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Arrival Times

Hello, this will be my 2nd trip to Europe but my first time using planes instead of trains to get from one city to the next. I know that when taking international flights, it's usually smart to arrive 3 hours before your departure and for domestic, about 2. With flights within Europe, about how long should I give myself to arrive at the airport. I will be flying from London to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Munich, and Munich to Barcelona. Thank you.

Posted by
7054 posts

Each carrier will spell this out so refer to your ticket or the airport's website for check-in information.

Posted by
4088 posts

If you are using so-called budget airlines, use the advance on-line check-in service where available. It will speed things up and could avoid heavy extra fees at the gate. These airlines spell out their requirements clearly on their websites, and then enforce their rules pretty strictly. easyJet, one of the biggest, for instance, will let you check in weeks in advance and pay luggage charges ahead of time too. And the company allows one bag as carry-on which means ONE: not a bag plus a purse plus a computer. Details for other lines will differ so read each site thoroughly.

Posted by
23626 posts

Except for very small airports with six flights a day, I still find that two hours, maybe an hour and a half , is still required for even discount airlines. The big unpredictable jam will always to be security. With unfamiliar airports I would do two hours as min.