How early should I arrive at the airport for a domestic flight?

The general TSA recommendation is to arrive 2 hours before a domestic flight, but here is a more practical breakdown: Large airports (JFK, LAX, ORD, ATL, DFW): Arrive 2 hours early. These airports have long security lines especially on Monday mornings and Thursday/Friday evenings. Medium airports: 90 minutes is usually sufficient. Small regional airports: 60-75 minutes is fine, sometimes even 45 minutes if you have PreCheck. Factors that should add more time: - Checking bags: add 15-30 minutes for bag drop lines - Traveling with children: add 30 minutes - Holiday travel periods: add 30-60 minutes - Early morning flights (5-7 AM): lines can be long because everyone departs at once If you have TSA PreCheck, you can usually cut these times by 30 minutes since the PreCheck line moves much faster and you do not remove shoes or laptops. If you have CLEAR, you can cut even more time since you skip the ID check line entirely. My personal rule: 90 minutes with PreCheck at a medium airport, 2 hours without PreCheck at a large airport. I have never missed a flight with this approach.