AIBU to ask if people are arriving at airports four hours early?✈️

No not at all.

1 hour for domestic flights and 2 to 2.5 hours for international flights

I've started arriving earlier since it took me three hours from arriving to clearing security at Birmingham last year. It's not usually that bad, but once was enough.

It’s supposed to enable them to count how many days non EU visitors are spending in area (ie, a computer counts the 90 day allowance). Ironically I would guess that the small number of [British] tourists playing fast and lose with the 90 day maximum rules really isn’t worth the nearly £1billion they’ve invested.

How recently have you flown from there? Last few times I've flown from there (it's my nearest airport too) security has been really quick now that you don't have to take liquids etc out of your bag.

Although I can't say I've ever really experienced any problem with the traffic either to be honest.

No point. You can’t go anywhere until the check in desk has actually opened and you’ve dealt with luggage etc - which is usually no sooner than 3 hours before departure. So unless you want to spend 1.5hours queuing at a closed desk [only for them to change the desk at the last minute and trigger a fight, which we watched at Palermo a few weeks ago] there is absolutely no point.

Just don’t waste any time in the duty free shops, head straight to passport control and expect to be sat on the other side for a long while.

The major issue I foresee with this, is that many airlines don’t open their bag drop until 2 hours before the flight now… so…. You’d just be standing around pre security in departures anyway??

Yes 3 hours before my flight. Both there and back. The coach picked us up for our return transfer 3 hours before the flight so I think that’s the norm.

I arrive when it says on the app unless I’m getting public transport, then I do tend to have at least one or two hours extra (if it runs on time) as I’ll take an earlier train to mitigate any delays.

In european airports you go through passport control after security if leaving the schengen area.

What is the reason behind it taking longer on the return trip? I thought the new biometric stuff at EU airports is taking time when you land on the outbound trip - is that also causing delays/queues on the return flight too? Sorry if that's a silly question! We're flying to Malaga in a couple of weeks with the kids, and I've been prepared for it to take a while due to the new biometric stuff and kids being unable to use e-gates.

No, I usually arrive 3 hours early but this weekend BA didn’t open bag drop until 2 hours before our flight so 🙄

We usually opt to be at the airport car parking company 4 hours prior for long haul flights to enable time to transfer etc, we always have a lounge booked which is for 3 hours. Would knock an hour off for short haul.

No. Bag drop off tends to open 2-2.5h before flight departure. Assuming you have luggage, arriving earlier is pointless.

Leaving UK - no. Returning as the sole UK passport holder who’s not yet got their EES - yeah!

No lol.

My mum definitely would though.

I’ve just gone Birmingham to Malaga and back and I was a bit nervy. Ryanair opened bag drop 3 hours before flight so decided to get there for then.
Brum was a breeze, security line was 10ish minutes.
Even more anxious about coming back so stuck to 3 hours and it was even easier.
Largest queue was for the free water fountain.
Didn’t have EES to do on the way back just an E-Gate to get through to our gate. No queue for security either just wafted straight though.

I’d read horror stories about Malaga being horrendous and people missing their flights but it was probably the smoothest experience I’ve had at an airport.

Not when flying out, no, just the usual two hours short haul and three hours long haul.

I have done a couple of TUI trips this year and both arranged return transfers to arrive at airport three hours before departure, short haul.

The other consideration is that airports don't want people to turn up 4 hours early as that massively increases the number of people they have waiting and at peak times they just don't have the space for everyone. Plus a lot of airlines won't accept a checked bag more than 2/3 hours before take off.

I've been to Germany and Spain in the last month.

Leaving Leeds Bradford, there was a long queue at security but I still had plenty of time on arriving 2 hours before - at Leeds they pull you through the fast track queue if it gets to 1 hour before departure, I got through after about 50 mins.

Leaving Manchester was quick for them - 5/10 mins. Lots of waiting around.

Leaving Spain was very quick, no queue for passport control at all. 2 hours was a bit much but I go generally stick to that unless I know you can reliably get through quicker - I had never been to that airport before.

Leaving Germany took nearly an hour to go through passport control so after walking through the airport, getting through security and looking in the shops, we didn't have to wait at the gate for much time at all.

I wouldn't arrive 4 hours ahead because I think it's hardly ever necessary. Most of those who miss their flights will have dawdled through the airport and loitered in the bar/shops and expected to get straight to the gate without much delay at outward passport control.

I have done three return flights this year and as people have already said flying out of the UK isn't the issue. We have found two hours is fine.

Coming home from Europe is the problem. We were warned to arrive four hours before our flight home from Corfu. We were stuck outside queuing to get into the airport for over an hour, then another hour inside the airport to check in. Then it took about another 45 mins to do security and passport control (this would have been much longer if they hadn't suspended the exit/entry finger print system)

Malaga was ok when we flew back but our friends flew back a few days before us and were stuck in queues for hours so I think it depends on the day of the week. Our arrival at Malaga took a couple of hours even though they have lots of finger print scanners open.

My DD just flew to Miami en route to South America. We showed up 2.5 hours before flight time at Heathrow. There was quite a queue and the automatic check in didn’t work for her so she had to check in at a different line than those just dropping off luggage. She didn’t have time to get something to eat or shop after security but did not have to rush at all.

Three hours, security queues so long during the summer holidays.

We're not going to the airport early.
That's because we're not going to any airport!
We've binned off foreign holidays this year.

Manchester is our closest airport (sadly). We always plan to arrive there around 4 hours ahead of flight departure. Simply because of the awful traffic/road network which often has delays/closures so a "normal" one hour journey can easily be 2 or 3! Secondly, security clearance times at Manchester are variable - you can be through the hall with virtually no queue at all some days and be stuck in a long queue right out into the check in area other days. We've also once been stuck in the car park for over an hour to wait for the "courtesy" shuttle bus to the airport. Dangerous not allowing a couple of extra hours for such delays at the hell hole called Manchester airport! Once we "planned" as usual to be there 4 hours prior to departure, but the roads were snarled up, then a long wait for the shuttle bus and then a long queue in Security - we only just made it and were the last to board, and that was literally running through the airport to get to the boarding gate.