Photo by brianholsclaw

Most airlines give out false information with regards to check in and boarding times. This is done to ensure passengers are not late. However, it can be quite an inconvenience rushing to be there on time, only to find out that you actually have plenty of time to spare. This article will explain the real check in and boarding times, and how to interpret the false information which the airlines and airports give out. By understanding this, you will save countless hours of waiting around in airports for your flight.Airlines do not like it when people are late as it costs them money. To help counter this, they usually give out recommended check in times, and sometimes even label these as “minimum check in time”. Typically these will be 2-3 hours before a flight. If an airline may states that the minimum check in time is 2 hours before a flight, then this is almost always false.

The key number to look out for is what time the check in desk closes. Most international flights close between 40 minutes to 1 hour before. There are a few exceptions such as flights to Israel and other countries with high security issues. Domestic flights often close just 20 minutes before departure. It is pointless to show up 2 hours beforehand in this case.

Many people used to show up early for check in to try and secure a more desirable seat. However this benefit has been largely diminished with the introduction of internet check in. Passengers can select their seat and print their boarding pass a few days before the flight. Then, they can simply show up before check in closes if they have baggage and still receive the seat they wanted.

So how do you go about finding what the real check in time is for your flight?

Airline websites usually have information on the recommended check in time prominently displayed. The true latest check in time is usually hidden further down the page. For example, American Airlines suggests that international passengers arrive 2 hours prior to departure and those travelling to/from Mexico arrive 3 hours prior to departure. However, they go on to say that the standard “baggage cut off time” is 60 minutes for all international flights.

On a recent American Airlines trip back from Mexico, I showed up at check in only 60 minutes before departure only to find a line of about 300 people in front of me. I simply told an AA staff member on duty that my flight was in 1 hour and she took me to the front of the line and I was checked in 50 minutes before my flight departed. This left plenty of time to grab a bite to eat before my flight. Obviously I don’t suggest you cut it as close as I did. However it is important to be aware that what the airlines suggests to you is not the final deadline.

Airport boarding gates are often scenes of absolute chaos as passengers are packed into a small room prior to being allowed onto the aircraft. As we know, airlines do not like it when passengers are late so deliberately give false time constraints to passengers. At check in this means passengers are lead to believe they must check in several hours before a flight. This also materialises at the airport boarding gate where passengers are lead to believe the must be there quite some time prior to a flight.

Have you ever noticed that these days, most boarding passes simply state the “boarding time” not the actual flight departure time? This misleads people to believe they must show up at the gate earlier than necessary. Also, the monitors around the airport which shows the true flight time often list the flight as “boarding” up to 45 minutes prior to departure. When you show up at the gate, you find that board has not started and 400 people are crammed into an area with not enough seating.

Sometimes in the First or Business Class lounge, the staff will call the flight is ready for boarding when “Last Call” is displayed on the information monitors. The airlines and airports are misleading you so that regular passengers are not late for their flight. Of course we are smart travellers and our time is precious, so we can work around this.

There are two pieces of information you need in order to get to the airport boarding gate at the correct time. The first is the actual flight departure time. This is listed when you book a ticket and is also shown on the airport monitors. The second is the boarding rules for the specific airport and airline you are travelling with. This is usually shown on the airline website or on your boarding pass. Note that the departure time is supposed to be the time the plane leave the gate, not the time it takes off from the runway.

To give you an example, Singapore Airlines boarding gates usually close 10 minutes before departure. However, their boarding passes display the “Boarding Time” which is usually 30 minutes prior to departure. Showing up at this time is essentially wasting around 20 minutes of your time in uncomfortable surroundings.

Before your next flight, take a second to look at the airline website to find out what the real minimum check in time is for your flight. Remember that if you show up just before the deadline and there is a long line the airline will let you go to the front if you talk to one of the staff. Even budget airlines let you do this, so long as you make it know to an airline employee that your flight is leaving shortly. When working out when to head to the boarding gate, please be sure to take into account the time it takes you to travel to the boarding gate and through any security/passport checkpoints. Always give yourself extra time to make it to your gate before it closes.