Airport Check-in times for U.S domestic flights?

Question

Hi there, I'm Going to the U.S in a couple of weeks to the following places,

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York

I'm Just wondering How early do I have to be at the airport for domestic flights and what is the time for international flights.

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Answer 1

For international flights, it's recommended that you check in at least 2 hours before the flight departs, more if you're flying with a group or if you're flying out of a busy airport.

For domestic flights, the recommended time is 1.5 hours, but again - allow more time if you're at a busy airport or if you're flying in a group. It takes a while to get a lot of people checked in and through security. ;)

Answer 2

In LA, 3 hours before plane leaves, San Fransisco 3 hours also, Las Vegas- 2 hours and New York 3.5 hours....

Have fun!!! New York and LA are the ones to be there at least 3 hours, they are quite confusing and huge.

Answer 3

I personally would rather play it safe, than run the risk of missing your flight.  For International flights, arrive approx. 2.5-3 hours early, and for domestic flights, arrive approx. 1.5-2 hours early.  Bring a couple good books with you, or some other things to occupy your time if you have to wait around the airport for awhile.

Answer 4

Check with your air carrier regarding minimum "check in" times...however these only guarantee that they will check luggage and issue a boarding pass.

This does not guarantee that you will then clear security in time for your flight...and airlines will usually not hold a plane even if you've checked in at the terminal.

It is very helpful to allow as much reasonable extra time as your schedule allows, especially for your International flights.

In the USA, check the TSA website for average wait times, but be aware that these vary with the time of day and day of the week.

Have a great trip!

Answer 5

The airlines have a cut-off time of 30 minutes prior to flight time in order to check in (we almost missd it once).

To be safe, for domestic flights, we arrive at the airport between 1 hour to 1.5 hours prior flight time, which gives enough time to check in, and get through security lines.

For an international flight, I would arrive 2 hours before flight time.