Airlines sometimes have agents working the lines to deal with passengers in danger of missing flights, but not always. ASAP, in the hopes that processing can be expedited. Any way you cut it, arriving 42 minutes before an international flight is asking for trouble. Even if the line out front isn't exceedingly long, it takes a bit longer to check in because of the passport check, and often passengers have more luggage on such flights. When you're flying a jet that carries 300 or more people, there's often a jam at the gate, too.
Most airlines recommend arriving two hours early for an international flight.
Failure to meet this requirement may result in cancellation of your reservation and make you ineligible for denied boarding compensation. The site offers plain-English explanations on topics found in an airline's contract of carriage, which accompanies each ticket purchase. Donald D. Groff has been dispensing travel advice for a decade for such publications as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsday, the Boston Globe and the Kansas City Star. All rights reserved.