$83 Billion Wasted: Showing Up At The Airport 3 Hours Before Your Flight Is A System Failure No One’s Trying To Fix - View from the Wing
viewfromthewing.com
Maybe the biggest failure in air travel is something we don’t talk about at all. How is it possible that people are being told to show up at the airport 2.5 to 3 hours before their flight, and that isn’t considered a failure of massive proportions?
  • scops@reddthat.comEnglish
    4·
    33 minutes ago

    Hank Green had a quick video on this recently. Airports like LAX are laid out in such a way that it can take up to two hours to get from the curb to the gate. Rather than try to offer more targeted advice, passengers are just given a flat 2-3 hour number to ensure the majority of people will get in on time. It’s overkill for most airports, but you need to do your due diligence

    ETA: The mentioned video

  • sthetic@lemmy.caEnglish
    7·
    4 hours ago

    We’ve turned airports into shopping malls, because airline passengers aren’t an airport customer they’re the product to be sold to. Longer dwell times to fill with shopping, therefore, have become a feature not a bug.

    Restaurants, too!

    Even if you resist the urge to buy books and souvenirs at the airport, arriving 3 hours early will probably mean you need to eat a meal that you would have otherwise eaten at home or at a cheaper restaurant.

    And even if you’re not hungry, you might choose to sit in a comfy seat at one of the airport bars, having a few drinks and appetizers.