With the vagaries of airport security and airlines’ increasing strictness on check-in times, regular travelers know they want to arrive at the airport as early as possible.
But sometimes stuff happens, and at some point you realize you’ll be cutting it close.
Here are some tips for those times.
1. Try to check in online and print a boarding pass. While airlines say you must be at the gate 30 minutes in advance, in reality they can’t tell if you’re there until they have or have not scanned your boarding pass at the gate. And if you’ve checked in for a domestic flight, they don’t give seats away until 15 minutes prior to departure, whereas a reservation that doesn’t show as checked-in may be canceled 30 minutes or more prior.
International flights cut off sooner, usually an hour prior to departure for check-in, and 30 minutes prior for actual boarding.
2. If you’ve got checked baggage and a rental car and are traveling with another person, consider dropping one person off with the bags while you return the car. I’ve done this myself in Hawaii after getting caught in a traffic jam. Checked luggage cut-off times are usually at least 15 minutes earlier than check-in times.
Even if it means higher bag fees for one person to check both bags, it will probably be cheaper than missing a flight.
3. Be willing to spend more money on getting to the airport. If you’re running a bit late, it’s probably not the time to go with the shuttle that makes stops, or the bargain service. Personally, I’ve had good luck with UberX, but sometimes they may have a longer wait time than a cab.
In fact, earlier this month I had a client miss a flight to China because she turned down a taxi to save money and ordered an UberX. It took a few minutes, plus she ended up with a new driver and got to the airport 55 minutes before departure. United denied her boarding.
4. Have a backup plan. I’ve heard and read about travelers who are expecting a ride that doesn’t show up. Whether it’s a friend or not, at some point it may be better to make a phone call or use an app to find alternate transportation. (Note, this doesn’t mean blow someone off hours in advance. But patience is not always a virtue.)
5. If you have a travel agent, call them. An agent can tell you if there’s another flight with space in case you miss yours, and if the flight is even on time. Maybe you’ll be lucky and your original flight will be delayed. If you have a favorite travel booking app, you may be able to find out that information as well.
6. Don’t be afraid to politely talk to someone at the airport about getting through the lines faster. No one has to let you jump in front, but I’ve had clients have good luck on occasion when it’s been important and they’ve asked for help. (Note, the DYKWIA — “Do you know who I am” — technique is likely to get you nothing but a glare.)
7. Finally, if you do just make a flight, be sure to check with the airline or your agent to make sure the system hasn’t recorded you as a no-show and canceled your return. Unfortunately, this happens more than you’d think.
And the time to get a false “no-show” fixed is as soon as possible after you’ve flown the outbound, before the return sells out and your seat assignments disappear. Or worse, you could discover your return is canceled when you’re trying to make your return flight.
Although, after almost missing a flight, you’re going to make an extra effort to be early the next time, right?
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
