First and foremost, do a little more planning than buying the ticket. Mr. Gardner recommends FlightAware.com for live flight tracking. Their app includes a “misery index” to let you know how things are going at ABIA or in whatever city you’ll be connecting.
At ABIA and for any domestic flight, give yourself at least 60 minutes for a layover. Travel sites will always sell you the ticket, but they can’t tell you whether you’ll be sprinting a half-mile to make it to the gate a minimum of 10 minutes early. You may also want a time buffer in case there is weather.
More than half of all airline travel is for business, so if you want to miss “rush hour,” find a trip that avoids Monday mornings and Thursday/Friday afternoons. The opposite is true for holiday weekends; many people leave work early on Thursday to take advantage of the three-day weekend off, so book your flight one day early or one day late to avoid the vacation rush.
Download a terminal map at to see where you will need to be before you arrive. There are expansions underway at ABIA; construction and the new parking lots require a bit of extra walking. Also, the southern terminal IS NOT at the airport. Those airlines—Frontier and Allegiant—will eventually move to the main terminal, but, for now, add another 30 minutes for the off-property shuttle.
We’re well past 2001 when you needed to arrive two hours early for every flight, but if you roll up 45 minutes before takeoff, don’t expect good things. When you arrive at ABIA, remember there are three security lines; one in the middle and one on either end. It is uncommon for all three to be crowded at once. Find or ask which one has the shortest wait time.
On a personal note, understand 99 percent of delays have nothing to do with the person you talk to about it. Mr. Gardner recommends, “Be the one person who sympathizes with the gate attendant. Even bring extra chocolate or cookies with you as a token of empathy. A little kindness will likely put you first in line for whatever fix the airline comes up with.”
When in flight, new FAA rules say as soon as the wheels touch the ground you can turn on your phone. You can start looking at your airline’s phone app for your connecting gate so the flight crew can do other things and you’re not creating a traffic jam in the jetway or at the counter outside.
Pilots and regular travelers all agree it is worth the price to get a TSA Pre-check ($85 for five years) and it is only for checkpoints 1 & 2. It doesn’t guarantee that you won’t wait or have frustration, but it really cuts down on both. Also, do yourself a favor and have your digital boarding pass QR code on your screen when you approach the checkpoints. No one wants to be behind the person swiping and tapping for two minutes.
Get Terminal maps and more at AustinTex.gov/airport