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

[Netcurtainnelly]

Can you post here whether you are turning up to the airport 4 hours early this Summer for check in please? I ve just read it might be necessary.🤔😭😱 Before making a decision?

Holiday and Check in Post.♥️
Want to hear what it's really like.

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.

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

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.

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.

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??

Who on earth decided to bring all these new measures in and why?
Do they ever use airports?

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.

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.

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.

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.

No not at all.

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

Brexiters

I don't bother for my local UK airport (Stansted). Never had security take more than 23 minutes (I time it) even when I have been taken apart.

On the way out I speed off the plane as fast as possible if I am flying into a small local airport as if there are only 2-3 passport gates it can make a good hour's difference to how fast you leave.

On the way home, I follow whatever the airline instructs me. Last time that was a small regional airport with EES and 3 hours in advance. And it was entirely unnecessary. I reckon I could have arrived an hour and a half before and been fine. But would I risk my flight on it? No.

Yes but only because I like the lounge and want my full three hours relaxing. An hour to check and shop and then off to read and enjoy some quiet before we fly

David Cameron, in desperation to get re-elected, followed by Bojo the Clown forcing Brexit through despite blindingly obvious signs that the tide had turned. They profited from it all.

Various European nations vary from disliking Brits to absolutely hating Brits. Their governments (with EU backing of millions of Euros) happily proceeded with plans to ‘sort out’ the immigration problem, confusing Ryanair and EasyJet with rubber boats.

They claim the EES (Entry Exit System) is working well. It is not.

How many hours needed? It varies from place to place and day to day. No help at all I’m afraid. It’s a lottery.

See: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg5gg6n9x3o

We went away the first week of July. Arrived 2 hours before flight, at uk airport which was plenty of time. When we arrived at our destination, however it took over 2 hours to queue for biometrics/passport control. Going home arrived 2.5 hours ahead of flight but it was a lot quicker on the homeward journey

Not 4 hours. Out Stansted 2.5 hours early and only just made flight due to queues. Into Tenerife and out of Tenerife very quick, very few in queues and straight through.

Heathrow was fast going there and back as was Colombo.

Don't need 4 hours in advance.

We aim to get to the car park 3.5hrs before a flight, can take 30 mins to get to terminal so drop bags and through to the lounge, dump DH with the bags and a beer and go shopping!

We fly from Manchester and haven’t had any issues leaving the UK. Flying from European airports has been tense though.

We did a connecting flight at Schipol (so literally landed and were straight in the passport control queue) and were waiting for an hour and a half, having to skip to the front of the queue in the end. We got to our next flight 15 minutes after it was meant to have left, but they’d held the flight. We weren’t the last ones to board so it clearly happens often enough now that the airlines accommodate it. (Our flight was KLM so they own the airport and can do that)

Coming back from Copenhagen, we again were in the passport control queue for over 90 minutes and had to skip to the front. We were the last ones on the plane. We’d only arrived at the airport 2h15 in advance so luckily we’d gone through security and bag drop off quite quickly.

Both times there were staff roaming the passport control queues calling out different flights that were departing imminently so those passengers could skip ahead.

I've spent an hour at Berlin (on arrival) and 45 minutes at Copenhagen (when leaving) and that was before the EES was introduced.

Either travel with a cabin bag only, or check in hold bags as soon as you are allowed.

It's one thing having to queue to get into a a country (though it really shouldn't take more than 15 minutes in my view) but nobody should have to queue to leave - it's ludicrous. And that's on top of any queues you may have had at security, too.

Arriving in Prague it took 1.5 hours for EES machines and then passport stamping. For the return trip we allowed three hours and were through in six minutes !

We have been to Barcelona and found there was no queue for immigration when arriving, although a friend was queueing for an hour, so might depend on when you arrive. On the way out we arrived three hours early to check-in (as the BBC recommended), but had to kill time for an hour as bag drop only opened two hours before the flight. There was no queue for immigration on the way out of Barca either

Depends on where I’m going. If long we haul, we like to do business class
or first depending (quite rare) and I do get there early. My DH is also into planes, so we like to get there, get into the lounge, great seats to watch the planes.

I usually get something to eat, an early champagne and just relax.

if short haul and I’m doing cattle class (it’s a joke guys) I get there 2 hours before. The less time possible, the better

I am flying to Chicago on Monday. I will be at the airport from the night before and will stay in the hotel airport. You never know what shenanigans will occur between here and Manchester. I don't need the stress of travelling there on the day.

Nope just done Lanzarote there and back from BHX and two hours as usual.