I'd appreciate it if you could help me
When you fly, how much time do you allow yourself to arrive at the airport before takeoff? I am always conflicted between wanting to get there as close to the last minute as possible to shorten the waiting time at the airport, and wanting to get there as early as possible because I don't want to miss the flight if I arrive late due to a problem. How long before takeoff is the best time to arrive to minimize the wait?
Conditions.
Let us assume the following two cases.
(1) You go so that you arrive one hour before departure each time. In this case, since you have a decent amount of time to spare, the time you are delayed due to being stuck in traffic plus the time you spend killing time in the lobby is
30 times × 1 hour
= 30 hours is the total waiting time.
(2) Go so that you arrive 10 minutes before departure each time. In this case, if you are 10 minutes late, you will miss your flight, so the time you spend stuck in traffic + the time you spend killing time in the lobby is
If you get on the plane safely (10 minutes x 17 times) + if you miss the flight (5 hours x 3 times) + time spent stuck in traffic (10 minutes x 3 times)
= 170 minutes + 15 hours + 30 minutes
= 18 hours and 20 minutes is the total waiting time.
So, in this case, the total waiting time is considerably less if you arrive at the airport just in time each time. The more times you fly, the larger the difference in waiting time. For the 30 times we tested this time, the difference in waiting time was 11 hours and 40 minutes, but for the 100 times we tested, the difference was about 47 hours. This is a big difference.
If you take many flights for business or other reasons, you may be able to save on waiting time by arriving at the airport just in time each time. I'm going on a business trip, so I can't be late? I don't know about that.
On the other hand, if you only fly a few times a year, like on vacation, it is better to arrive at the airport well in advance. You can enjoy shopping, too.
