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Plan ahead: Here's when travelers get to the airport

Updated: May 27, 2025

Exclusive data from Blacklane gives holiday flyers airport insights and reveals how the pandemic changed pre-flight behaviors.

Graphic of a Blacklane chauffeur bringing a female traveler's luggage with her from an airport.

Travelers don’t follow airline and airport advice about when to get to the airport. As peak holiday travel approaches, that could lead to high stress, especially for international departures. 

Pre-flight guidance typically says to arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. New data from Blacklane's “How Early Do Travelers Get to the Airport?” white paper reveals, for the first time, flyers’ post-pandemic behavior across 35 countries.

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Blacklane Team
Blacklane Team

The Blacklane Team is made up of writers and experts with well over a decade's experience in the travel and transportation industry. Whether it's about travel trends, airport layouts, frequent flyer programs or the latest in automotive luxury, we're happy to share it with you.