Check In Early, or Pay the Price: What Most Travelers Still Get Wrong

Checking in for your flight might seem like a mindless step, but when you do it can seriously impact your travel experience. These days, most airlines let you check in online starting 24 hours before takeoff. If you're skipping that reminder email, you're playing with fire, according to Travel + Leisure.

First, early check-in can give you a leg up when it comes to seats. If you didn’t pay to pre-select one, your best shot at avoiding a middle seat is to check in as early as possible. Some international flights won’t even let you choose until check-in opens, so your window of opportunity starts the moment that email hits your inbox.

Then there’s the oversell factor. Airlines routinely book more passengers than they have seats, banking on no-shows. When everyone shows up, someone gets bumped. Often, it’s the person who checked in last. According to the Department of Transportation, check-in order can be a deciding factor. Don’t let a delay ruin your plans when you could’ve avoided it with a couple of clicks.

If you're checking a bag, the stakes are higher. At most airports, you need to check luggage at least 45 minutes before departure for domestic flights. Miss that window, and your bag may not make it no matter how on time you are. 

For international flights, that cutoff jumps to 60 minutes or more. Plus, some airports, like JFK, set even earlier deadlines.

Want to get upgraded? Some airlines take check-in time into account when bumping passengers into better seats. If you’re in the same status tier as someone else, whoever requested the upgrade earlier may win out.

Bottom line: checking in early is a low-effort way to reduce risk and increase reward. Some airlines even offer auto check-in features, like Southwest’s EarlyBird or Singapore’s no-fee auto-select. Use them.

And if you must check in at the airport, look for kiosks or curbside counters to cut through the chaos. It might cost a few bucks, but it’ll save your sanity, and maybe your trip.

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