I've tracked my last 800 flights. Here's when you really need to get to the airport.

Dec. 24, 2025: Amidst the holiday travel season, we’ve updated this article with some additional charts. But the spreadsheet version at the end still reflects our most comprehensive approach. The text of the article is unchanged from August.

My overriding philosophy for this newsletter is to write about what I know about. And I know a lot about air travel. Over the past 15 years, I’ve taken something like 800 flights.1 That tally includes literally everything from the middle seat of the bathroom-adjacent back row on Spirit Airlines to first class on Emirates (I lucked into a free upgrade).

So as we’re approaching the peak of summer travel season, it’s time to put this out there: U.S. air travel gets a bad rap. Many American airports are much more pleasant than they were even a few years ago. And security lines are often faster — as of last month, you don’t even have to take your shoes off anymore. We can all remember our worst experiences, and I’ve had a few, from having to double back because I left my wallet at my hotel in Raleigh to not realizing that my connection in Sao Paulo was at a different airport. But the default experience is trending toward efficiency.

Guidance on when to arrive at the airport has been slow to catch up, however. At View From The Wing, Gary Leff recently estimated that $83 billion worth of productive time last year was wasted because of people showing up hours in advance at American airports.

Although I agree with the spirit of Leff’s critique, I don’t quite agree with his calculations. For one thing, excess time at the airport isn’t exactly wasted. Some airports can be pleasant spots for people watching, putting headphones on and getting some work done, or having a refreshing pre-flight beverage.2

But also, although many authorities recommend arriving as early as 2 or 2½ hours in advance even for domestic flights, you really don’t need to do that. Not unless you’re facing a multiplicity of adverse circumstances. As in some other areas, the experts are irrationally risk-averse.

True, most people don’t follow TSA guidance to a T, but many travelers are nittier about air travel than they need to be. An (unscientific) poll on X