Bags packed? All set to fly? But hey, be careful about reaching the airport on time lest you miss the flight! All domestic airlines viz. SpiceJet, Air India, Jet, Indigo, Go Air, Tata Vistara etc have fixed guidelines for the reporting time for your flight. The boarding time is also specified. Delayed arrival can spell doom! Not only will it throw your schedule off track but you will end up burning a hole in your pocket too, in case you miss the flight and booking another one at the last minute at the counter.The reporting time at the airports vary for different airline services and also vary depending on the destination i.e, domestic travels or international trips. Browse through for an insight.
Unlike other modes of transport, you need to arrive at the airport much prior to the time of your flight. The rules and regulations of airlines are stringent to ensure on-time service and for security reasons. As listed in these rules, the passengers are required to arrive at the airport prior to their reporting time. The reporting and boarding time are specified while making the bookings and are mentioned on the tickets as well.
For most of the airlines, reporting time for a domestic flight is 75 minutes prior to the departure. For an international flight, passengers are required to reach 150 minutes prior to the departure. Also, the reporting time is different when traveling to the state of Jammu & Kashmir. For J&K bound flights, the passengers have to reach 120 minutes prior to the departure time.
The check-in counters open 2 hrs prior to the time of departure and close 25 minutes prior to the time of departure. The passengers must be present at the boarding gate before the boarding time specified on the boarding pass and also announced in the airport. i.e 45 minutes prior to the departure. These timings may slightly vary for different service providers. You can check this on the particular company’s website to ensure you reach the airport well within time and do not carry out activities at the airport in a rush!
Generally, it is recommended to reach the airport at least 2 hrs prior to the time of flight in domestic flights and 4 hrs prior to departure for international flights. This will give you sufficient time to go through the security checks and also to combat any unexpected delay or mishap. The passengers may be denied entry post the closure of boarding gates.
Needless to say, plan your transport to the airport well on time, keeping all margins of an unexpected traffic jam or eventuality. Always better to reach the airport earlier and finish procedures and relax than make a dash to the airport and be in a frenzied state!
Recommended to check the flight departure status from the customer care number of your airline before leaving home; this will avoid spending long hours waiting idle for boarding in case of delayed flights.For some waiting at airport turns into a shopping spree but for most, it is a torture to wait, especially when traveling alone. If you are traveling on a business trip, web check-in facility can help you in cutting down the extra time required at the airport. Web check-in facility is now available on most of the airlines and is a boon in disguise as you can avoid serpentine queues at check-in counters.
So, make sure to reach within the reporting time. Don’t let delays ruin your fun!
Disclaimer
Please check the reporting time with the airline you are flying with. Reporting time is subject to airline rules, seasonal rush, destination, security reasons; sometimes an alert is issued as it is the demand of a festival to tighten security hence reporting time may be advanced since more time will be consumed in security checks. Domestic and International flights have different reporting time.
