Should I arrive 2 or 3 hours before flight?

Should I arrive at the airport 2 or 3 hours before my flight?

Three hours… yeah. Dragging myself out of bed that early. It’s always dark still. Remember that flight to Rome last year? Got there three hours early. Just sat there. So much time. Almost missed the boarding call, ironically.

Staring at the ceiling now. 2:47 AM. Flight’s at 6. Could probably get away with two hours. But… that feeling. That rush. Hate it.

Rome. Should’ve stayed longer. Just a week wasn’t enough.

• Three hours is the standard. For international. Always.
• Check-in, security, passport control. It all adds up. Especially with long lines.
• Two hours might be okay. Domestic, sometimes. Smaller airports. Off-season.
• My anxiety wins. Always three hours. Even if it’s boring.

The coffee there is awful. Five euros for a lukewarm cup. Rome. Maybe next year.

Is 2 hours enough time to get through the airport?

Two hours? Ha! Unless you’re a greased lightning bolt, forget it. More like a minimum of three, maybe four if you’re prone to existential crises in the security line. It’s a madhouse, I tell ya! A zoo! A particularly chaotic mosh pit of stressed-out travelers.

Think of it this way:

• Security: Picture a line longer than the Great Wall of China. Nope, seriously. My cousin, bless his cotton socks, once waited an hour and a half just to get his shoes scanned.
• Bathroom Breaks: Nature calls. And it’s always at the absolute worst time. And the lines? Even longer than security. Prepare for a bladder-bursting experience.
• Gate Changes: Airlines love a good surprise gate change. It’s their favorite game. They’re just messing with you. Seriously, my flight to Orlando last year had THREE gate changes. Three!
• Finding your gate: You’d think after that you’d be good at finding your gate, right? WRONG. Airport layouts are designed by sadists who enjoy watching people run frantically.

My personal best? Four hours, and I still almost missed my flight to Barcelona. Don’t risk it. Three hours is the bare minimum, four is luxurious, and five? Five is for the truly paranoid – which, let’s be honest, you should be. 2024 is no joke. This is not a drill.

Do you still need to arrive 3 hours before a flight?

Nah, three hours is way overkill, unless you’re, like, super clumsy and always lose your boarding pass or something. For my flight to Denver last month, two hours was totally fine, even with the long security line. Domestic flights? One and a half to two hours is plenty, trust me. International is different though – I’d still aim for three hours, just in case. You know, airports are crazy busy sometimes. Crazy busy. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially with international flights! So yeah, depends on the flight, really.

• Domestic: 1.5 – 2 hours before departure.
• International: 3 hours before departure.

My friend, Sarah, almost missed her flight to London last year because she only gave herself two hours – total chaos! She was running around like a headless chicken. Avoid that, okay? She almost missed her connection too! So yeah, heed my advice. Don’t be like Sarah. You’ll thank me later. Airports, they are hectic places man.