How Early Should You Get To The Airport?

It’s one of travel's most divisive subjects; just how early should you get to the airport?

The organised traveller insists it’s hours in advance, while more relaxed passengers seem happy to saunter into a queue following the very last call to board. But the indisputable fact is that a lack of planning and consideration of schedules at the beginning of any journey can run the risk of you missing your flight and tarnishing your holiday. If you’re unsure just how early you should be arriving at the airport, here are a few things you should consider.

Where are you flying to?

Whether you're flying domestically or internationally greatly alters the timings of your airport arrival. A good guiding principle are check-in closure times: most domestic flights close check-in counters 30 minutes before departure and 60 minutes prior to international flight departures. Your arrival time at the airport should therefore be, at least one hour in advance of domestic flights and at least two hours in advance of international routes, with additional time advised to help cushion any unexpected delays such as potential bottlenecks at security, manual check-in that requires bag drop and time taken to traverse the airport itself. If it's an airport you're unfamiliar with, a further chunk of additional time should be factored in. (See below!)

Check-in on Qantas domestic flights closes 30 minutes before departure; it's recommended you check-in no later than 45 minutes prior to your flight.
Check-in on Qantas international flights closes 90 minutes before departure; it's recommended you check-in no later than two hours prior to your flight.

Read these helpful guidelines for when to arrive at the airport before domestic and international flights.

Where are you flying from?

Airports vary wildly in size and structure so don’t ever assume you can get to your gate in a few strides. Munich’s Franz Josef Strauß Airport, for example, requires a shuttle to take you between some gates, while the walk between Terminal A-West and Terminal E at Philadelphia International Airport clocks in at 1.7 kilometres. More time is always better than less, so allowing an additional half hour to get from A to B (or check-in to gate) is worth building into your arrival time.

By arriving at the airport with plenty of time before your flight, you'll be able to enjoy some duty-free shopping, now with the added reward of earning 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on eligible products purchased in-store or online at Lotte Duty Free. Find out more.

Are you checking in online?

Online check-in is widely available to passengers and eliminates additional time spent in a queue, so if you’ve got a seat and a ticket, you can probably safely shave off a little extra time spent at the airport.

Qantas online check-in opens 24 hours before departure time, closing 30 minutes before domestic departures and 90 minutes before international departures. Download the Qantas App for an even easier check-in process.

Do you have baggage?

Add extra time to your schedule if you’re travelling with baggage. Even if you don’t have to check in, you’ll have to drop your bag at a counter (Qantas has speedy self-service bag drop counters at all domestic airports, as well as international departure terminals in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth).

What time of year is it?

Think you’re the only one heading off for a break? Think again. It stands to reason that if you’ve decided to make the most of the October long weekend, so have many other people. Busy times of the year include school holidays, long weekends, Easter and Christmas (with late June and eearly July experiencing a notable peak, too). If you’re travelling at these times, it’s advisable to add an extra half hour for safety.

Who are you travelling with?

If the family is in tow, it pays to arrive a little earlier. Ferrying several people through check-in, security and the airport in general certainly adds more than minutes to your transit time. Also, if you’re at the gate when boarding begins, you’ll benefit from the family-first rule – where those with children are called to board with the initial cohort – allowing for a less stressful boarding experience.

Which class are you travelling in?

If you’re travelling in Business or First Class, you’ll want to get to the airport early for an entirely different reason: to spend as much time luxuriating in a lounge as possible.