How long before a flight should I get to London City Airport?

Please do not arrive earlier than 2 hours before your scheduled departure time. Check in closes 20 minutes before your scheduled departure time. Pass through security at least 20 minutes before your scheduled departure time.



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London City Airport was ranked best by the study, with the average queue lasting just 12 minutes. Half of travellers reported waiting between five and 10 minutes. It was also the only London airport where customers did not suffer any waits of more than an hour.

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It is the fifth-busiest airport by passengers and aircraft movements serving the London area — after Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton — and was the 14th-busiest in the UK in 2017. In 2019, the airport handled over 5 million passengers.

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The general guideline on how early to get to the airport for a domestic flight is 2 hours. However, those traveling at a very busy time of year or out of a large airport might want to allow more time.

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For domestic flights in the United States, most airlines recommend that passengers arrive at the airport at least 1-2 hours before the scheduled departure time for check-in and security screening.

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When you're traveling within the United States, we make the suggestion to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. For most airports, you must be checked in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time (airports requiring additional time are listed below, Go to footer note).

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At London (LCY) Airport you will be Fast Track or Expedite through immigrations and customs upon international arrival or Fast Track or Expedite through check in and security upon your departure.

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As you can see, while 2 to 3 hours before your flight might be a good general guideline, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to deciding how much time to allow at the airport.

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Generally speaking, most airlines advise that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to a domestic flight, and at least 3 hours prior to an international flight.

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Most airlines recommend arriving at the airport three hours before departure for international flights. It's common for international flights to start boarding earlier than domestic flights (the aircraft are often larger and have higher passenger capacities), which accounts for the earlier recommendation.

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If you book a 6AM domestic flight, for example, you'll need to arrive at the airport by 4AM. Depending on how far you live from the airport, this could mean getting on the road around 3AM or 3:30AM; traffic should be minimal at this time, as should check-in and security lines.

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Within the US, and many other countries, most airlines recommend that you arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight. This accounts for everything from check-in and baggage drop to security lines and boarding cutoff times.

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When you're traveling within the United States, we make the suggestion to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. For most airports, you must be checked in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time (airports requiring additional time are listed below, Go to footer note).

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As a general rule, you should arrive at the airport no less than an hour before a domestic flight. Ninety minutes to two hours is a safer bet, and most airports, such as London Heathrow and London Gatwick, recommend that you get to the airport two hours before a domestic or European flight.

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Generally, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best weekdays to fly. Thursday is a bit more expensive but still reasonable. Saturday is usually the cheapest weekend day to fly. That does not mean you cannot find great flight prices on the other days of the week.

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Major airports in London. In 2022, four of the airports in London served more than 10 million passengers: London-Heathrow, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted and London-Luton. While much smaller than the others, London-City is also worth mentioning as it's perhaps the most convenient London airport.

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Closest Airports to London by Travel Time
  • Heathrow Airport – 15 minutes by Heathrow Express train to London Paddington.
  • London City Airport – ~20 minutes to most destinations in London.
  • Gatwick Airport – 30 minutes by Gatwick Express to London Victoria.
  • Luton Airport – 35 minutes by train + shuttle bus to London St.


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