Cutting it fine arrving for flights?

[Gavster]

Does anyone know how late you can arrive at the airport for European Ryanair flights? There's a early morning 6.25am flight I need to get from Stanstead to Turin and want to arrive as late as possible without missing it. Anyone got any experience? Every extra minute in bed will count I usually arrive super early for flights.

[DeskJockey]

If you didn't leave home last Thursday you'll miss it

From experience unless you've paid for speedy boarding and quick baggage drop you'll need at least three hours to be safe. Only time I've beaten two hours with Ryanair was when I had every optional extra, and that was for a 6something flight on a random weekday.

[Mito Man]

Surely it depends on how busy security is. And it's peak travel season so it'll probably be busy.

[dinny_g]

Are you flying with Carry on only ??

If so, you're risk is Security - Check how many flights leave in or around that time from the Airport. Bear in mind, at that time, they might not have a lot of channels open.

If you have check in baggage again, it's a risk. I've had 30 or 40 minute waits at Ryanair check in desk just to check a bag depending on how many gates are open.

If you absolutely have to be in Turin that morning, then I'd suggest:

Aim for 05:15 walking through the door for carry on
Aim for 04:45 walking through the door for check baggage.

[Gavster]

Are you flying with Carry on only ??

If so, you're risk is Security - Check how many flights leave in or around that time from the Airport. Bear in mind, at that time, they might not have a lot of channels open.

If you have check in baggage again, it's a risk. I've had 30 or 40 minute waits at Ryanair check in desk just to check a bag depending on how many gates are open.

If you absolutely have to be in Turin that morning, then I'd suggest:

Aim for 05:15 walking through the door for carry on
Aim for 04:45 walking through the door for check baggage.

Yes, will be carry-on only, and that's super useful info, will check what the departures are like that day. I was wondering if ~5am would be okay and that seems to align with your opinion too.

[Rich B]

Being late and rushing for flights is more stressful than just getting up earlier and missing a bit of sleep imo.

[V8Granite]

I average around 25-30 flights a year.

International, 3 hours, european or local, 2 hours. I’ve never missed a flight that way and all you need is a large group at checkin trying to put 50kg of luggage on for free and you are screwed.

Dave!

[Ascender]

What @V8Granite says. And pay for the fast-track security as a safety net.

[dinny_g]

Yeah fast track security is a good idea if you want to reduce your risks

[Gavster]

What @V8Granite says. And pay for the fast-track security as a safety net.

Ooohhh good call. Will do that.

This is all new to me as I never needed to travel for work before. However I’m speaking at an event the night before and then need to be in Turin the next lunchtime so am placing a high value on any time savings.

[Explosive Newt]

Had a similarly early Ryanair flight a couple of months ago from Stanstead. My experience was that security wasn't that bad early in the morning but it might be a bit different now we are peak summer hol. They'll start boarding about 20 mins before it takes off knowing Ryanair. I would aim to hit security about an hour before your take off and walk briskly to your gate (I understand you have sprinting prowess!). And as the others say, fast track isn't much more expensive so worth it for peace of mind (you can do it all on the Ryanair app last minute).

I stayed in the airport hotel as I was determined to get as much lie in as possible, but it was about £150.

[dinny_g]

However I’m speaking at an event the night before and then need to be in Turin the next lunchtime

Sounds like you need a good PA, rather than flight advice, now you’re an international man of food policy…

[duncs500]

City airport is the place for this. I had to fly to Rotterdam for the day for work once and I absolutely sailed through everything. Only time an airport has felt simple like getting a train to me.

Not helpful to you of course.

I did used to have a colleague who commuted to/from Paris every weekend and he used to leave it incredibly late, can't remember exactly but I'm sure it was under 1hr from departure (45mins poss?). Although I think he was willing to accept missing the odd one.

[Jimexpl]

I've done multiple August Stansted Ryanair flights with a pre-7am departure over the years and give myself 1 1/2 hours. Normally just enough time to grab a coffee and pastry and not have to rush to the gate.
My bigger issue has been with the early train from Liverpool St to the airport - on a couple of occasions I've had to get a cab because of delays.

[mik]

I’ve done more than my fair share of work-related flights. I travel light - up to 3 days away I fit everything into my laptop bag. More than that and I generally take a carry-on case. I avoid checking in bags at all costs - had my bag go missing foe an important meeting early in my career and shopping for clothes before going on site was a panic.

I plan to arrive 1hr before outbound flights. If all checked in then it’s not generally a problem - most airports will allow you to skip ahead of the queue if it’s crazy busy and you have an impending flight - they are supposed to flex for heavier periods - not expect you to anticipate it.

[Gavster]

This is all super useful, thanks everyone! The hotels at the airport are a good shout, they even have buffet breakfast from 4am for exactly this situation too. It's a bit of a stretch to spend £138 a night there, if I could get some more money out the client then it would give me an extra 90 minutes in bed, which has a pretty high monetary value when I'm gonna be in the 4-6 hours sleep zone

@Jimexpl I use national express to get to Stanstead, they go from Liv street via Stratford (where I jump on) and run 24 hours a day. They're very punctual and quick when the roads are quiet too.

[Jobbo]

It's a bit of a stretch to spend £138 a night there

Probably cheaper than the drop-off fees these days

[DeskJockey]

So, did you make it?

[Gavster]

It's not for a few weeks, so will update accordingly!

[DeskJockey]

And you've not left for the airport yet? Good luck making that flight.