How early should you arrive at the airport ahead of your flight? It’s an age-old question that is sure to divide opinions, with some travelers keen to get to the airport as early as possible and stalk out the boarding gate before the plane even arrives, while others will cut it as fine as possible.
If you fall in the latter camp, you’ve probably already heard of ‘airport theory’ – the viral TikTok trend that sees travelers trying to get to the airport as late as possible without missing their flight.
Airport Theory works on the idea that there’s no need to get to the airport any earlier than 15 to 20 minutes ahead of the time your flight is set to start boarding. If the theory works, you should be able to check-in, sail through the TSA security checkpoint, and get to your gate with maybe time to spare to pick up a pre-ordered Starbucks.
Like so many things in recent years, Airport Theory was popularized by social media, where travel-savvy influencers documented their last-minute journey through the airport.
These videos often feature time stamps in an attempt to prove that 15 minutes really is all you need to get through the airport, while some videos show how influencers have enjoyed the extra minutes in bed or at the gym before their flight.
Unfortunately, in the real world, some travelers are finding out the hard way that no matter what social media would try to convince them, Airport Theory is dicing with the prospect of rushing to your departure gate only to find the boarding doors closed and the plane already pushing back from the gate.
This flirt with danger is, however, proving to be a godsend for flight attendants and other airline employees who are desperately trying to use their generous flight benefits to fly somewhere for next to nothing.
The problem with this well-known benefit – often referred to as non-revenue or non-rev travel as airlines don’t make any money from it – is that off-duty flight attendants and airline employees only get to fly if there is a spare seat onboard.
And in the last couple of years, finding a spare seat has become increasingly difficult. Airlines have enjoyed record high load factors (the percentage of available seats occupied on any given flight), and aircraft fleet constraints mean they haven’t been able to add additional capacity to match demand.
When trying to fly non-rev, though, airline employees know that you have to be in it to win. In other words, even when the flight you are trying to get on is fully booked or even oversold, it’s still worth showing up at the boarding gate and seeing if Lady Luck will show you some fortune.
Sometimes, passengers misconnect or decide at the last minute not to travel. And now, passengers are gambling with Airport Theory. Airline employees could well be secretly hoping that your gamble doesn’t pay off and they snag your seat
So how early should you arrive to the airport? Well, if you want to follow official guidance, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warns passengers to arrive curbside at the airport no later than two hours before a domestic flight and a full three hours ahead of an international flight.
American Airlines shares the same recommended timings, while Southwest says passengers should be at the check-in counter for an international no later than an hour before departure.
The airline also suggests other arrival times for specific airports, depending on TSA availability and the size of the concourse. For example, Southwest warns passengers to get to Atlanta Hartsfield no later than two hours before departure, whereas passengers departing Columbus, Ohio, only have to arrive at the airport an hour before the plane is scheduled to leave.
JetBlue has a similar approach to airport timings, suggesting passengers arrive at the airport between an hour and two hours before departure for domestic flights, depending on the airport.
That might also be a good idea for ‘Airport Theory’ hackers to consider. Attempting to get through Chicago O’Hare in just 15 minutes is probably going to induce a lot more stress than West Palm Beach.
Of course, if you do try Airport Theory at Chicago O’Hare, there will likely be an airline employee eager to take your seat off you.
