rule of thumb for international flights is to aim to arrive about 2 hours before, knowing that 1hr 45 will still give me an hour in the lounge.
Security is broadly similar around the world with only subtle differences, the most striking being that only (AFAIK) the US worries about shoes.
Jul 3, 2015, 7:20 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2012
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Posts: 151
early arrival at foreign airports?
I've always thought when you arrive at the airport has more to do with your comfort level than anything else. I generally arrive ~2 hrs before the flight, international or domestic, and that goes for when I'm in other countries as well. I always figure I can do work or entertain myself, not worth risking problems for an extra 30-60 min somewhere.
But that is just me, everyone has their own comfort level.
No matter how early you get to the airport, this sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!
But that is just me, everyone has their own comfort level.
No matter how early you get to the airport, this sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!
Jul 3, 2015, 7:24 am
#6
Join Date: Nov 2008
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If this is your first time in HKG I might give it two hours.
My first time through was last December and I found it just a bit confusing. Subsequent visits were much easier.
My first time through was last December and I found it just a bit confusing. Subsequent visits were much easier.
Jul 3, 2015, 1:38 pm
#7
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The last couple of times I have been at Heathrow it has been a bit of a mess frankly. So much so, that for an upcoming trip where I am transiting T5 to T2, I refused to accept the airline's suggested connection, opting to give myself more time rather than their 'just a bit more than legal' time. I am not sure if it is the norm, but I wasn't given the gate number either, but told to 'check the boards', and the gate number only went up a few minutes before boarding started. I found that annoying.
Jul 3, 2015, 4:22 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,631
Just a note on Hong Kong: with some airlines you can check-in/drop bags at the MTR Hong Kong station.
Might reduce the time you require at HKIA, and free you up for more touring depending on departure time.
http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/se...m_checkin.html
Might reduce the time you require at HKIA, and free you up for more touring depending on departure time.
http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/se...m_checkin.html
Jul 3, 2015, 5:15 pm
#10
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Absolutely standard. They don't want people going to gate areas prior to boarding.
Jul 3, 2015, 5:27 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2014
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I was just in Sydney, and the hotel staff were a bit bemused by us leaving for the airport 2 hours before a domestic flight. With a 30 minute drive to the airport, they thought we could leave 30 minutes later - arriving at the airport 60 minutes before takeoff!
Of course, we never saw a single security line in Australia, so 60-90 minutes is probably reasonable, even for international (although there is extra documentation for leaving that takes about 5 mins to fill out)
Of course, we never saw a single security line in Australia, so 60-90 minutes is probably reasonable, even for international (although there is extra documentation for leaving that takes about 5 mins to fill out)
Jul 3, 2015, 11:43 pm
#12
formerly dave h.
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Seattle - it's not Hell, but you can SEA it from here!
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Posts: 192
appreciate all the answers. i guess i'll just make it about 2 hours everywhere, safer and easier to remember that way. i haven't flown since around '97 and this is my first time out of the country (mexico and canada don't count
).
Last edited by Dave737; Jul 4, 2015 at 1:10 am
Jul 4, 2015, 3:55 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
If everything goes smoothly then there's more time for a drink in the airport.
Jul 4, 2015, 10:04 am
#14
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Eurostar, I'd say absolute maximum of an hour - you may not be let through beforehand anyway. Half an hour is the cut-off, so 40-45 minutes is fine. Plenty to keep you occupied if you reach St Pancras early, though.
Security isn't like airports: belts on, liquids allowed, and you don't check in any luggage unless you've got at least two kitchen sinks in there. You go through French immigration immediately after security.
Security isn't like airports: belts on, liquids allowed, and you don't check in any luggage unless you've got at least two kitchen sinks in there. You go through French immigration immediately after security.