Not to be at the airport 2 hours before my flight

When my local airport had building work last summer it ended up with a queue to even get to the queue, if that makes any sense, so people with Fast Track couldn’t get to that queue for a while. Happy days…

Your playing with fire all it takes is 1 thing to go wrong and you will miss your flight

Bristol can be very busy. I wouldn't risk it. Gates can be a very long walk from the departure lounge and you will need to be there before it closes....Ryanair can close gates 40 mins before departure.
I waited 20 mins for them to rescan my bag at security last time (went through with no issue the second time!)

Why risk it?
IME security can take 5 mins or it can sometime take 45mins and it's hard to predict.
As others have said, gates often close 30 or 40 mins before a flight so any hold up with security could cause an issue.

Bristol is also a bit of a construction site at the moment so I'd anticipate added delays to actually get into the airport

Hi OP. Bristol Airport is a building site at the moment. How are you getting to the airport? If you're getting a taxi to the door you might be alright if the queues for security aren't too bad. But if you're parking up, forget about it!!! Its quite a walk now wherever you park.

I would suggest at least an hour and a half if you're dropped at the door, 2 hours if parking. Why make it stressful?

We flew from Bristol to Spain 2 weeks ago. Got there 2 hours before, no luggage to check in. We still nearly missed our flight as the queues were so long, we got to the gate just as it was closing and were lucky that they let us through. I wouldn't risk it

I doubt it, you have to walk through security, passport control, check in, the queues can be very long and then board the plane which takes 20 to 30 minutes.

No way will an hour be enough! Why are you resisting the two hour guidance? Think of all the things that could go wrong!!! 🤪🤪🤪

I always feel my holiday starts at the airport. I just sit around reading or people watching.

I pay extra for fast track security whenever I travel and tend to get to the airport around 1.5 hours before my flight when I have hand luggage only. So depends on what the security queue is like and if you want to risk it.

A huge amount will spend on exactly when you are travelling. My local airport is a similar size to Bristol and sometimes the queue for security is out of the building and other times it’s ten minutes through. If you want to be thorough have a look at the flights that are leaving within 2/3 hours of yours either side to get an idea.

But I do tend to agree that for an hour of your time, it’s worth just being safe and planning some down time on the other side if needed.

Fast Track security is a good investment if your time is really pushed although at the really busy times that gets booked out.

Most airlines board around 40 mins before the actual departure time. They say 2h to account for getting through security and the busyness depends on the airport and time of flight

@Iambouddicca could be worthwhile to fast track through security?

eta; more info pertaining specifically, to Bristol airport

It won't be. Why would you risk missing your flight?!

I would suggest that you take a look at the other flights that are going around the same time. Just because you wouldn't have much luggage that does not mean that the other people wouldn't. You are flying peak holiday time. If they are lots of holiday flights around the same time I would give yourself more time. Often you have people who are not regularly travellers and faff at security.

Too risky.

If there are any delays that are out of your control, such as long queues at security, the airline will not hold the flight for you.

As PP have said, it’s not just how long does it take to get through the airport. It’s the traffic etc getting there. I used to live in Bristol and it could take me ten mins to get to the airport sometimes, an hour other times.

I flew with them recently. Gate closes 30 minutes before so an hour is not enough time. We only have hand luggage too. An hour and a half is the minimum time I would do. It can take a while to get to your gate.

I aim be there 60 to 90s mins before. I do that even for domestic in case of traffic or queues in security.

Why were you there 5.5 hours before your flight?

EasyJet say they close their gates 30 mins pre departure. So you need to be at the gate, ticket scanned.

Probably achievable with a fair wind, but if anything goes wrong you miss your flight - just arrive 30 mins earlier and reduce your stress levels?

When we went bham we quied from 3am till.neally 7am flight was at 8.30am they were calling people's flights out

Why though?why would you risk it for the sake of one hour of your time?

Bristol isn’t a big airport but the security queues can be busy. I would definitely give yourself the two hours. And depending on how you are getting to the airport and from which direction it can take ages to actually get there. We used to live in Taunton and used Bristol airport regularly and the road isn’t great from that direction so you can get stuck in slow moving traffic.

I really wouldn’r. But I’m the kind of person who hates being flustered and rushed and am happy sitting around in airports as long as I have my book/ipad with me and some shops to look at and a coffee.