Do we really need to get to the Grenada airport at 4:40 AM?
 

Our flight coming home leaves Grenada at 4:40 AM - yes, that early. We always arrive at the airport three hours before our plane's departure time. We have it scheduled to drop off our car at 4 AM in the airport area and then go wait in line to check in at Air Jamaica's counter. Our flight leave at 7:40 AM from Grenada. Does anyone know if they actually have staff behind the counter three hours before the flight?

Your post is a bit confusing, first you say your flight home leaves Grenada at 4:40AM then you say it leaves at 7:40 AM - which is it? By the way, if your flight actually leaves at 4:40AM and you are scheduled to drop your rental car off at 4PM you probably won't have time to make the flight.

I'll assume you actually mean your flight departs at 7:40 AM. How early you have to be at the airport is dictated by the airline you are flying so I'd call them to get the "correct' answer. FYI - Some airlines require that you actually be "checked-in" by a certain time prior to departure.

Normally, you'll be fine arriving at the airport 1.5 to 2 hours prior to scheduled take-off (especially if you have an early morning flight).

Sorry, can't answer your question about what time the ticket counter for your airline will be open but generally the "major airlines" have people there at least 2 hours before flight time so if you have a 7:40AM then I suspect the ticket counter may be staffed sometime between 5AM and 5:30AM.

I meant to type in 7:40AM. We always try to get there 3 hrs ahead of time for our retrun flights which would be 4:40AM but that seems a bit early to me. When we get to Granada I'll have to ask the people there if we could get by with arriving at 5:30AM.

The hurry up and wait mentality that permeates air travel in the post 9/11 era is extremely irksome. My home airport is Calgary, Alberta and there is U.S. customs pre screening there. They refuse to pass anyone unless their flight is less than 3 hours away. I have been in lineups full of people 4 to 5 hours before their flight. Don't these people realize they are screwing up the people who subscribe to the 1-1/2 hour for domestic and 1 1/2 - 2 hour for international unofficial rule. As for Grenada, I'm sure at an airport of that size 1 to 1 1/2 hours would be more than sufficient. It's not like its ORD or someover airport of that scale.

p.s.
I'm pretty sure the Grenada airport is locked up pretty tight at 4:40 a.m.

not really
they open at 4:30 AM.