3 Hour Check-In Before International Flights?
 

Travelocity told me today that the new timeframe for checking in 3 hrs. before international flights. Their website says 2. What do you think?

Go for 3. Better to be safe than sorry.

It depends on the airport, but I usually split the difference and allow 2.5. If it's CDG, it's safer to allow 3.

I called Continental for my flight tomorrow, and they said 2 hours at PIT, although that is not the international leg of the trip.

I am in total agreement with StCirq, though I usually err on the side of caution. Last Thanksgiving we were flying from JFK to CDG and the trip to JFK from Manhattan is problematic at the best of times. Since it was the night before Thanksgiving I allowed for a 2 hr trip to the airport and made it from the Upper West Side in 40 minutes, which gave us a liesurely 5.5 hours to spend in the terminal as the flight was also delayed.

Many airports and airlines have recommended times on their websites. The times can vary depending on day of the week and time of day.

Trust us on CDG, espec. Terminal 1 - you need all of 3 hours to reach the gate. Security check is a lo-o-o-n-g wait.

AlanM1 - well that was a good chuckle. For as many years I've flown out of JFK I always allow 1-hr from the Upper East Side and yet it rarely takes more than 1/2-hr. (the fastest I've made it was actually 17-minutes, more often only 25-min).

And even expecting traffic on Thanksgiving eve, I leave 2-hrs as you did; except these days, Thanksgiving eve begins on Wednesday, so it's usually wide open all the way to the terminal.

One never know, but I opt to be early and waste time at the airport, any airport, then to be running late and having to get thru security. If they say 3-hr. go with 3-hrs, but certainly no less than 2-1/2 hrs.

Depends on which airport, what time, how familiar you are with that airport, whether you have elite/premium status, and how many gate agents that airline has at that airport.

For example, if you're flying out of a hub airport, and that airline doesn't have many flights out of that airport, you may NOT find any agent there until about 1.5 hours prior to take off.

Or say you're flying out at 6:45am, like my parents do all the time from IAH. The airport isn't even "open" at 3:45am, and they don't let people through security until about 5:15am. So, there's no point getting there that early.

Just some examples, which may or may not apply to you.

Check with the airline. British Air says 2 hrs and apparently they are pretty serious. I got in line once 1 hr and 50 min prior to the flight. An attendent was writing the time we arrived on our ticket/e-tickets and told those of us who arrived just under the 2 hr time that we're supposed to be there 2 hrs before but since we were close she was noting it on the ticket. This was to help us since the check-in line was quite long. She said the people who showed up really late (don't know what really late is) for check-in would not be helped through (probably a security precaution).

Not sure where you are flying from, but if it is CDG you will most likely need all 3 hours. It was a little disheartening to see one of the world's largest airports attempt security measures in the most 'hokey' manner I have ever seen. I started to write some details about our experience, but it was starting to sound like a tirade and I thought I would spare all of you that scenario.

CDG ...definitly 3 hours! Grantop..you must mean the hand search before you even get to the ticket counter!

From the US it does depend on your departure airport...I'm in Orlando...and we ususally do need 3 hours...the lines are always long for international flights and intracontinental flights are mixed in if you are flying an American carrier. Then you have to take your luggage to another point for security check-in if you are checking in bags. Then you have to go thru personal security, it can really eat up the time!

Know your own airport!

Since I was so early to check in at Air France last Thanksgiving I was able to witness many irate passengers waiting for an earlier flight who were told that since the flight was overbooked and that they arived less than 2 hrs prior to boarding that they would be bumped to a later flight. It always amazes/amuses me to see people having a fit at these times, one woman screaming that she had never heard of such a thing as an overbooked plane and other people arriving with an hour or less to spare feeling that they should not be penalized as they were apparently special and did not feel that the rules applied to them. At least it used up some of my time watching the spectacle of my fellow sophisticated travelers.