Have you ever planned a flight, and things did not go the way you anticipated? Let’s dig into these reasons why you should arrive early to the airport.
# 1 Reason to arrive to the airport early: tSA
The first reason for arriving early to the airport is TSA. The Transportation Security Administration can make or break your flight! Typically, you want to arrive to the airport at least 2 hours early. However, no one knows TSA’s wait time until joining the line. Sometimes it’s 5 minutes, sometimes it’s thirty. Other times, it’s an hour. In addition, walking through the line can be a pain if you don’t wear the proper attire.
When preparing for TSA, be sure to wear shoes you can quickly slide off, put all electronics in your bag, do not wear hats or headwraps and wear one layer of clothing.
I’ll never forget having to be searched because my sweatpants were too bulky (awkward). Be ready to quickly put all your belongings in a tray and listen for when you’re called to be screened. In addition, please do not pack any foods or liquids in your bag! All airports are different, some TSAs are less strict, and some are heavy duty. Either way, come ready. Lastly, have all forms of ID. This includes boarding pass, real ID and passport. When you arrive to the airport early, you can get a head start on all of these things.
# 2 Reason to arrive to the airport early: Traffic
The second reason for arriving early to the airport is traffic. All flights leave at different times. However, if you live in a Metropolitain area like I do, there’s always back-ups, road construction or an accident. Consider the time you leave home. Is it during rush hour? Then expect your travel time to be longer than usual or possibly leave earlier. Also, how far you live from the airport matters too. For example, some folks live twenty-minutes away from their city airport. Others live close to an hour.
Don’t underestimate these times. Always check traffic no matter how far or close you are to the airport. Lastly, let’s not forget that you may have to pay a toll. Then, there’s finding a parking spot, possibly taking a shuttle to the terminal (unless someone drops you off) and the foot traffic inside. Overall, anticipate traffic and be sure to use tools like GPS to your advantage and get your commute started.
# 3 Reason: relaxation
The third reason to arrive to the airport early is so you can relax. After you’ve navigated through traffic and fought through TSA. You can locate your gate and kick up your feet. Hopefully, you have time to spare. If so, get you some breakfast or a meal and chill. You made it!
Ready to book your travel? Contact Crown of Laurels Travel and we will book your vacation for you.
Questions? Contact Kaylah Jordan
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