What time should I get to the airport for a 6 am flight?

What time should I get to the airport for a 6 am flight? Ugh, 6 am flights…don’t even get me started! Seriously, the worst. I remember that one time I had a 7 am flight to Chicago – totally forgot to account for the extra time needed to find parking and then, like, navigate to my gate, and I practically had a heart attack. Nearly missed my flight! So yeah, for a domestic flight at that ungodly hour? I’d personally aim to be there by 4 am, maybe 4:15 am at the absolute latest.

They say two hours before is enough, right? Yeah, they say that. But have they ever tried navigating a packed airport at 5 am with a half-eaten muffin and a raging case of the Mondays? I haven’t, and I don’t want to either. That’s just cutting it way too close, especially for someone like me whose anxiety levels are already through the roof before any flight. You never know how long the security lines are going to be, especially that early in the morning when everyone is trying to grab the same early flights. Last time I flew out of LAX on an early flight there was a massive delay; like, it took forever to get through security. I think a family decided to have a full-on argument right in the middle of the line. It was insane.

Seriously, better to be a little bored at the gate with a lukewarm coffee than to spend the entire flight stressed out because you almost missed it. That’s my motto anyway. Plus, extra time means more time for people watching which, let’s be honest, is sometimes the best part of the airport experience. Unless they’re having a screaming match over lost luggage. Then it’s not so much fun.