How early should I arrive for a 5am flight? (2023)

Are airports crowded at 5am?

If you are not able to travel during the early morning, it's important to know alternative least crowded flight times. For many airports, the most busy time of operation is during the workday (between 8 am and 5 pm).

If you're not checking luggage, the carrier advises you to arrive at the airport at least 60 minutes before your scheduled departure time. If you're checking luggage, it's 90 minutes. For international flights, give yourself two hours, says United.

For starters, consider booking flights as early in the morning as you possibly can. Not only will this help you avoid potential delays, but it can also save you time in traffic. If you book a 6AM domestic flight, for example, you'll need to arrive at the airport by 4AM.

Early morning flights are the least crowded and best on-time stats. Not surprisingly, punishing crack-of-dawn itineraries tend to be less crowded times to fly.

However, flying early can pay off in numerous ways. Advantages include less chance of weather-related disruption and other delays, saving you money and ensuring your journey as a whole is more comfortable with cheerier staff that aren't drained from a full day's work.

The Best Time to Fly is in the Morning

Flights leaving before 7am have the least amount of delays. That's early, we get it. For a 6:30am departure, you would have to arrive at the airport by 5am and leave for the airport even earlier. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons…

When you're traveling within the United States, we make the suggestion to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. For most airports, you must be checked in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time (airports requiring additional time are listed below, Go to footer note).

"The two-hour recommendation is fairly standard across the industry," says Heather Lissner, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport spokesperson. "We recommend the two hours so that travelers have enough time to get dropped off or park their cars, check their bags and get through security to their gates."

The probability for a delay is at its lowest (20% or below) from 6am – 11am. Early morning flights have less runway traffic, planes ready to take off from the night before, and fewer planes already in the air. Days of the week can impact the ticket price, along with delays.

What time is the airport most crowded?

► Busiest between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. No matter when you're traveling, it's a good idea to leave yourself extra time to get to the airport and clear security. If you're traveling during your airport's peak demand period, you won't want to cut it too close.

If you do end up with time to kill because of a delay, here's how to make the most of it. According to data gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the best time to fly is between 6 and 7 a.m. Flights with scheduled departures in that timeframe arrived just 8.6 minutes late, on average.

Schedule your flights for early morning when the terminal is often the least busy. According to a study conducted by Forbes, fewer planes are in the air at that time, which translates to a higher likelihood of your flight taking off as scheduled.