How many hours before the flight should we be at the airport?

The answer to this question depends on several factors, each of which we will examine separately.

Domestic flight or international flight

In response to the question of how many hours to be at the airport before the flight, we must first divide your trip into domestic and international flights, because the steps you go through at the airport are different in these situations. For example, you will not need to have your passport checked on domestic flights, which can delay you for a few minutes. That is why generally when Airfare If you buy a domestic flight, you must be at the airport 2 hours before the flight, and up to 4 hours when it is an international flight.

Keep in mind that this time is allocated to the time you have to spend at the airport. Therefore, the time of your journey from home to the airport should be estimated according to the amount of traffic that may be on your way.

Big or small airport

Have you ever walked into an airport and felt like you were in another city and confused? This issue is more visible at the destination airport and when you want to take a flight back to your city. Imagine entering a large airport Istanbul Airport Or have you been to Singapore Airport? Everything in this airport is different from what you have seen before. The bigger the airport, the longer the routes you have to travel.

So if you don’t like to go from one side to another in these airports and endure stress, it is not bad to get information about it before going to the airport and finally adjust your time so that you are not in a hurry when you arrive at the airport. .

Busy or quiet airport

Airports are not always the same. For example, on holidays it is normal for the airport to be more crowded, so if your flight is on a holiday, it is better to leave for the airport early with this in mind. On the other hand, the airport is usually quieter in the middle of the week, however, you should not postpone your departure for 90 minutes. In the following, we will tell you how much time each stage of your stay at the airport takes on average.

Checking luggage and the number of people 20 minutes

Your luggage must be checked upon arrival at the airport. Although this is done only when the luggage passes through the scanning machine, if the airport is busy, you will have to wait in long queues. This checking depends on the number of luggage you have and the number of people you are. If you are traveling in a group, have small children, or have more luggage, always expect this step to take longer.

If you travel in private, the duration of the physical inspection may only take 5 minutes, and if it is crowded, you may wait even up to half an hour. Therefore, consider an average of 10 to 20 minutes for this step. Shorter time is required for domestic flights and more time for international flights at this stage.

Print tickets at the kiosk 5 minutes

When you buy your ticket online, you usually don’t need to physically hold the ticket; By scanning the barcode of the ticket, you will go through many work steps.

Today, various airline sites and applications allow you to check in online, and this will take you several steps forward. When you check in online, you only need to go to the counter to get your boarding pass and check in your luggage. Therefore, if you arrive later, there is no rush and you will not need to stand in line.

If you don’t have luggage or baggage to check in, you can go to passport control with the flight card provided online and get to the flight faster. In this case, you will skip the step of going to the flight counter and this will save a lot of time.

Maximum allowed load on domestic and foreign flights

The maximum allowed baggage on foreign and domestic flights may be different depending on the type of airline, but usually with an economy class ticket up to 30 kg (one piece of luggage), with a business class ticket up to 40 kg (two pieces of luggage) and with a first class ticket The maximum is up to 50 kg (two suitcases). The amount of virtual baggage that you can take with you to the airplane cabin is 7 kg.

If you want to know more about this, we recommend this article The cost of excess baggage and the amount of baggage allowed by airlines read the

Prohibited items on the plane

Be sure to list before the flight Permissible and non-permitted aircraft equipment read the The list of prohibited items on the plane includes the following:

Liquids more than 100 ml
Sporting Goods
Sharp and winning equipment
Tools
Incendiary devices
Consumer products such as fruit and meat
Plastic or non-plastic explosives
Types of poisons

Passport control 20 minutes

After having the flight card in hand, you must go to the passport control stage; Where you present your flight card and passport and pass through the gate. The duration of document control on foreign flights is out of your hands because it depends on how busy the airport is, the number of passport check counters and other things.

So don’t think that you will get to your flight quickly with your boarding pass. Any time you arrive at the airport, you will not be allowed to fly until you pass this step. Finally, if you arrive at the airport at the last minute and the airport is crowded, you may miss your flight at this point.

Passing through airport security | 20 minutes

By this point, you have checked in your large luggage, got your boarding pass, and are about to enter the flight hall. At this point, you have to go through the last security of the airport, where both you and your luggage and the loads you take into the plane will be checked once again. At this stage, your belongings will be scanned again and sometimes you need to open your luggage so that they can see inside it.

Sometimes a very small device may be suspicious. Also, when you go through the TSA security gate, you have to take off your shoes, and taking them off and putting them back on can be time-consuming. So keep in mind that it may take 20 minutes from the time you pass through the gate until you reach the terminal of your flight. Consider this time more if you are traveling on vacation.

Go to flight gate and flight policies 20 minutes

After going through the airport security, you are almost at your flight and you don’t have time to miss the flight. Just find your flight gate and wait until you are ready to board. Of course, don’t be late with the idea that you are ready to board the plane whenever you go to this gate, because every airline waits for passengers for some time, and the plane is not going to be late because one of the passengers is late. This flight policy in airlines is different from each other, and the opening time of the domestic and international flight gates can include a 5-20 minute wait, but after that, when the domestic and international flight gates close, you will miss your flight.

The thing to be careful about is that these times are estimated on average for a medium-sized airport. In big airports, sometimes you have to travel from one place to another by bus inside the airport to arrive earlier. So estimate the time according to your destination, airport and the day you travel. Many airports consider various facilities and entertainment for the entertainment of passengers to spend the time while waiting for their flight with more pleasure and interest.

Get to the airport on time!

In general, if you have no luggage to check in, have checked in online, and are traveling at a leisurely time, arrive at the airport at least 45 minutes early for domestic travel and at least 90 minutes early for international travel. But if you want to go about your business safely at the airport and not be in a hurry, be at the airport 2-3 hours earlier for domestic flights and 3-4 hours earlier for international flights. Keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with sitting in the airport for a while waiting for your flight. It’s better than rushing into the airport and stressing out before your flight.

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Frequently asked questions about being at the airport before the flight