When to show up at the airport has gotten complicated with all the conflicting advice flying around. Your airline says one thing, your anxiety says another, and that one friend who cuts it way too close always has a horror story. I’ve been on both sides — sprinting through terminals and also sitting at gates for two hours with nothing to do — so here’s what actually works.
Domestic Flights
The standard rule: 2 hours before departure. This gives you time for check-in, bag drop, security, and a bathroom break without breaking a sweat. I stick to this for any airport I’m not intimately familiar with.
With TSA PreCheck: 90 minutes is usually plenty. I’ve shaved a solid 20 minutes off security with PreCheck at most airports, and honestly it’s the best $78 I’ve spent on travel. If you fly more than a couple times a year and don’t have it yet, just do it.
Holiday travel: Add 30 minutes to whatever you’d normally plan. I made the mistake of treating the Wednesday before Thanksgiving like a normal Tuesday once. The security line at ATL wrapped around twice, and I was genuinely worried I’d miss my flight. Lesson learned the hard way.
International Flights
Three hours is the baseline. Document checks, longer lines, sometimes secondary screening — it all takes more time than domestic. I flew to London last year and thought 2.5 hours would be fine. It was not. Probably should have led with this — international travel has extra steps that eat clock faster than you’d expect.
If you’ve got a complicated itinerary with connections or visa requirements, pad it even more. Better to spend an extra half hour in a lounge than to be that person arguing with a gate agent about why the door should reopen.
The Worst Times to Fly
Monday mornings and Friday evenings are brutal at most airports. Business travelers flood the system, and security lines reflect it. Sunday afternoons are sneaky bad too, especially at hub airports where everyone’s heading home from weekend trips.
That’s what makes off-peak flights endearing — Tuesday afternoon departures feel like a different universe compared to Friday at 5pm. If your schedule allows it, avoid the rush windows entirely.
One last tip: check your airline’s app for real-time security wait estimates before you leave the house. Most major airlines show this now, and it’s genuinely useful for deciding whether you need to speed up your morning routine or can stop for coffee on the way.
