Minimizing Time Spent in Airports

At Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) headed to Cancun. May 2007

One would think that going to the airport was one of my favorite pasttimes, considering the amount of flying that I do, but contrary to popular belief, I despise sitting in airports. Furthermore, if I stick to the arrive 2-3 hours at the airport prior to your flight, can you imagine how many hours I would spend in airports? Ick. As a result of my disdain for airports, I have a little system that reduces the amount of time spent in airports.

First things first, check in online. This is a no brainer. Checking in online means that you don’t have to wait in line when you get to the airport. If you print out your boarding pass you are two steps ahead of me. I always check in on my iPhone, so I print out my boarding pass when I get to the airport. By checking in in advance, you don’t have to get the airport as early. When traveling domestically you must check in 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure. And when they say 30 minutes they mean, 30 minutes. One time I got to the counter with 29 minutes left and they attempted to not let me on the flight. Nothing a little Carmen Sandiego charm couldn’t fix; I got on the flight, but don’t try that at home, kids. For international flights you must be checked in one hour prior to departure.

My rule of thumb is to arrive at the airport 45 minutes before a domestic departure and 90 minutes prior to an international flight. With these set times, I usually never have to wait at the gate. By the time I get there, they are boarding. Perfection.