How early should I get to Sacramento airport?

Sacramento airport is one of the biggest airports serving the city of Sacramento. It is at a distance of nearly 10 miles from the downtown city. The administration of the Sacramento Airport falls under the Sacramento County Airport System. The code for this airport is SMF. It spans an area of nearly 24 kilometers square. If you live in the area of Sacramento, it is highly likely that at one time or another, you will visit the airport. If you are looking to travel via this airport, you need to know about the time you need to get there. If you get there a little too early or too late, you can run into various snafus. You must even know the Sacramento airport parking rate so you do not run into any parking trouble there.

If you do not know about the right reporting time, you are in the right place. In this article, we will tell you when you need to get to the airport so that you are neither too late nor too early.

How early should I be at the airport?

The right time to be at the airport depends on the nature of your flight. It is because the different mechanisms for different trips are differing. However, as a rule of thumb, we can suggest a rough idea of how early you need to be at the airport.

For domestic flights
A domestic flight is a flight that is destined within the country you are in. If you are looking to travel on a local trip, it is best if you are at the airport at least an hour before your plane takes off. This way, you can avoid running into late issues without wasting your precious time. If you reach the airport any later than this, you may face several problems and may even miss your flight. However, if you enter the airport before one hour, you may end up sitting around in the lounge of the airport with nothing to do. Hence, the right time to report to the airport for domestic flights is one hour before the take-off time.

For international flights
An international flight is the one which is going to fly you out of the country. The procedures of boarding and checking are more stringent in the case of international flights. Hence, for international flights, the ideal reporting time is at least two hours before the take-off time. This way, you can go through all the procedures and avoid any potential issue of running late. Many people choose to be at the airport three hours before the take-off time. However, they often complain of sitting around idle without having anything to do. Hence, the perfect time to be at the airport for an international flight is two hours before the take-off time.

Conclusion
Now that you know what the right time to be at the airport is, you can save your precious time. Also, you can avoid running into potentially resource-intensive issues at the airport. Also, do not forget to get all the things you will need for the journey. Safe traveling!