Does early check-in for domestic flights really matter these days?

23 comments

1. Depends on the airport.

2. At the Atlanta airport, I always check in early. Don’t want to risk missing my flight because they oversold tickets

3. Southwest assigns boarding number based on when you check in, which impacts where you sit. Outside of that I only ever really fly United which has assigned seating, I’ve always checked in the day before since it’s just a few clicks on my phone. While you still get the seat you bought, you might board later and have less access to overhead space.

4. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t check in online, it takes 15 seconds using their apps and eliminates the possibility of losing your seat to overbooking.

5. I often check in online (well in the app) the day before because once you do the app will send you notifications about delays, gate changes, etc.

6. Yes, especially if checking bags

7. At some airports it’s a lot faster, the lines at the kiosks get long.

   Plus some people don’t check bags, so if you’ve checked in online you can go straight to security.

   I personally just prefer to 1) take all guesswork out of the equation of bow long it’s going to take to ge through the airport and 2) talk to as few airport employees as possible.

8. I only do it if there is a chance that I might not make it to the airport in time to check in. I actually like the paper boarding passes so I usually use the kiosks anyway.

9. Why would you want one more thing that you absolutely have to do at the airport when you can do it at home or in your hotel when you’re relaxed and aren’t under time pressure?

   At least on iOS, you can generally add your boarding pass to your wallet, so it shouldn’t be an issue having it ready. Or use the airline’s app directly.

10. Most airlines do seat selection at check-in now if you’re not paying for upgraded seats, so if you care about seating it’s in your interest to check-in early and get first pick. I know Southwest doesn’t do assigned seats, but this is the advantage with most other airlines like American and Delta for short domestic flights in my experience. I also never check bags for domestic flights so online check-in saves me time at the airport, especially since the airports I visit most are very busy hubs.

11. My Delta app automatically checks me in 🤷🏼‍♀️

12. Former (recovering) road warrior. I still have airline status & TSAprecheck. There’s no real advantage to early checkin from my standpoint unless you’re flying Southwest or unless it impacts getting a seat upgrade.

    I’ll check in early if I’m not checking a bag and I want to go straight to security. And I usually checkin through the app anyway.

    Back in the day it mattered more if you were flying standby. But the days of showing up for the gate for an earlier flight are long gone.

    ETA: I’ve never lost a seat due to overbooking – whenever possible I get a confirmed seat when buying my tickets. And I get automatic updates on flight status through the app.

13. I don’t have pre✓, and would rather not chance being caught in unexpectedly security lines at ATL, so I’m always there 2 hours before departure at the latest.

    I also check in and have a boarding pass the night before. Just one less step to worry about on the ground. (I rarely check bags, so being able to walk straight to security is always nice)

14. I personally don’t mind getting there a couple of hours early. I’ve tried getting there closer to boarding but inevitably it ends up taking longer than expected. Had a flight a number of years ago where they lost my reservation due to a plane mechanical error on my inbound trip several days earlier (long story). My flight was at something like 6:50am and I got to the airport at about 5am. Wasn’t until 6am before they could call anyone and sort it out. Made my flight and all but it was stressful. Granted this was circa 2007 so it was before you could really check in early, but it’s seared in my mind. Also depends on the airport. Busy airport like Atlanta or Orlando (where I now live) I give myself two hours. Small airport like, say, Montgomery Alabama (grew up near Montgomery and flew out of there a fair bit) you really need less than an hour, **maybe** 45 minutes, and even that’s probably too much (seriously, I was 5 minutes from drop off to gate there once, likely before my ride got back onto the interstate…and this was in a post 9/11 world).

    I also like the people watching opportunities.

    Now I have VIP lounge access through my credit card so I like to get there early to get complimentary food and drinks.

15. One benefit I haven’t seen mentioned is that if you want to try to get upgraded, it can get you on the list before others in the same situation who don’t check in as quickly. That being said, I find better upgrades to be available much earlier than that. Probably about once a year or so I am able to upgrade to first class more than a month in advance for about $50. If I were to wait until the week of the flight it would likely cost over $200 at the discounted rate.

16. What’s the alternative? Waiting in line to stand in front of a kiosk waiting for a slip of paper like a caveman?

    Check in on your phone, you have your boarding pass, and push notifications of delayed flights or gate changes. You don’t need to carry around a paper boarding pass and it’s less likely you’ll get bumped to a later flight.

    We’re already waiting in line for security whether we’re TSA precheck or not, why add another stop?

17. I used to be like this, didn’t check in until I got there. But the fact that I can just go directly to the security line instead of stopping at the ticket booth to check in won me over. But if you have to do a bag anyway I don’t know the difference.

18. I personally think it is more convenient, but i don’t think it objectively matters. I make sure my flights depart around 3-5am so that lines aren’t really an issue.

19. If you’re in economy, often times additional seats may open up for selection at the 24hr window, so you can switch your seat for a better one. Depending on the airline, upgrade prices/credits may drop too so it can be advantageous to snag one.

20. You don’t necessarily need to do it on most airlines but it can speed things up, even if you’re checking a bag. It tends to be more important if you have status and are trying for an upgrade.

    But it’s so easy I’m not sure why you wouldn’t do it, it’s like three taps in the app and done.

21. I do it on the app so I don’t have to worry about it at the airport

22. I always check in early (usually 2 hours early) for domestic flights just in case.

23. I always check in as soon as I can, to avoid losing my seat in the event a plane is oversold. I don’t know if it makes a difference.