How early to arrive at airport for European travel?
Dec 22nd, 2003, 11:16 AM
#1
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How early to arrive at airport for European travel?
We are flying British Airways in May from London Gatwick to Munich, then back from Rome to London. How far in advance do we need to arrive at each airport prior to departure? (The BA site says check-in one hour in advance for London flights to European cities.) Thanks! I am not sure on security, etc. in those airports.
Dec 22nd, 2003, 12:16 PM
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One hour seems too close a shave. Check in at Gatwick and Heathrow can be really hectic, and as we see in today's post about BA, the airline is not the best at handling mix-ups or questions. You could hit an especially busy day with slow check-in, long lines at security and a flight leaving from the gate at the far end of the terminal. Too much stress to try and squash all that into an hour.
90 minutes is a safer bet.
90 minutes is a safer bet.
Dec 22nd, 2003, 12:55 PM
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One thing to keep in mind - when the airline says check in 1 hour in advance they don;t mean get to the airport 1 hour in advance. They mean get to the counter 1 hour in advance. You definitely need to leave yourselves some time for waiting on line to get to the counter - especially if traveling on a weekend or holiday.
Dec 22nd, 2003, 12:59 PM
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To date, security for travel between cities in Western Europe is not as tight as it is for flights to the United States. The contrast in Munich is relatively great. For our flight to Helsinki, security was mostly x-ray and a once over. For the flight to the US we were x-rayed thoroughly, pat searched, and our luggage was gone through fairly closely.
As pointed above, the procedures can change. Once incident in Europe, and the procedures can change quickly.
As pointed above, the procedures can change. Once incident in Europe, and the procedures can change quickly.
Dec 22nd, 2003, 01:58 PM
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When I was last in Munich they had the "bomb machines" stationed BEFORE you got to the check-in and since I was traveling within Europe there didn't seem to be as much "inspection" activity. On the other hand when I recently left Amsterdam returning to the US (and the "machines" were before the check-in counter there, also, my luggage was machined, then I was questioned, and then my checked baggage was hand searched (probably because I had on a motorcycle jacket and looked like some sort of "outlaw biker." I had arrived 2 1/2 hours early but it all went smoothly. I agree that 90 minutes is the minimum I would arrive. At Heathrow last month the check-in was an absolute MOB scene so plan accordingly.
Dec 22nd, 2003, 03:50 PM
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I hate spending any more time than necessary in airports, but Gatwick and Heathrow are NOT the places to cut it close. You might breeze through and have an hour to spare, or you might encounter a mob scene with 40 people ahead of you in every line. After one experience like that, I leave myself an extra half hour departing London.
Dec 23rd, 2003, 06:20 AM
#10
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Thanks all! We haven't booked our flights yet, since we wanted to plan our departure time based on how early we need to get to the airport. Now we feel comfortable with timing. Happy Holidays!
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