7:00 am flight out of DCA on Friday. What time should we be there?
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Anonymous
I agree. 5:45 latest. You know your preschooler will suddenly have to go #2 once you get to the airport! Never hurts to have extra time for the kid to run around a bit before the flight. |
Anonymous
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Do you have to park, or are you taking a cab?
Cab - 5:45: Parking yourself: 5:30 |
Anonymous
| 5.45 if you want time to buy some breakfast past security to eat on the flight. |
Anonymous
| 530 for sure. Everything takes longer with a kid. You don't want to be stressed. Everything is calmer as long as you give yourself enough time. |
Anonymous
| With a todder I'd arrive around 5:30. Alone with just a carry-on 6 or 6:15 |
Anonymous
| Agree with 5:30. 6 is dangerously late. |
Anonymous
| Not that I'm suggesting it, but I made my 10:00 am flight with a 9:38 arrival. That was running through the airport with a boarding pass in hand. I did not beg anyone at the security line to let me through. |
Anonymous
| 6. Jet Blue never has baggage lines that I've seen. And they opened a new security line in terminal A recently that is an improvement. I breezed through last week. Terminal A has crappy food options so bring your own. |
Anonymous
| No need to start your trip stressed out. Take your time by getting to the inside of the airport not later than 5:45. |
Anonymous
| We have the same flight time, international flight on United. Any advice on an arrival time for us? We won't have to park. |
Anonymous
| I thought if a flight has an international destination, usually you need to be there at least 90 minutes in advance. |
Anonymous
| 5:30 with your situation. The gates are very close to the entrance, but by the time you grab some food and get your child situated, it will be time for early boarding. |
Anonymous
| The last few times I've flown out of National, I've arrived early and gotten through security and check-in insanely quickly. I would shoot for 5:45 and not worry if it was closer to 6:00. Getting to the airport early with little kids kind of sucks - it's not like when you're solo and can just sit at the bar with a beer, people-watching. |
Anonymous
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I think it depends on what kind of a traveler you are. If you're okay with possibly having to rush all of a sudden because something went wrong or the security line is inexplicably slow (happens, if they don't have enough lanes open) then 6 works. However, if you're the type that gets really stressed out if you feel like you don't have enough time to do everything and want to be able to breathe, then you should try to get there for 5:30.
I know that I am the latter type of traveler, thus, if it were me, I'd aim to get there for 5:30. |
Anonymous
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I am way more comfortable sitting at the gate than gnawing on my cheek while someone in the security line refuses to put her purse on the conveyor belt.
This seriously happened to me. She was older, and absolutely insisted on carrying her purse through the metal detector. When TSA told her that was not allowed, she screamed "How do I know you won't steal everything in it?" They ended up carting her off to no-man's land for a strip search, i guess. But not until she had held up the line for 20 minutes. |