richarddd

When would you arrive at LGA for a 6am Monday mainline domestic flight in F? We should get pre-check, but you never know.

swimdude92

TSA at concourse D in LGA doesn't open until 5am, precheck included. I've arrived at LGA many times before 5am and a big line builds in the terminal until the checkpoint opens.

ESpen36

I take the 6am on occasion. I have seen the checkpint open at 4:45, but maybe that is during peak/vacation periods. Never seen a long line at 5am. Better to arrive with extra time given the ongoing terminal construction.

richarddd

What time would you recommend?

ESpen36

I would arrive 4:30-4:45, especially if you need to check in at a kiosk or with an agent (like if traveling internationally to a country requiring a manual document verification). Maybe arrive 4:45-5:00 if you have the mobile boarding pass in advance.

But remember that traffic to the terminal can be horrendous because of construction. Earlier is better. Sleep on the plane.

richarddd

Monday is a domestic flight and we should be able to check in online.

How do you line up for security if it's not open?

At the moment, the only red on my google maps' route to LGA is in the immediate terminal area.

thanks

Fine Art Landscape Photographer

At 4-4:30am while you're getting to LGA there shouldnt be any serious traffic. It's way before anyone starts driving to work and rush hour starts. I had LGA flight last week at 9 and got there at 8 and traffic was reasonable for such hour. Until 6am there is a fraction of cars as compared to after.

ijgordon

Just like you line up for a Broadway show before the house opens, I suppose.

Fine Art Landscape Photographer

Or how people wait in line for new iPhone or new sneakers.

AlwaysAisle

However, this year I have already experienced twice 6 a.m. departure from LGA delayed more than 30 minutes due to pilots stuck in traffic and have not arrived at airport. Both cases pilots were not NYC based crew and were transported from a hotel by a van service.

Bit of mixed feeling where passengers, FAs, gate agents, and other people could arrive at LGA in time to be boarded and ready for schedule departure time, but pilots were missing.

I had same situation on JFK-LAX flight. Pilots were LAX based, were coming from a hotel in downtown Manhattan and stuck in traffic, departure delayed for an hour. Upon deplaning at LAX, a guy in front of me said to a pilot standing at the front at a flight deck door, “Next time take a subway.” Pilot smiled and laughed.

richarddd

There's typically a single line for a show. TSA has regular, priority and pre-check. Are there separate before-opening lines?

ijgordon

Does it matter?

richarddd

If the TSA concourse isn't open, but there are one or more clearly defined lines, then it's easy. If things aren't clear, then I'd like to know how best to line up.

lightbulbs

I had a 7am flight last week, arrived at 6:25 and had no problem. About 5 people in TSA Pre and although I was expecting much worse traffic it wasn't bad at all. But I'm the type that doesn't like getting to the airport any earlier than I have to.

ESpen36

YMMV, but remember that given the D0 obsession, GAs are increasingly boarding domestic narrowbodies at T-40 minutes. So, you would want to be at the gate 40-45 minutes before departure in order to board early and be guaranteed overhead bin space. I suppose not an issue if you are in a non-bulkhead seat and your carry-ons fit under the seat in front of you.

For a 7am departure (boarding around 6:20), I would arrive at the airport around 5:30 to allow for potential delays at security. If I had a few extra minutes, I would duck into the AC to get a quick breakfast, then nap on board. (annoyingly, the Centurion is located outside security, but I know they had no other option given the current airport terminal configuration)