Parents who have experience in both airport security, and trying to get kids to do literally anything.
fr if your flight is at 14:00 you better be in the airport by 10 am and you might just about make it in time
I got to the airport 1hr before liftoff last week and made it before boarding started. Layovered in vegas and didnt see any lines at TSA there either. Maybe theyve improved?
TSA in Vegas is relatively fast for me, precheck was like <4 minutes. Some airports feel like a coin flip on if it’s fast or not
My record at Detroit airport from stepping out of the bus to stepping into the plane is 7m43s. What is going on at your airports?
What is going on at your airports?
Looking for check in, waiting in line to check in, checking in, looking for the correct place to drop off your bags, waiting in line to drop off your bags, dropping off your bags, looking for the security check, waiting in line for security check, taking everything out of your bag for security check, security check, putting everything in the bag again, looking for a snack since it’s already been two hours, waiting in line to take a snack, taking a snack, looking for where your gate will be, walking to the gate (often quite a long walk), waiting for boarding to start (if you got there in time), waiting in line for boarding, boarding.
Arrive FOUR fucking hours early??? I’ve flown A LOT over the years and that is just crazy. Is the extra 2 hours because of the kids or what
Airport security when you forgot to take off your belt:
As a parent myself now, I completely understand this behavior.
Gotta budget 15 minutes for tying their shoes, 20 if they are doing the tying.
Don’t forget the 15 minutes of inexplicably staring out the window, when you sent them to put something warm on.
I will happily sit at a gate for 2 hours waiting for a plane, instead of rushing to catch it.
If it’s anything like Toronto Pearson International Airport it’s a crapshoot.
Step 0: With kids, corralling the children takes a while and can be like herding cats.
Step 1: Just getting to the airport, from 40km away if you are driving/Taxi, it will take from 20 minutes or 2 hours+ to get to the airport. People who use YYZ often live further than that so add any additional time from that. The Union Pearson Express train is only useful if you are trying to get from Union to Pearson or somewhere between. The 900 bus from Kipling, local TTC routes, Go Bus, MiWay, Brampton Transit all feel second class and you get the same rush hour traffic.
Step 2: Check-in. Domestic flights are fine because not as many people check bags and the counter is quick or you can often skip it entirely. International flights have long, long lines at the counter so add an hour.
Step 3: Security. Another crapshoot depending on whether you are there at peak time. Could be 5 minutes, could be an hour or more to get through.
Step 4: Attending to food and washroom needs. Since it’s not possible to know exactly how long this process will go, if unprepared, random food and bathroom stops may be necessary.
So all in all preparing for the worst by leaving/preparing to go at 6:30 for a 14:00 flight is not unheard of when flying via Pearson.
Ah yes the 401 game, where everybody loses.
This is also to avoid having to deal with Air Canada support in you do miss your flight.
