Almost every airport recommends arriving three hours before your international flight. But is it necessary?
It’s fine if you want to wait around for two and a half hours before you depart. However, airports vary, so I routinely arrive at OSL (Oslo International Airport, Norway) an hour and a half to two hours before an international flight, and I have never missed a flight from that airport.
Typically, it takes five to fifteen minutes to drop off bags at OSL if I have checked in online prior to arriving. The lines to drop off bags are much longer the earlier you arrive, since most people arrive so early before their flights. Therefore, arriving a bit later in the cycle will not require you to wait as long to drop off your bags.
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Related: World-Class Scandinavian Airports
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The security line typically runs fifteen to twenty-five minutes, in my experience. Use your personal preferences here.
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Related: How To Get the Lowest Airfare to Scandinavia
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Some will trade a few extra hours of their time waiting at the airport for peace of mind. That’s OK for people who spend €1,800 round trip. Since I rarely spend over €400 on international flights, I’ll spend those extra few hours at home, thank you.
Arriving Three Hours Before Your Flight? written by Tor Kjolberg.
Feature image (top): (c) Viator.