Free planning tool · Not a taxi
How early should I leave for the airport?
Live flight + live traffic from your postcode.
Example searches
Work backwards from the departure time
Start with the scheduled departure, not the estimated one. Bag drop and the gate close against the schedule even when the flight is late.
Take off the arrival window. As guidance, not a promise: around 2 hours for a UK or European flight and around 3 hours for long-haul. Our planner uses 90 minutes for a short-haul flight with cabin bags only, 120 with a checked bag, and 150 or 180 for long-haul, and checks that you are inside before bag drop usually closes. Your airline’s own cut-off always wins.
Take off a few minutes to drop off or park and walk in. Most airports now charge at the door and offer a free option further out; the free option costs time.
Take off your live drive time from your postcode. That is the part nobody can do in their head, and the reason the planner exists.
What is left is your leave time. We can’t see today’s security queue — nobody outside the airport can — so if it matters, leave earlier.
Flying from a particular airport? Every UK airport’s own drop-off rules
This is
A calculator for the person flying out. Free, no account, no booking.
This isn’t
A taxi, transfer or parking company. We never take payment for a journey.
Frequently asked questions
How early should I get to the airport?
As guidance, not a promise: around 2 hours before a UK or European flight, and around 3 hours before long-haul. Our planner is a little more precise — it aims for 90 minutes inside the terminal for a short-haul flight with cabin bags only, 120 with a checked bag, and 150 or 180 for long-haul — and it checks you are there before bag drop usually closes. Your airline's own cut-off is the one that counts, and a few airports publish their own advice, which we show on their pages.
So what time should I actually leave the house?
Work backwards. Take the scheduled departure, subtract the arrival window for your kind of flight, then subtract a few minutes to drop off or park and walk in, then subtract the live drive time from your postcode. What is left is your leave time. The planner does exactly that, with live traffic, and gives you a time to share.
Does a delay mean I can leave later?
No, and we will not tell you to. Check-in and bag drop usually close on the scheduled time even when the flight is running late, so we build your leave time from the schedule and show the delay separately.
Does the planner know how long security will take today?
No, and we do not pretend to. There is no live security-queue feed here. The arrival window is a realistic allowance for the kind of flight, not a reading of the queue. If you know your airport is busy that day, or you are travelling with young children or a wheelchair, leave earlier.
Drop-off or park and walk in — which should I plan for?
Most UK airports now charge for the forecourt drop-off and offer a free or cheaper option further out with a walk or a shuttle. The free option costs time, which the planner does not know about unless you add it, so decide before you set off. Each airport page shows that airport's own rule, with the date we read it and a link to the airport's page.