Same here, we only stay 20 minutes from Glasgow Airport and we always arrive about 3-4 hours in advance of the check in time.

We normally book an airport hotel the night before and class it as an extra night of our holiday. I still like to be by the check-in desks 3 hours before and would never relax if I got there with less than 2.5 hours to spare.

As a rule of thumb we are alaways there three hours before hand

I'm always early too. I just dont do late and would be a total wreck .

I'd even go so far in saying that for me being bang on time would still be late.

I do sometimes admire those that can just carry on relaxing in the bar or shops even after the gate number has been announced on screen .They just saunter on up completely unruffled in their own chilled out time . I'm up and running , flapping and going into sergent major mode with screams of "come on ,move it , we've got a gate number up". My cheeks get all hot & flushed and I come out in a stress rash .
Even with the invention of online check in for budget flights , I know I dont need to stress and be there 2-3 hours before but I just can't help myself.

As for sitting down for a relaxing airport breakfast , no such thing for me . I'm stressing if my full english + extra toast is not coming through those flappy doors within about 5 minutes flat . I'm tapping my fingers on the table, continually looking at my watch and getting up to check the board . Then when it does arrive I bolt it down so fast just incase the plane leaves without me , even though theres still no ruddy gate number up.

I really must learn the art of "Chill" .

Got to be early , i couldn't cope if i was running late, like to be at airport at least 3 hours in front of departure time

I too like to be there early, but there again I always prefer to be early anywhere rather than be late. I can't stand it when people arrange to meet me and turn up even 10 mins late Apart from that, I'm always nervous there's been an accident or something on the roads that may cause us a delay We landed back in Newcastle once and were on our way home down the A19 & the other side of the carriageway leading back to Newcastle was stood still. Bumper to bumper cars which weren't moving an inch. All I could think about was the poor buggers who were on their way to the airport.

I like to get to the airport, dump my bags then mooch round the shops. I don't go through to security though until 'go to gate' appears as I'm not keen on hanging around airside.

I am never 4 or 5 hours early, I'm never that organised but I do like to be there in plenty of time.

I was once late on the plane though! I was getting a flight from Izmir and the plane had come from Northern Cyprus first. I saw it come in and assumed I had plenty of time but it was actually only stopping down for about 20 minutes so by the time I got on I must have been the last passenger! I felt so awful, it annoys me so much when people get on the plane late so I felt really bad.

I usually aim to get to the airport at the most 2hrs before the flight. After many years of flying every few weeks the thought of spending any more time than necessary at an airport fills me with dread. Can't stand the places, the amount of my life I have wasted just hanging around waiting for flights really annoys me.
Apart from Easyjet I always fly with airlines that pre-assign seats so I'm one of those people that board last, waiting till the queue has all but disappeared.

I'm the same - cannot stand running late for anything. Couple of years ago, I accompanied daughter down to London on an EasyJet flight so she could get her visa to go to America. We left our house in loads of time to get to Edinburgh Airport for the flight, only to get onto the city bypass and find traffic at a standstill because there had been an accident! With nowhere else to go, and no way of getting off the bypass to try to go by another route, my stress levels were going through the roof! Fortunately, we got moving again and made it to check-in with minutes to spare, but it's not an experience I'd be in a hurry to repeat.

Judith you must be one of those "The plane won't leave without me " people .

It never has done yet Lyn. There's always a first time though

Rob is one of them that stress out at the airport....I am one of the chilled out ones at the airport.

We get there about 3 to 3.5 hours before the flight, check in and go through security as soon as...then we can go for the breakfast and a mooch about the shops. Rob is forever asking me to check the screen to see if the Gate number has flashed up yet, if the flight is running on time etc..

and it does my box in...

Depending on what time the actual flight is, we may check into a premier inn the night before. The last few flights have been from Manchester and we have had to check in at daft o clock in the morning...and we go to the Gate straight away..but do not join in the mad rush to get on the plane..

From my point of view, once we are at the airport and through security,,,it is time to relax. I like people watching. I would relax alot more if Rob was chilled out....

I love the airport experience. As sson as we get rid of bags we go through security to departures so we have as much time as possible to look around the shops and have a drink at the bar. We also have breakfast if we haven't already had it. Although I don't get stressed I'm obsessed with watching the flight screens to see when our gate gets displayed. I also like to see what other flights are going around the same time as us.

Once our gate's displayed I'm nagging everyone to get a move on (a bit like Lyn but without the stress rash lol) as I like to make sure we reach the gate in time. Some of these gates take ages to get to. However, once seated at the gate I stay there until everybody else has gone through because I like to be with the last boarding. I can't be bothered with sitting in the cramped seat for ages before take off.

However, once seated at the gate I stay there until everybody else has gone through because I like to be with the last boarding. I can't be bothered with sitting in the cramped seat for ages before take off.

You clearly havnt flown Ryanair or Easyjet shirley

We always get there 3 hours before the flight is due and after check in head right for security. Once we are through security then all is well. We have something to eat browse the shops and wait for the gate number. When get number comes up we then make our way there.

Helen

Same here get to the airport at least 3 hrs before departure,check-in then nip outside for a quick ciggie then straight for security, last year we were too busy watching the planes take off we forgot to check when our gate number was showing on screen , wasnt until my dad checked and he said you silly s*d its last call , so of course I got the blame but we still ended up waiting 15 mins at the gate .
Anyway this time I will be checking in then straight through security as I have found out that I can smoke at the airport as long as I buy a drink at the bar

If I'm going away on holiday I'll always get there early and have plenty of time to relax but if it's business then it depends, I'm not going to get up at 4am for a flight just to hang around at the airport for a couple of hours when I get up at 5.30am and still make the 8.00am flight allowing for a quick shower, 45 minute drive and car parking. Return flights are even worse, you book a flight based on when you expect the meeting may finish, plus some margin.... and then it overruns and you race to the airport....

So, I could well be the annoying passenger who runs to the gate and is last to board if I'm on business but I'll be there 3-4 hours before and have some food etc if I'm going on hols.

I don't relax until we have arrived and checked in at the airport, my big nightmare is sleeping through the alarm and waking up too late I pray this NEVER happens!

If it's an early morning flight, we also stay in a hotel the night before, I just can't risk any hold-ups on the way!

I remember we sailed on the QM2 from Southampton a few years back and we were checking in at 12pm and I heard a woman ask what time was final check in, she was told 3pm, she then said her hubby still had to get their from London! I would have been having kittens! Don't know if he ever made it on time (hope he did)

My dear old dad ,god rest his soul gained a liking for saga holidays in his early eighties. My mum has always hated going on holiday with him and so he happily went alone for his pensioners jolly up.

Up until this point he had always holidayed with us so wasnt that familiar with how the airport screens worked , only that he had to check his flight number .

Off he went on the Gatwick flyer bus , I knew I should of taken him myself .Well about 6 hours later he returned home complaining & shouting that the plane had gone without him .

I actually got hold of the operations department of the airline and they gave me the whole story of how he was the first person to arrive at checkin .He was remembered as my dad always was wherever he went. That was the last they saw of him . Lord knows what he was looking at on the board or more than likely he had fallen asleep after a beer. The flight had been called in the normal way, 3 final calls had been put out for him on the airport tanoy , The checkin staff remembering him had gone looking before his bag was finally off loaded and dumped back onto the tarmac. . Yes it really was funny at the time and still is.

He was fuming when he got back but feeling pretty stupid .

Anyhow the operations department managed to sort him out another flight 2 days later & salvage his holiday at no extra cost. I took him that time and every subsequent time he flew after that , making sure he got assistance and looked like royalty on the back of one of those buggies that zap you down to the gate.
I do miss him . Such a huge personality and a gap that can never be filed.