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CaptainJay said:

This just isn't the reality here. This is an international flight. American cuts off the ticket counter 1 1/2 hours before departure everyone else is 1 hour. Your bags have to be thru customs a minimum of an hour before departure. Two hours is the minimum to be here prior to a flight. American wants you there three hours before. They will give your seats to standby passengers if you don't hit those numbers.


Jay, everything you say is accurate. HOWEVER, they said they had only carry-on bags and they'd already be checked in. Therefore they don't have to stop at the ticket counter for anything, nor check any bags. (We print our boarding passes ahead & walk straight through the doors to C&I.)So their only stops would be C&I and security. It's obviously moot because their flights have been changed, but that whole 2 or 3 hour window is pretty flexible if you do everything possible to streamline the process. We always fly American & have never once been there 3 hours ahead, even on the busiest days. We aim for 2 hours, but even that isn't always necessary on weekdays. There's no comparison between flying on a random Tuesday or a weekend at holiday time.

If I can't be a good example, I'll just have to be a horrible warning. [Linked Image]