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My husband and I don’t have too many arguments when we’re traveling. But one issue that frequently comes up is airport arrival time. My family does have TSA PreCheck, and my husband also has CLEAR.
Arrive as Late as Possible
My husband likes to arrive as late as possible to the airport, especially when he’s not checking a bag. For a flight from DFW airport, he starts with his flight’s boarding time. He backs it up around 45-60 minutes to get through security and walk to the gate, and then backs it up 30 minutes for his Uber pickup time. If he drives himself, he leaves earlier to arrive for parking. If it’s rush hour, he allows an additional 30 minutes for extra traffic.
If he’s flying out of Dallas Love Field, which has CLEAR, he cuts it even closer. He likes to arrive 30 minutes before the flight boards because getting through security with CLEAR at DAL is a breeze.
So generally, he likes to be in the airport for as little time as possible before his flight.
Arrive at Least Two Hours Early
I like to arrive to the airport at least two hours before the flight leaves, if not sooner, or at least 90 minutes before boarding time. I also allow more time for the drive to the airport. Why? I HATE to start a vacation stressed about missing a flight.
During our past trips, things have gone wrong to make us late. One trip, the highway was unexpectedly closed and we wasted precious minutes sitting in horrible traffic. On our trip to Hawaii in 2021, we forgot our vaccine cards and had to drive back home. Stuff happens.
I like to chill at the airport at the beginning of every trip. If we’re leaving from DFW airport, I enjoy going to the Capital One Lounge in Terminal D for a pre-flight meal or snack. Knowing I’m already where I’m supposed to be and just watching planes take off puts me in the right mood for vacation. Plus, the excitement level in Terminal D where the international flights depart is contagious.
Compromising
My husband and I usually have to negotiate our airport departure time before each trip. I always start with a really early time, knowing I will have to give some ground. But when all of us are traveling, usually he’s amenable to going early to eat in the lounge.
How do you handle airport arrival times? Is your family on the same page?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
In this blog author tell her husband’s story when he comes late on the airport. and many other qualities are mentioned by the author.
Early, every time. I like to arrive two hours before my flight departs. To me, 90 minutes is the absolute closest I’ll get, and that’s pushing it in my book. I much prefer to arrive early, which builds in chaos time in case something goes wrong on the way, and lowers the stress level.
The consequences of missing a flight, especially when our family is traveling for vacation and is usually at peak times, is far too great.
I think everyone should cut it to the last second. I’ll be standing at the desk waiting for an upgrade!!
My dad always had to be early everywhere, so I usually get to the airport gate with seconds to spare. We’ve been stuck in traffic, lost passports, etc.; however, we’ve only missed one flight which resulted in a bump to first class because the plane was sitting there still when we arrived. No sense in wasting too much of our short lives waiting.
If you’ve never missed a flight, that means you’re wasting your life waiting at the airports.
My husband and I are also on opposite sides. As a former travel agent, I know the perils of missing a flight or not arriving 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international flight. We have also experienced delays en route to the airport which only reaffirm my policy of arriving 2/3 hours before departure. Just the other day while visiting a friend in Palm Beach, I realized that I left my phone at his house. If I hadn’t had all the extra time, there would have been no way to go back and pick it up.
I also hate starting a trip with stress.
I always told my husband if he balked, that he could meet me at the airport but that if he missed the flight, I was getting on it without him. That usually did the trick. Now we have credit cards that get us into nearly all of the airport lounges, so waiting is a breeze. He finally gave up fighting me on this, but if he does- he can always leave later and meet me there….
In the big picture of life, with the early approach you either get a relaxing 2 hours in an airport lounge, with all contingencies avoided, or have a cushion to cover anything – and everything – that can and does come up. I’ll never forget our departure to Hawaii, 2 hours in advance driving to the airport only to find Interstate totally shut down … it happens … and 2 hours is nothing.
EARLY!!!!! I’d rather be sitting there waiting for the plane then rushing