Check in time for NY flight

bullpost

Its been a good while since I travelled to USA and am going to New York next week. Ticket states I should be in the airport three hours before departure. I know security is tight for US flights but three hours is a long time to kill hanging around the airport. Anyone know if its absolutely necessary to be there that far in advance or can I turn up maybe two hours before and safely make it in time?

BuffyBot

Depends on the security queues really. If you can check in online then by all means leave it a little later, if not well then give a bit of time. Better to spend an hour in the bar/cafe reading a good book than fretting in a slow moving queue in my opinion.

brettmirl

I don't think you can check in online for flights to the USA. You have go to the check in desks, where you get asked some security questions before you even get to the person at the check in desk. Then answer the same questionsa again usually. I think they ask you to go there that early in case there is a crowd trying to get through US Immigration.

A lot of the trans-Atlantic flights seem to leave around the same time of the day.

Am heading that way on Monday morning, so will let you know after that :-)

bullpost

I booked my flight online and I've already got an email which is all I need to check-in apparently - .I then got another email from Aer Lingus regarding US security. Its asking me to fill in an online form with lots of detail about my travel plans and personal details. I'm going to fill it in tonight.

mick_irl wrote:

I don't think you can check in online for flights to the USA. You have go to the check in desks, where you get asked some security questions before you even get to the person at the check in desk. Then answer the same questionsa again usually. I think they ask you to go there that early in case there is a crowd trying to get through US Immigration.

A lot of the trans-Atlantic flights seem to leave around the same time of the day.

Am heading that way on Monday morning, so will let you know after that :-)

bullpost

Just completed filling in the security stuff. Discovered I can checkin online for New york flight. Still will need to drop my baggage off at the airport - not sure how this will work in practice.

mad m

When I was going to the States couple years back myself and family had to go through all the american security before we even got to board flight.Photo taken,scan in finger print the lot.....

tywy

mad m wrote:

When I was going to the States couple years back myself and family had to go through all the american security before we even got to board flight.Photo taken,scan in finger print the lot.....

Gotta love entering the states through Canada... they didn't take any of that!

Regarding checking in... I'd be there 3 hours before if that's what you're told to do, means you won't be stressed out or anything plus you'll get the pick of the seats so you won't be separated from whoever you're travelling with.

BuffyBot

bullpost wrote:

Just completed filling in the security stuff. Discovered I can checkin online for New york flight. Still will need to drop my baggage off at the airport - not sure how this will work in practice.

You can check in online, then go straight to the bag drop desks in the check-in area to get them tagged. They'll ask the usual questions and send you on your way to Security etc

jjbrien

tywy wrote:

Gotta love entering the states through Canada... they didn't take any of that!

They do this now at the boarder and though the airports at canada to the states. It sadly cant be avoided.