How early do one get to airports in Europe???

I've flown within Europe fairly often and I've always tried to allow at least 2 hours. There have been some times when I haven't needed that much time at all, and some times when I've needed every second. I reason that I would rather arrive early and have to wait in the airport than to be stuck in traffic or something, nervously watching the minutes tick by and wondering if I will make it.

I wouldn't feel comfortable getting to an airport in Europe any later than two hours ahead of time. I think I'm usually there 2½ hrs before, but that often depends on the train schedule. Since trains tend to run every hour, and less than two seems too risky, I take the earlier train. If I were arriving at the airport by car, I'd plan extra time to allow for traffic delays getting to the airport, delays turning in the car, etc. I usually spend time (½ hr, maybe) waiting at the gate. In 2009 I came into MUC by bus from Freising about 2 hrs before and had plenty of time. If you are talking about flying home, it will take more time because you have to go through passport control again.

1 hr and 15 is generally good for me. Some airports and terminals may require longer - for example I am flying through Madrid terminal 4S on Tuesday and it is a long way from the main entrance so will require a little more time.

We always err on the side of caution! Departing out of Rome (FCO) we've had numerous adventures - see At the FCO Airport (Again) and Another Chaotic Morning at FCO. This is an airport we're always 2+ hours early - even for a domestic flight. For a transatlantic flight, we're 2.5 - 3 hours early. Just getting to FCO can be a challenge. As Lee says, you certainly have to include your "commute" to the airport in your time-frame. Conversely, we can get through Copenhagen (CPH) quite quickly. Almost all airlines here use the kiosk check-in's and you can even print your checked-baggage tags, drop and go – NO LINES! Because we know the airport so well, we're often there 1.5 - 2 hours in advance. Technology at FCO exists only in my imagination. We connect often at AMS and give ourselves some extra time as it's so spread out... and going from Schengen to non-Schengen (or vice-versa) at AMS can sometimes be intimidating when you're on a tight time frame. Not to mention my wife stops to shop when in Schiphol. And don't get me started on CDG – hands down the world's worst airport! I once had a check-in experience at CDG that took 2+ hours! I'd look at the airline recommendation and start from there. We've had "difficulties" at the Rome Airports, (CIA and FCO) despite flying 100+ times in an out. So gaining local knowledge of specific airports would probably be helpful.

That depends on the airport. Two hours for smaller, efficient airports like Vienna and Munich, although 30 minutes might be sufficient. Two hours for Amsterdam, efficient but spread out. More time for Frankfurt because of the second security checks, if they are still having those. Three hours for CDG and pray that the AP personnel are not staging a deliberate work slowdown, as opposed to their normal dragging pace.

Be careful of the 30 min advice. Some airports have a very strict to the second of a 45 min cut off for check in and that includes people standing in line. I would allow about the same time as US airports. For domestic flights two hours and international direct, three hours.

For intra-Schengen flights (e.g., no passport control, no secondary checks) 1h45 (but not less) is a safe bet if you have checked in online, printed a board pass and do not expect to be in a queue for a manned check-in agent. For transatlantic or extra-Schengen flights, I try to be at the airport AT LEAST 2h30 before flight departs. Some airports (LHR, FCO etc.) have secondary security checks for flight bound to US, Israel, India and a couple of other sensitive locations (terrorism).

My comment about 30 minutes was not intended to be taken literally. I was merely commenting on the efficiency of those airports, not advising people to wait until the last minute to arrive.

If you strictly mean flying from one Western European country to another of the same,I'd say 90-120 minute for any flight, with an added caveat: STAY ALERT for gate changes. But why wouldn't you look on your airline's site for their suggestion?

We had a 6 AM inter-European flight last year and were told to be at the airport at least two hours before the flight - a time frame suggested often on this web site. We arrived at the airport only to find out that the airline counters did not even open until 5 AM so we sat on the floor with our bags for one hour. Well, we were first in line when they did open. Never again well we schedule a 6 AM flight.

I usually do same as here 1 1/2 hours for domestic, three hours for international. I always, to the extent possible, check-in online, print boarding passes, carry-on only, and go straight to the gate. Which puts me there an hour, or more, before boarding (better than being late).

it really depends on the airport, some airports are so large they can take a lot of time just walking through, some are much smaller and you can get through everything quickly. Generally speaking 1-2 hours early, giving more time for the large busy airports.

We have always lived by our 3 hour rule when leaving Europe. Where things start to go down hill is when you can't check in on line and when you have to check a bag. This happened to us a month ago flying back from Brussels. We were effected by the transit strikes in Belgium and we arrived with less than 2 hours to spare. Husband got chosen at random to be searched, making it impossible to check him in on line. The check in line for Delta was a 1.5 hour wait. They didn't like the 2 lb bronze goat head in our check in bag (didn't think that one thru too well, I guess it could be used as some sort of weapon). We rushed to our gate with not too much time to spare as the agent took 20 minutes inspecting husband and bag. We arrived 2 hours early for Venice airport, which RS brags is an easy airport to get in and out of. Since we had a bag to check, once again, check in line was the hang up. An hour wait in that line. Once we passed that, it was a breeze but panic does set in at a certain point, if you are not familiar with the airport. In Paris, my hotel owner and shuttle driver, both said 3 hours, at least. Why add more stress to your travel day? just get there early. You don't know what unexpected hassles you may stumble upon.

Three hours. Anything else is nuts, even if you know the airport cold.

I always advise 3 hours, especially for a trans-Atlantic flight with the need to get a boarding pass, etc. For inter-European flights, 1.5 hours is good. Now, if you are talking about flying on the 1st day of summer vacation in whatever city you are flying out of, all bets are off, get there early as the airport will be packed! Good reason to check holiday schedules for the countries and cities you will be visiting. They will all be different. Flying on slow days, like a Tuesday will be different than a Fri., Sat. or Sun.

In the original question Joseph said, "Flying within Europe". I took that literally to mean from one European country to another, so in my earlier post recommended 2 hours. If flying to or from the US, 3 hours should be allowed.

I agree with D. D. and Jo. I read it as a translant.

I always arrive two hours early at the smaller airports but agree with three hours for the big ones. Even so, I have had the same experience as Charlie: Arrive two hours early and wait well over an hour for someone to arrive to check us in and run the security operation. That was the case at Vienna for a transatlantic flight, where we were first in line for about an hour. At Munich, despite a line, we went through in about 15 minutes, less for Luxembourg. So, I prefer the smaller airports when I have that option. But I would rather sit and wait at the gate than risk missing the flight.

I agree that you should err on the side of allowing too much time. In even some relatively small airports I have experienced some exceedingly long check-in lines.

If flying out of CDG(Paris) back stateside,, allow three hours,, seriously. When flying from CDG to another Schengen country,, allow 2,, but you could probaly manage on 1.5

Inside EU 2 hours. International flights 3.