WSJ article- The math behind how early to get to the airport.

Interesting, thanks for sharing. I usually do the standard 2 hours for domestic and 3 hours for international. Using the guidance in the article, I’d need 2.6 hours for an international flight. I didn’t consider my airport (Tampa International) as a “major” airport since I’m very familiar with it and the walks to the gates aren’t really that long.

Carol, interesting article! I usually get there pretty early as I have to take a shuttle from Duluth to MSP, so I allow for travel time + delays. But still good to know.

BTW, I also wound up getting a subscription to WSJ as I noticed that have a special of $1 a week for one year for their digital edition. So thank you for that as well!

I almost always have a driver to get to me to airport, so am dropped off right where I need to be. Even with that, I still allow a full 3 hours for international, and over 2 hours for domestic, despite having Global/Clear. SEA is just such a mess most of the time, so I usually make sure I arrive in time and then go to the lounge to decompress. I had to fly weekly for 6 months (domestic) and then monthly after that until my mom passed, so I am not basing this off a few flights a year.

I just get to the airport early, hit the lounge and avail myself of the food and drink. I can just do without the stress of worrying about making it on time or large crowds.

Agree with JC as my airport is LAX. Basically Hell on Earth. Tries and tries and tries to improve. Sadly, never does. So I get there a minimum of 3 hours early. Any stress I might experience is soothed by an overnight flight. I use my venerable around the neck iPod and doze off listening to an audiobook or some classical music.

My calculation is based solely on what time we get up and are ready to go. I'd rather be waiting in the airport than at home nervously watching the clock.

Traffic to the ATL airport is a far more important factor, for me, than what happens in the airport. At any given moment, an accident could completely shut down the interstate(s). I often do take public transportation, but that too can be unreliable. We once had to get off and call an Uber when we heard an announcement that the train was running on a single track with long delays along the way. You can check the status of the train, but that's not always reliable either. Sometimes the app just says 'delays on the southbound red line' but not where the delays are. And unless I'm traveling before 10:00am on a weekday, the trains only run every twenty minutes. If flying internationally and taking public transportation, I have to factor in another 15-25 mins for a shuttle ride to the international terminal.

If traffic isn't a nightmare when I'm getting ready to leave, my ride can have me at the airport in fifteen minutes and once I'm there, with TSA Precheck or Delta Digital ID, I'm usually through pretty quickly, especially in the international terminal.

Never in this city would I take a chance and leave late. I'd rather cool my heels at the gate for an hour or two than be sitting on a stopped MARTA train or in traffic watching boarding notifications on my phone.

Never in this city...rather cool my heels at the gate for an hour or two than be sitting on a stopped MARTA train or in traffic watching boarding notifications on my phone.

Amen. If there is ever a time and place for Murphee's Law to kick in, it's trying to get to ATL when you are short on time.

My travelling companion is one of those who has to be compulsively early for everything, so we are always far more than three hours early. It does make for less stress.

Years ago I was flying with my sister and to get a ride we had to go almost ten hours early. You know, the time passed pretty well. I wouldn't choose to do it again though.

One evening last year I was on the main highway here that you take to the airport, and it was stopped completely for more than three hours. I couldn't stop thinking of all the people missing flights.

Hmmm, don’t know about that “subtract for a non-major airport”. Someone in our Facebook group who flew out on Wednesday said the lines for TSA were all the way to the next terminal. This was for Oakland airport, across the bay from SFO.

kayla.p, that feels very familiar to my experience with BOS! Sure, the T could theoretically get me there, but it's a tossup as to whether I'll get hit with a delay or a line will just melt down entirely. I have a domestic flight in a few weeks and not only is the Red Line running shuttles half of the way, the Sumner Tunnel is also going to be shut down for construction. I'm leaving my house super early just to give myself the best chance of arriving with 2 hours to get through security and to my gate.

..as my airport is LAX. Basically Hell on Earth.

That was not my experience for three recent trips - two international and one to the East Coast on Delta.

The trick for me was not arriving by car for two of the trips - I took the Flyaway bus from Union Station downtown. The third trip involved being dropped off by a friend - right in front of the Bradley international terminal.

I found the Bradly terminal to be serene in both cases, with absolutely no wait at the TSA Precheck line. Once beyond security, there were plenty of dining options and many places to sit. Departing from the satellite gates for a KLM flight to AMS was like waiting in a ghost town.

But the domestic flight on Delta was also easier than anticipated - the new Delta terminal is quite nice.

The one hassle was waiting for the friend to pick me up by car - that involved waiting on the outer ring, and that's where LAX really falls short - or at least the behavior of people behind the wheel jockeying for position at the curb. Hopefully the new people mover will help once it goes into service - but in the meantime the Flyaway bus is the solution for me.

I followed the general 3 hrs int'l and 2 hrs domestic guidelines and they worked for me - although there was some hedging on the long side due to the bus schedules.

Although, arriving at airports in Europe - recently Rome and Gdansk - was quite a different experience - Europe is decades ahead of most US airports in terms of transportation options.

I was doing pretty well until it said +60 minutes for traveling with young kids! All jokes aside, thankfully we are out of the toddler phase and while still fairly young, my kids are good travelers. We usually follow the standard 2hr/3hr guidelines, but it depends on the time of day and if we drive, get dropped off, or take light rail. The lounge has been a game changer for us, as means we can all eat before getting on the plane and have a bit more space while we wait.

I take the subway & Airtrain to JFK and the subway & SBS bus to LGA. We don’t have nor need a car. I rarely use a taxi, Lyft/Uber or car service. I allow 3 hours for international flights & 2 hours for domestic. Domestic flights departing 8 AM or earlier, I arrive 90 minutes early. I have TSA precheck & never check bags. We have an 8:15am flight to CDG in September. I am hoping we don’t have to arrive at 5:15am.

Andrea, your post reminded me of something that happened last fall. Protesters somehow thought shutting down the freeway in Seattle would bring about world peace. I'm just not sure about the cause-effect relationship there..... Anyway, I had dropped friends off at the airport prior to the shutdown, but was caught in the mess on the way home. Thankfully, I am a Seattle native and I know my way around the back streets. Even so, it took over an hour to get home instead of about 30 minutes. I couldn't help but think of the poor people sitting in their cars trying to get to the airport.

How can you ever plan for such odd events as this?

In late May I arrived at SeaTac two hours ahead of a domestic flight to Denver. I was through security and at my gate in about 30 minutes, maybe 45, but I spent the rest of my time cooling my heals in the concourse.

I thought the article made some good points. Thanks for posting.

I live about 12 minutes from the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. However, we are on the other side of the river, and when there's construction. . .let's say, we've learned to double check the night before the flight.

And, Carol, likewise, We have not had the greatest of experiences at Seatac. One time their train between the terminals broke down making it impossible to get to our gate. They tried to start busing people but the line was so long that flight crews even when given priority couldn't get to their flights on time. Then there's TSA, they simply do not have enough security checkpoints and I've been there when it was an 1.5 hours plus just to get thru security. Now, there is the ability to make an appointment for TSA which has made a huge difference. Until there was the appointments, no way would I count on making my flight if I got to Seatac 2 hours before my flight.

I was able to access the article without paying for it. BTW, if no one pays for the paper and expects to read if for free, how does the newspaper fund their operations? I am also wondering how one would know that it is National Inquirer journalism if they couldn't read it?

All you Atlanta people are making me feel good about my decision.

Basically, the stress of going home to see my parents now has me where I have to have all my wherewithal about me when I arrive in Oklahoma. So I have taken to breaking up my CDG-ATL-Tulsa trip home by staying in Atlanta overnight upon arrival in the States. That way I can go to a hotel, take a shower, get some sleep, and am much more resilient in the morning when I only have my Atlanta-Tulsa flight to do and have the energy to deal with my parents on arrival (which I was beginning to sorely lack with coming straight through. I would arrive in Tulsa just wanting to hide and rest, and of course my parents want to go go go once I arrive).

This costs more — not the flight. I have found i can get a flight for the same price with the stopover — but of course I have to pay for a night’s hotel in Atlanta. But I have decided this is the cost of my sanity.

So the first time I did this, I stayed in an off-airport hotel - took the shuttle there and back, and it was fine. Then the next time coming back to Paris, we had issues in Tulsa that made me miss my connection in Atlanta, so Delta put me up in an off-airport hotel. So shuttle to and from the airport, and that was fine too.

But when I went home in February, I stayed at one of the hotels at Gateway — i.e. accessible by that SkyTrain and a short walk. It was SO nice not to have to take the shuttle — but especially nice not to have to schedule around a shuttle in the morning. I.e. giving yourself extra time to try and make the four-times-an-hour shuttle in case the shuttle was late or had issues getting to the airport.

I bought tickets yesterday to go home in August and the Gateway hotel was of course more expensive than an on-airport hotel. But I decided it’s peace of mind. And with your talk of roadway or MARTA troubles, you are helping me feel better about my decision.

The other good thing I’ve discovered about taking a flight OUT of Atlanta (rather than transferring, as I have done for years) is the Atlanta airport’s “TSA Security Wait Times” page. I keep that saved on my Home Screen on my phone, and when traveling, keep an eye on it in the morning as I am getting ready at the hotel. It also helps ease my anxiety to have an idea of whether the security line (I have TSA Pre) is long, medium, or non-existent. Just having an idea of what to expect helps me deal.

As for the general article, I definitely subtract time when flying out of Tulsa, and add time when flying out of CDG. Unless there’s something really weird at Tulsa — like a couple of weeks ago, when apparently all the magnetometers went down and lines for security were through the airport ?? — it is FAST to get there, and FAST to get through security. And the concourses aren’t that long, so even when i am through security it takes no time at all to get to my gate.

LAX, I’ve flown out of there enough to know that the problem (besides whether there are freeway issues already ) is the stupid traffic to get through the terminals since EVERYTHING has to funnel through there. So yes I allow extra extra time to get out of there too. And plan my arrivals and departures around my brother’s advice as to what is least likely to be totally jacked up.

Thanks for posting, Carol.

Kim, That is a brilliant way to manage your going home. You arrive much fresher and ready to go!

I had to laugh at the Starbucks comment in the article. Last August when I flew out of Spokane I was dropped off exceedingly early as my brother had a commitment in the AM. The line for Starbucks was unbelievable. I have never seen slower baristas in my life so that is not a good location for novice employees!

Those of you who have to fly out of LAX have my sympathy. We flew from there on our trip to NZ and AUST and in the future, if a trip involves that airport, I will not be going.
I love ATL as a connecting airport but those who live in ATL have my sympathy any time they are trying to drive there. We did recently have a true miracle-we were driving through ATL at 10:30 AM on a weekday and all the lanes on both sides of us were completely empty!

I was able to access the article without paying for it.

Fascinating, as Spock would say, that some can and some of us cannot.

Carol, what do you classify as 'public transport' that you find it feasible to use get from Lynnwood to SEA?

Sometimes the ability to access is based on the number of articles a reader has already opened during a specified time period

I have never understood the 2 hr domestic and the 3 hr international thing. What’s with that? You are getting on a plane, you want to be at the gate in time. If you are on time, you are good. If you can do it in 2 hours, why back it up to three? All the delays at TSA, other lines, flight delays, changes, are all there no matter if you shoot for 2 or 3 hours. They have to be factored in anyway. Even if you back it to 4 hours.
So, there I am at 0400 for my international flight, but the checkin doesn’t open until 0600. What’s up?
What is the rationale for this one hour disparity? And is the rationale legit or are the airlines ballparking it?
Is it just for the airlines benefit to have everyone checked in earlier than maybe they would otherwise be for the airline convenience?
We lemmings want to know.

@Joe. I walk across the street from my house and catch the community transit bus to Lynnwood transit center. There I take the super quick/frequent Sound Express 512 to Northgate and board the light rail which takes me all the way to the airport. It will be even easier in a few months when the light rail opens all the way to Lynnwood. Most flights to Europe are late afternoon or evening departures so I have plenty of time to get to the airport. No parking fees and my car is happily safe in my garage. Did I mention the total cost to get the airport is $1.75 using this method?

I aim for 3 hours ahead of flight time as I’m always going on an international flight.
My DH drops me at the bus stop 5 minutes from our house, I get the bus , then transfer to our version of the metro and am walking into the airport in 40 minutes.
Going by car would be longer so we always take public transport.
I don’t mind waiting in airports if I’m early as I’m a curious people watcher.
Coming home from Europe I may get to my departing airport even earlier, given that they are bigger and busier.

+3 hours has saved my butt twice on "international" flights.

The first time was at Schipol when Iceland Air decided it was a bad day to fly, so they cancelled my flight. The herd and I stampeded over to the Delta desk, desperate to get a flight. Just my luck, a family of Russians ahead of my took longer to settle on which flight they wanted than I spent filling out the paperwork for my first mortgage. By the time I finally got my new ticket and bolted through security three times, I arrived at my flight with less than five minutes to spare. If I'd been any later to the airport, I think I would have missed my flight.

The second time was in Florence when the baggage handlers had a strike, mysteriously leaving only a single person working security. The line to get bags checked was at least a hundred people long, and each bag was taking about a million minutes. Then people were cutting in line because they were trying to get on a departing Swiss Air flight (the number of which seemed to exceed the capacity of an A-380), or pretending they were "Executive class" so they could go to the front of the line -- without having their credentials checked. Got through the line with about 15 minutes to spare before my flight boarded.

(weird side story: in Florence, we were herded onto a little bus to get to our plane. We waited on the bus for about 20 minutes, then the bus moved about 50 feet from the gate and delivered us at our waiting aircraft. I have no clue why we needed a bus to move us the length of a Sperm Whale, but I would have rather walked than sat on that broiling bus for a third of an hour).

-- Mike Beebe

I live an equal distance between ORF & RIC but I'd rather fly direct from IAD. The local train station is a block from the house, so I'll use Amtrak to get to DC Union Station and Metro to get to Dulles. Walk out of the house and depart Williamsburg at 6:01am and arrive at Union Station about 10am, then allow for 80 minutes for metro to Dulles. Most often I book UA918, which departs in the 5 or 6 o'clock hour.

The result is I'm pretty well padded for time. I'll kill an hour or so at Union Station, grab a coffee and sit and relax, then go down to the Red Line station and switch to the Silver Line at Metro Center to Dulles. Drop off checked bag. Go through security, then the long trek to the C/D Terminal and go to a lounge.

Yeah I'm probably at the airport with easily 4 hours to spare, but I'm not sweating it. I can deal with a hiccup. If a Metro train looks full I can skip it and wait for the next one in a few minutes. I've never been to the check-in desk -- always check-in online with mobile boarding pass -- but I've got time if I need to. Never spent more than 5 minutes total waiting in line and going through TSA, but again I'm okay with time. I seem to miss the various rushes.