It seems like there’s always some kind of holiday approaching, and hopefully a vacation to go along with it. Regardless of how long you have until you leave, right now is always the best time to prepare for busy airports, long lines, and the frustrations that always go along with flying. What’s our best advice to help you cut down on the frustration and lower your at-the-airport stress levels? Get there early.
Arriving at the airport early may very well be the most important thing you can do when flying during the holiday seasons. There are certain exceptions at some airports or airlines if you arrive late. If you’ve missed your flight because you got a flat tire, you run into a huge traffic jam, or you get into a car accident (heaven forbid) on the way to the airport, your airline may let it slip by using the so-called “flat tire rule.” If you’re lucky and they let you invoke this rule, they’ll let you to take a later flight without incurring a financial penalty. However, don’t ever count on them letting you do this, because you just never know whether or not they’re going to have an understanding attitude toward you and your situation.
Even if they let you invoke the “flat tire rule”, you still need to keep in mind that many, if not most, flights are completely full around the biggest holidays. If you miss your original flight, it’s probably not going to be easy getting on another one within a reasonable amount of time. Car trouble can also be a major problem when traveling to the airport. Since car trouble is essentially your fault (it’s definitely not the airport’s fault), airlines aren’t going to have much incentive to go out of their way to help you out. If there is a situation that’s the airport’s fault, then those passengers and travelers who were bumped because of that situation and who must be rescheduled due to maintenance or other problems (or other issues within the airline’s control) are probably going to have priority over you.
So how do you save yourself from these horrible experiences? Simple – arrive early. Or at least leave your home early. That way you’ll have some leeway time in case something happens along the way. Also, most airlines recommend, or even require, that you check in 90 minutes early for domestic flights, and two hours early for international flights. However, for holiday travel you should probably arrive even earlier, because you’re going to run into long lines at both check-in and security, so please plan accordingly.