The best way to avoid missing a flight is to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to check in, get through security, and find your gate before boarding time. But how early is early enough?
I’ve flown all over the world, and by planning ahead and following some general guidelines, I’ve never missed a flight (yet).
The general rule of thumb is to arrive at the airport 2 hours early for a domestic flight or 3 hours early for an international flight. If you follow that guideline, you can virtually always be confident that you’ll make it to your gate on time.
However, depending on your situation and the time and location of your flight, it’s sometimes a good idea to give yourself a little extra leeway. On the other hand, for some trips, arriving 2 hours early just means you have to sit in the airport for an hour and a half.
So, how early should you actually get to the airport? As with most things, the answer is “it