Getting to the airport: how early do I need to arrive and why?
Whether taking a short-haul trip across the Channel for a relaxing city break or jetting off to a far-flung destination for an exotic getaway, getting to the airport in good time to catch your flights is the first step to a successful and stress-free journey.
Deciding how early you need to arrive can be tricky. Though we never want to miss our flight (especially if we’re heading off on holiday), we also don’t want to waste hours and hours hanging around the airport spending money on expensive food and drink.
To help you find the perfect balance, and as part of our above-and-beyond service at Cachet Cars, we’ve compiled a quick guide to ensure you always get to the airport at the right time.
Destination
Your destination will significantly impact how early you get to the airport. If you’re flying to a long-haul destination like the US, China, Japan, South Africa, or Australia, you must get to the airport at least three hours before your flight. And if you’ve got a long flight ahead of you, you’ll want to start it stress-free, and that’s precisely what our executive airport transfers offer.
If you’re flying to a European destination like Italy, Greece, Germany, or France, two hours should be plenty of time to get through security and arrive at your departure gate. Meanwhile, travellers flying to British and Irish airports can arrive just an hour and a half before their scheduled departure time. Our executive airport travel includes a 24/7 point of contact, so if your flight times or travel plans change, we can accommodate changes.
Queues at the airport
You must arrive at the airport a few hours before your flight to allow time to check in, get through security, and walk to your gate. Queues at check-in can be very busy at peak times, especially if you’re traveling on a budget airline. Even if you’ve checked in online, the queue for the bag drop can take a lot longer than you think, so make sure you allow for unexpected delays.
The time it takes to get through security can vary dramatically between airports. It also depends on the time of day and the time of year you’re travelling.
Traffic
To ensure you reach the airport in time for your flight, you’ll need to think about potential delays that could affect your journey. If your route takes you along the motorway at rush hour, jams and heavy traffic can seriously impact your arrival time.
Book an executive car service to take you to the airport. Cachet office staff will be on hand to advise you on live traffic conditions, whatever the time of day, to make sure you reach the airport as quickly and comfortably as possible. Moreover, you won’t have to worry about organising parking on arrival at the airport with our door-to-door service. You’ll be dropped off outside departures to get straight on with your journey.
As @theplanetd says, if you want to avoid pre-flight stress: “Give yourself plenty of time to account for any unforeseen circumstances.” Waiting for an extra half an hour is preferable to missing your flight (or even worrying about missing your flight), so make sure you never cut it too fine.
