Airports, security and getting through faster

Airports are designed around a defined sequence, and knowing it removes most of the anxiety and a good deal of the time.

How much time to allow

Airline recommendations are generally conservative and exist for their benefit as much as yours.

The realistic factors: how busy the airport is at that hour, whether you have checked baggage, whether the route is domestic or international, and whether you have any expedited access.

General practice among frequent travellers: ninety minutes for a domestic departure with hand luggage, two hours with checked baggage, and two and a half to three for international.

Add time at airports with known bottlenecks, during holiday periods, and where check-in desks close well before departure.

Gate closing times are generally twenty to thirty minutes before departure and are enforced.

The sequence

Check-in, which for hand luggage only can generally be done online and skipped.

Baggage drop, if checking, which frequently has a separate and shorter queue than full check-in.

Security, which is the main variable.

Passport control for international departures, in some airports before security and in others after.

And the gate, which at large airports can be a long walk or a train ride from security.

Security, practically

The rules vary by country and the principles are consistent.

Liquids in containers of limited volume within a transparent bag has been the standard for two decades. New scanning technology permitting larger volumes has been installed at some airports, with rules differing between them, which means the safest assumption is the restrictive one.

Electronics larger than a phone generally out of the bag, though this is being relaxed where new scanners are in use.

Outer layers, belts and shoes depending on the airport.

Prohibited items are listed by each country's authority and include several things travellers routinely forget: certain tools, sharp objects, and liquids in checked-in duty free purchased at a previous airport when connecting.

Power banks must be in hand luggage under aviation rules, and several airlines have introduced restrictions on their use in flight.

The expedited programmes

Worth evaluating for anyone who flies more than occasionally.

Several countries operate trusted traveller programmes providing expedited security screening or expedited entry, requiring background checks and generally an interview.

Some are reciprocal with other countries' programmes, and some airlines and credit cards reimburse the fee.

The saving is time rather than money, and for a frequent traveller it is substantial.

Automated border control gates are increasingly available to eligible passport holders and require no application.

Lounges

Access is available through airline status, business class tickets, credit card programmes and paid membership, and increasingly through direct purchase at the door.

Whether it is worth it depends on the layover length and on what the lounge actually offers, which varies enormously.

For a long layover, a lounge with food, a shower and quiet is genuinely valuable. For a short one it is not.

Several independent lounges sell single entry, which for a delayed passenger is frequently the best available response to a long wait.

The connecting question

Covered in more detail elsewhere on this site, with one airport-specific point.

Whether a connection requires clearing immigration and re-clearing security varies by airport and by route, and it substantially changes the time required.

Worth checking the specific airport's transfer procedure rather than assuming, particularly for connections through countries where entry is required for any transit.

When something goes wrong

The practical actions.

Join the queue and call the airline simultaneously.

Check the airline's application, which frequently offers rebooking directly.

Know the alternatives before speaking to an agent.

Keep receipts.

And know your rights under the applicable regulation, which are discussed elsewhere on this site and which airlines do not always volunteer.

The small things that help

Wear shoes that come off easily and a belt that does not.

Keep documents in one accessible place.

Carry an empty water bottle to fill after security.

Charge devices before travelling and carry a battery.

Eat before airside prices apply.

And check the gate on the board rather than on the boarding pass, since gates change routinely and the board is authoritative.