Everyone seems to have their own philosophy (and social media “airport theory”) about airport arrival times, and honestly, there’s no definitive answer. I, personally, typically arrive an hour and a half to two hours before my flight, but I also rarely check a bag, and I have TSA PreCheck, which helps speed things along.
Still, when I fly during peak travel times, even I like to leave myself a little extra time. During the holidays, airports are more crowded, which means longer lines for basically everything, and I’d rather get through security a little early and wander the airport terminal than sweat through my layers, stressing about whether I’ll make it to my gate in time.
Most airlines recommend arriving 2 hours before your domestic flight departure time or 3 hours before your international flight departure time.
The Transportation Security Administration recommends following your airline’s guidance because “times may vary depending on the airport and date of travel.” The agency also has a mobile app that will let you see estimates of security screening wait times.
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When airports are crowded, you also don’t want to be a “gate camper,” sprawling out with all your stuff hours before your flight and taking precious seats from other festive season travelers.
Travel journalist Christopher Elliott recommends adding an extra hour to your regular airport arrival window for the holidays, but says anything more than that is excessive and unnecessary.
So what’s the right time to arrive? It depends on your risk tolerance, comfort navigating the airport, and how crowded the facilities you’re going to use are likely to be. But if in doubt, follow the airline’s guidance and maybe add a little extra padding to your schedule. The holidays are definitely not the time to test the 15-minute arrival airport theory.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How early do you need to arrive at the airport in December?