Check-in times You can check in online or from the app starting 24 hours before and up to 45 minutes before your flight (90 for international). To check bags or check in at the airport, you must be there a certain amount of time before scheduled departure: Within the U.S. – 45 minutes.

Even if you have checked in online and have no bags to drop, the "high-value" recommendation in 2026 is to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international flight. While online check-in saves you time at the counter, it does not bypass the security checkpoint, where wait times can be highly unpredictable. If you are traveling through a major hub like ATL, LHR, or DXB, the walk from security to your gate can take an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Furthermore, most airlines strictly enforce a "Boarding Cutoff"—often 15 to 20 minutes before departure—and if you are not at the gate by this time, your seat may be given to a standby passenger. A peer-to-peer "pro" tip: use your airline’s app to monitor real-time security wait times. If you have TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, you can often trim 30 minutes off these arrival times, but for a stress-free start to your trip, arriving early is always a high-value insurance policy against traffic, long lines, or unexpected document checks at the gate.