Traveling with kids? Mai 08, 2022 Travel share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest Email Share... According to Kayla Voigt FamilyVacationist.com “How early should I get to the airport?” Over the years, I’ve found there are essentially two camps when it comes to this question: those who live for the adrenaline rush of making a run for it through the terminal and those who make a point of arriving comfortably early. But how early you should arrive at the airport isn’t that cut and dried. A lot of factors come into play, like the time of year, when your flight departs, if you’re checking a bag, if you’re flying domestic or international and if you’re flying with kids. Here’s everything you need to know about how early to get to the airport so your family vacation doesn’t run into turbulence before you even leave the terminal: How early should I get to the airport for a domestic flight? Domestic flights generally allow more wiggle room for arrival times, since there’s less paperwork and you may be flying out of a smaller airport. But the general rule for domestic flights is to arrive one to two hours ahead of time, especially when traveling with kids. “We tend to arrive two hours early, just so we’re not completely stressed out,” says Lindsey Daigle, a travel photographer, blogger and mother of six. Daigle’s family travels by air at least once a month. “With younger kids, it takes more time to go through bags and through security. And with kids, you just never know when someone’s going to decide that that’s the moment they have to eat something or go to the bathroom.” KIDS ON PLANES: What you should know before booking a flight for unaccompanied minors When determining how early to get to the airport, another factor is how busy the airport tends to get – and whether that may lead to congestion in security and other checkpoints. Some of the busiest domestic airports include Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver. Airports that serve any of the top family vacation spots in the U.S. also tend to be busy. If your flight takes off from a busy airport, you may want to build in more of a buffer. Even veteran travelers experience delays when they don’t expect them. “I’ve flown in and out of Jackson Hole several times this season and I’ve arrived much earlier than usual because they’re just so understaffed,” says Regan Cleminson, aka The Venture Travelist, a veteran travel blogger. “You would think that because the airport is so small, it’s a breeze, but especially with more gear like my ski bags, you do have to get there earlier.” If two hours seems like it’s too early to get to the airport for you and your crew, there are a few ways to expedite the process. Prep your family ahead of time for what to expect. Check in online. Sign up for TSA PreCheck or other security services like Clear that let you bypass lines. Know what can and can’t be brought through security, especially liquids like formula, breast milk and other baby travel essentials. If you can swing it, invest in premium seats which usually have shorter check-in lines. “It definitely varies based on your home airport and the time of day you’re flying,” says Willis Orlando, a senior product operations specialist at Scott’s Cheap Flights. “If you’re flying first thing in the morning or late at night, you can cut those numbers down a bit, but I’d still give myself two hours because you don’t want to get caught in a long line or something unexpected.”
