The real time you need to get to the airport for an international flight
Updated . First published at
On a recent trip to Fiji, I plugged my flight into the Auckland Airport app to check it was on time. The flight was scheduled for 2.50pm. Going by the universal “three hours before an international flight” rule, I told myself to get there by 11.50am.
However, the app told me to leave my house just two and a half hours before departure. This got me thinking: do we really still need three hours, or are we clinging to an outdated rule?
The universal rule is to arrive “three hours before an international flight”. Getty Images/iStockphoto
New Zealand airports have introduced a lot of new tech recently, designed to speed things up such as self-check-in kiosks and automatic bag drops.
Over the summer peak, international departure processing times at Auckland Airport were 21 per cent faster year-on-year.
Air New Zealand’s new self-check-in kiosks at the domestic terminals in Auckland and Wellington, and in Christchurch from Monday, have reduced the average check-in time from more than two minutes to just 37 seconds.
The fastest domestic customer completed check-in in a record 18 seconds.
At security, liquids and laptops can now stay in carry-on bags, upgraded body scanners reduce the number of pat downs required, and “Smart Lanes” with automated tray returns stop the line from grinding to a halt behind one slow unpacker.
The airports are using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology, which tracks passengers anonymously as “dots,” allowing airport staff to deploy extra personnel to security or passport control the moment a bottleneck starts to form.
The app told me to leave my house just two and a half hours before departure. Supplied/Emma Stanford
Though, with all this technology, there is still time for it to stop working. Flying to Australia last year, the automated bag drop at Auckland Airport stopped working and I stood with my bag on the scanner, waiting for it to be on its way to the plane, for about 30 minutes.
Luckily, I had got to the airport early enough.
To see where things stand, I asked New Zealand’s international airports and airlines exactly what they recommend.
This is what the LiDAR images show. This one taken at Christchurch Airport on June 9 2026 at lunchtime in the food court Supplied
What do the airlines say?
Airlines are the ones to set the time people should arrive at the airport to ensure they have enough time to complete behind-the-scenes processes, as well as to allow passengers to check in, drop their bags, clear security screening, and board without rushing.
Boarding usually starts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour before a flight departs. Some airlines are taking the earlier option to help them get away on time.
Jetstar says to arrive three hours before an international flight. Go through security two hours before departure and be at the gate 50 minutes before the flight time.
Air New Zealand next-gen self check-in kiosks. Supplied
Air New Zealand doesn’t have a strict arrival time. Its official policy is that desks open three hours before an international flight, and they advise passengers to give themselves “enough time to arrive well before check-in closes” to account for airport delays and queues. Check in closes 90 to 120 minutes before a flight.
Qantas check in closes 60 minutes before a flight and the airline recommends you check in early and allow yourself enough time at the airport.
The long and short of it: Check with your airline, and it’s better to be chilling at the gate than sprinting through the airport. I’ve been there before too.
This story was originally published by Stuff and has been repurposed here with permission.
