Better plan to get to the airport a little earlier.
Starting June 3, United Airlines will require all domestic passengers to be checked in for their flights 45 minutes before departure. Previously, check in for passengers without checked bags closed half an hour before departure.
“The change brings greater consistency for our customers by aligning with our current checked baggage deadline and the check-in policies followed by most other airlines,” a United Airlines spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement.
The general check-in for international passengers cuts off an hour before departure, according to the guidelines on the airline’s website, and flights to Hawaii, certain other countries and even specific airport destinations have different check-in cutoffs. Passengers without checked bags can also check in online or through the United app.
Most airlines recommend passengers arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure for a domestic flight and at least three hours for an international flight to get through security and check in with plenty of time to spare, but there is some flexibility in those guidelines, and many travelers make it on their flights even when they cut it close.
Still, airlines reserve the right to deny boarding to passengers who don’t manage to check in before the cutoff, so it’s usually best to leave a little breathing room in the travel schedule.
Which Florida airports does United Airlines fly out of?
According to the website, United currently flies to:
United dropped service to Tallahassee during the pandemic in October 2021. In talks with Tallahassee officials at a 2024 conference, a senior analyst and planner for the airline said restarting service at TLH was an “interesting opportunity” but it was a “weird time,” the company was short on planes, and Tallahassee was “challenging” as it was farther away from their hubs.
“Once they got more planes they would be interested in new opportunities and that TLH to IAH (George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston) would be a ‘good fit,’ ” TLH Airport Special Projects Coordinator Tim Anderson said.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: United Airlines changing flight check-in times, what this means at Florida airports
Reporting by C. A. Bridges and Zach Wichter, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
