All She Wrote

I usually aim to arrive around 3 hours early at LHR for long haul which allows contingency for traffic or difficulties when it comes to parking. If I'm coming by train I pick the one that I'd be comfortable getting then catch the one before it, and if I'm connecting from CDG I arrive at CDG around 90 minutes before departure. It's all personal preference really, some people prefer to have a relaxed couple of hours in the lounge, some prefer keeping time at the airport to a minimum

halders1

I normally try to turn up at the LHR a little over an hour before departure if I have hold baggage and even 45 mins before with hand baggage only. I find LHR to be pretty easy to get through, but being a gold card holder certainly helps! If I was not, then 90 mins prior is plenty. In saying this, I have missed a total of four flights out of the over a thousand flights in my life, so it is not bad odds!

golfmad

My default is to aim to arrive 90 minutes before departure which allows me a little contingency in case of unexpected delays. If I'm working anyway I would rather spend an extra 30 minutes working in the lounge than working at home or in a hotel. I don't like to feel rushed or under pressure so this is the way I cope best with the demands of travel. Everyone is different and should do what's best for them. There are no right or wrong answers.

Lefly

I live 10 min from BRU, and the few times I tried to plan to be at the airport just 90 or 75 min before the flight I got dirty looks from my husband...
So, the standard schedule is to be at check-in desk 2 hrs before takeoff time, no matter the airport.

PS
Flights are for leisure or family business

Leaping_Deere

Whilst it's interesting to read, from unknowns like me to FT leg-ends like *CWS* I tend to find the answer to this question is a bit of an inexact science, depends on what airport and what sort of flight. My timings are based on arriving into an 'airport zone' so not necessarily walking into departures but could be arrived into the car park, returning the rental car or public transport arrival station.

Going HBO, my rule of thumb for a long haul flight at a 'world' airport (CDG,EZE,HKG) would be 2 hours.

As LHR is my most regular I work on 105 mins before

Short Haul:
At 'world' airport grade it would be 90 minutes before.

At LHR it would be 75 minutes before.

If it's a smaller grade of airport, i.e (AKL,CPH) take off about another 10 minutes of those times above for each type of flight.

Domestic

Varying from 60-30 minutes depending on airport size.

There are a few caveats to this. I usually add another 15 minutes for the larger American airports. Now I have GE this doesn't always happen depending on schedule, but I have some bad memories of ORD and IAH so old habits die hard.

This also applies to school holidays in general but more specifically flying in July/August in the northern hemisphere and January/February in the southern hemisphere usually another 10-15 minutes allocated. This factor I often find is the big variance that if you forget, can be to your peril and what has got me rushing around an airport the most. I have been almost caught out by this when airports fill with families during school breaks, it's amazing how much slower it can be.

Flying short haul international in Latin America also has it's nuances, usually concerning the extra checks after X ray for narcotic smuggling in some nations and then passport controls so they usually get a few extra minutes to account for that, particularly as fast track rarely exists in that region either.

If I have luggage I would add another 5-15 minutes to these times depending on airport and if I'm flying with a carrier I have status with or not. If I come to an airport I haven't been too before I will often make a note of the time it took me to get from arrivals to my destination and use that as a guide for my return journey. I will usually add a few more minutes if it's a new airport and a few more minutes again if it's in a region where I have experience of some bureaucratic tendencies or a people who aren't known to obey queuing laws.

Overall It pretty much goes down in 15 minute increments from 2 hours, right down to the regional Air New Zealand flight where (because no security) I arrive either 30 mins If I have a bag to check or 15-20 minutes before if I don't.

As you can tell by now I am pretty anal with my timings so when I go on holiday Mrs Leaping_Deere tends to just follow me and my schedule! She's pretty laid back when it comes to travel and does't have any concept of time internally so it's suits me.

crazyanglaisy

If I'm flying on a weekday evening flight from Heathrow (as is frequently the case given my travel profile) then I'll arrive at the airport at about 9am in the morning, with the aim of working from my mobile office for 8 hours in the lounge. I'll do something similar at outstations in similar circumstances, if it's possible to do so. That's for 3 main reasons: i) on the day of air travel, I find it difficult to retain focus on other activities until I've commenced the nitty-gritty of the travel process, ii) the workspaces in lounges are typically better than those available to me in my own office and at home, and iii) working activities are easier to complete (and more fun) when people are constantly providing food and beverages to you, or when it's easily at hand

If I'm travelling at weekends, or during a weekday morning or afternoon, I aim to arrive about 3 hours before my flight. That buffer is because I need to navigate some busy roads - en route to Heathrow at least.

layz

Hand baggage only at an airport I'm reasonably familiar with then around 1 hour. At LHR I start to worry if I'm delayed and I'm starting to look like hitting the 45 minute point, with NCL and PRG I can be relaxed up to 30 mins. LCY I aim for 45 minutes, but know I'll likely be fine even if it passes 30 minutes.

That said sometimes I want to do a bit of lounge hopping. I got to T3 over 5 hours early one time so I could spend a bit of time in each OW and PP lounge I had access to, but that was because a change of plans gave me that spare time so I thought it was worth taking a look at all the options.

If I'm travelling to the airport after work I prefer to head off as soon as I can knowing I can relax in the lounge. Going out for after work drinks can easily lose track of time.

subject2load

Geordie405

When I am leaving Las Vegas on AA I will usually leave home 75 minutes before my flight: 15 minutes for the taxi ride to the airport, 30 minutes to clear TSA (I have PreCheck) and get to the gate before boarding commences. It allows time for a coffee as well. If flying BA long haul then it's usually a little earlier as my partner prefers more leeway, plus there's no PreCheck although T3 is usually pretty good. We can then relax in the lounge.

With NCL it depends whether I am taking the Metro or not. If the Metro then I will usually allow extra time (usually taking the train before the one I actually need to) as the system is a tad unreliable. There's also the chance of an unrelated delay, as happened once when some "yoof" decided to sit between the tracks at one of the stations en route and wouldn't shift. We sat for about 20 or so minutes until the police arrived, only for the kid to then run off. If we're over for holiday and staying in the apartment and taking a taxi then we tend to leave when we're ready and just relax in the lounge.

BRU was usually way earlier than required when travelling with work as they would insist we took a car to the airport, and traffic was one extreme or the other. After almost missing a flight when the booked car didn't turn up I started taking the train instead which was actually more reliable so the amount of time festering at the airport could be reduced.

Elsewhere would depend on local circumstances. Obviously there's a big difference if flying from MXP instead of LIN. If flying from MUC or FRA then I'd take the train, but HAM would usually be taxi. I would never want to cut it so fine that I would be running for the plane or feel stressed if there was a delay. I was usually HBO too so that makes a big difference.

KeaneJohn

Having woken up in the Premier Inn At Gatwick North Terminal at 8.06am with an 8.45am departure saved only by twilight check in the night before I now arrive 2-3 hours before departure.

Im a worrier, what if there’s an accident on the M25/4 what if someone is hit by a train...I can check in, relax in the lounge.

On my way home from my ex-Eu to Miami I stayed at an airport hotel the night before. I checked out around 11am and took the hotel shuttle to the AA terminal.

After thru checking bacgs to LCY via DUB and LHR on separate tickets jumped on the airport flyer to the beach for a boozy brunch with friends. I had decided to get the 5pm bus back allowing 30 mins for the journey and a plus one bus leeway to get me to the airport around 6pm for 9pm flight.

There was a as a horrible accident on the highway back to Miami and traffic was gridlocked. We crawled along and people couldn’t get taxis or Uber’s and a lot of Europeans got on the bus at the various South Beath hotels. We got to the airport bus station at 7.40 just over 2hrs late. People just sprinted off the bus to the people mover and airport and I wonder if they made their flights. Similarly last night due to a signalling problem on the Piccadilly line there were gaps of up to 25mins in trains at Heathrow last night. One train came in and people just did a mad dash for the barriers and lifts.. I imagine if you were to arrive an hour before flight with delays of 25mins and conformance you will push it.

Knickam

I aim to be at ABZ around 2 hours before, I have an hour journey by car/taxi and allows a little leeway for any minor mishaps.

Going back a few years when i was commuting to Heathrow, There were 2 flights within an hour from Aberdeen on a Sunday evening.
Used to be booked on the second one, Arrive about an hour before the first one and 9 times out of 10 I was allowed on the early one.

ppp909

I live about 25 mins from T5 in clear traffic, but it can take up to an hour at certain times of day. I usually leave about 2-2.5 hours before the flight depending on whether or not I plan to eat at the airport. I do end up hanging around the lounges more often than not, but I'd rather that than have to rush. I have left it much later in the past but I found myself being ready to go and just standing around the house with nothing to do, waiting for the cab. Knowing I've got plenty of time, the cab tends to wait around for me for a few minutes. I'd rather it was that way round and ultimately it takes the same amount of time out of my day. I'd rather spend that time in the lounge than standing around in the house.

My wife used to go on at me for leaving too early to go to the airport, so on one long weekend in Copenhagen I told her I wasn't even going to bother about it and it was down to her to get us to the airport. We arrived as the plane was taking off and had to pay for an Easyjet flight to Gatwick. Luckily there was something available and it wasn't horrendously expensive. She doesn't do that any more, and yes, it does get brought up in conversation from time to time.

Betteronacamel

I have a recurring nightmare about usually trying to get to an airport with the clock ticking down - involves variously, packing furiously with minutes to go before the taxi arrives, searching for passports, running up down escalators, arriving at the wrong terminal etc etc. All of this caused I am sure from growing up in a family that travelled a lot but thought that STD was about the right time to arrive at an airport. Various disasters involved arriving at check-in without passports, going to the wrong airport (JFK v EWR), breaking down in the Heathrow tunnel, crashing on the M4 spur road, getting a flat on the LIE, standing in the duty free shop in ANU whilst our flight departed before our eyes (lost track of time), bags accidentally left behind at home in the rush to get into the taxi, and so on. Every trip was unrelenting chaos. When we travelled as UMs all was calm as other people were responsible for getting you from A to B.

Consequently I am hyper organised. All packed the night before, travel documents carefully stored in the same safe place and laid out the evening before the off. Visas checked and double checked. Target arrival time 3 hours before STD - slightly more if using the CCR. Never relax or let your guard down until safely airside. At least this way the blood pressure is kept under control and it becomes faintly enjoyable.

ESFLYER95

All depends for me how comfortable I feel with the airport, transportation and time of day. If say I am on a 12pm from HKG I will jump on the airport express around 10:15am, leaving just over an hour at the airport. If it is late flight to London at nearly midnight I will arrive around 9-9:30pm and have dinner and a few drinks. Somewhere like EDI it is usually 1hr before. I am always connecting at LHR so varies. It is airports where you cannot rely on public transportation or traffic where I will leave longer e.g. LAX,LIM,CGK etc.

Jeannietx

Domestic flight at least two hours. International flight at least three hours.

I'm one of those weird people who enjoy airports.