If you want to reduce stress, get to the airport at least an hour before the recommended minimum check-in time. Check with your airline for recommended minimum check-in times. This can be as little as 20 minutes for domestic flights from small airports if having hand luggage only, to as much as 3 hours for an international flight to or from the US where getting through security can take more time. Depending on the way you get to the airport, you should add another hour on top of that. This extra hour will also give you a buffer for delays that could occur on the way to the airport.

Don’t Show Up at Your Gate On-Time – Show Up Early

This is important: on-time flights can and do leave early. So even if a delay is announced – then gets cancelled, your flight may not leave at the scheduled time – it may leave ten minutes early. Always be at the gate early.

If a delay is due to a blizzard or other bad weather, the situation may not be changing anytime soon – but don’t count on it. Follow these tips, some of which can be a pain, but what’s worse – hanging near the gate for awhile or missing your flight?

• Check in for your flight at home – or immediately upon arrival at the airport
• Be at the gate 20 minutes early – that’s 20 minutes minimum before your flight is scheduled to depart
• Check with the gate agent for updates
• If there is a delay, don’t stray far from the gate – eat at a nearby restaurant with a view of the departure board or bring your food to the gate area.
• Listen for updates – you could sign up for airline text messages or email for your phone, but you’re better off relying on the gate agent’s public address system – you know that’ll be in real-time

Your boarding ticket specifies Boarding time, which is when boarding starts (not when it ends). Usually the boarding starts even after the printed time, but for short flights at least 30+ minutes before departure…for international flights on large aircraft, sometimes 45+ minutes.

The gate closes (boarding stops) usually only 10–15 minutes before departure so give yourself plenty of time to get to the gate. If you don`t know your way around the airport. Contact your travel agent for advice.

When a flight is cancelled, the reason given is usually some kind of technical or weather-related problem. Sometimes the real reason is that so few passengers have checked in that it is cheaper for the airline to cancel the flight and re book the passengers on a later flight. If a flight is cancelled, the airline is obligated to get you on the next available flight to your destination, but interpretations of “next available” vary and, for some low-cost carriers like Ryanair, this may mean a long wait indeed.

Airlines never unnecessarily cancel or delay flights because it costs too much money, perturbs many other flight schedules, and generates poor public relations. When they do delay or cancel, they usually go to great lengths to arrange seats on another flight, sometimes even on another airline. If a cancellation has been caused by them, they are required by law to pay you certain compensations and/or arrange lodging and/or meals until you can be flown to your destination.

If your delayed getting to the airport and you’re worried about missing your flight, find a member of your airline`s staff to talk with. They can arrange for speedy check-ins and for you to be moved up in queues. But they won’t notice if you don’t tell them. Calling on the phone for late passenger instructions while you are on your way to the airport can also help.

Even in cities with extensive public transportation, getting to the airport can be difficult. Some urban rail systems omit the airport; it might be far from the city center. Terminals can also be far away from each other so be sure to arrive at the right terminal too. (Fortunately, large, modern airports have many forms of “people movers” that link separate terminals and reduce actual walking required.) The same cautions apply if you use rail service to reach your airport. Some airports have such an array of terminals that metro lines, subways or railways may have more than one station.