Do you factor in enough time at airports?



Over 8 million people flew every day in 2014 according to IATA. So it’s no surprise that you will have to deal with queues at airports both when leaving and entering a country. Below are some general guidelines for how much time to plan when booking your Blacklane.

passport

Departure

No matter where in the world you are, security checks, country, city, time of year and other factors all add to airport wait time. Plus, the time of day, distance to the airport, tolls, and traffic all impact your pickup time. Always plan for more time than you think is necessary, especially in new airports – the departure airport should always be taken into consideration. When deciding what time you would like to be taken to the airport, consider the country you are in and the time of year you are flying. If there is a big holiday or festival, you can be sure there will be more people flying. You should therefore allow more time at the airport to get through security.

We also have a couple of tips:

  • The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows you to search for security wait times by airport here.
  • Non-EU citizens flying within Europe still need to get their visas checked before departure. This often requires standing in the luggage check-in line to receive a stamp on your boarding pass, adding even more time to the pre-departure process.

Arrival

If you have not prearranged a preferred pickup time, your Blacklane driver will wait up to one hour after landing / arrival, whether you are late or early. This is to allow for getting through the labyrinth which many airports are these days, as well as waiting for your bag at the luggage carousel. To help estimate how long customs could take, consider these guidelines. Note, however, that each situation is different and neither Blacklane nor drivers will know the actual wait times on the day of arrival.

  • If you are a non-American traveling internationally to an American airport, a minimum one hour buffer between arrival and pickup is recommended.
  • If you are traveling within the U.S., you would not need more than 0-20 minutes of buffer time between arrival and pickup, even as a foreigner.
  • If you are an American travelling internationally, you should have up to one hour buffer time between arrival and pickup.

Have you got any other helpful airport waiting time tips? Please share them in the comments!