Back when I flew often for work, I really tried to get to the airport as late as possible without missing my flight. To the point where I would sometimes sprint to the gate and be the last person to board.
And I felt great about myself for optimizing and not spending more time at the airport than I had to! Actually, I still do.
BUT of course there came a time when that strategy failed me: taking a flight departing from an unfamiliar city and airport—coincidentally also Amsterdam's Schiphol!
When taking flights from Athens, I used to arrive at the airport 30 minutes before the gate opens and that was always enough time (and if you consider the fact that flies are almost always late, it's usually more than enough).
So for the flight from Amsterdam I intended to arrive about an hour earlier. But a lot of things went wrong that I didn't predict: First, the train that I took from the city was delayed because of construction work. Secondly, the airport was MUCH larger than Athens’ and I also didn't know my way around it so it took me much longer to get to the gate. And thirdly, most infuriatingly, it was one of those flights where the gate CLOSES 30 minutes before departure! And I got there 20 minutes before departure…
Now I know that there are a bunch of flights that are like that, but until then every single flight I had ever been on, the gate OPENED 30 minutes before departure and closed exactly at the time of departure! Everything went wrong and since then I go to foreign airports 2-3 hours earlier. Which, not gonna lie, feels like a defeat. But I'm not paying another 700 € for a same-day flight! 😑
I realized recently though that I've taken this fear a bit too far because on my last flight from Athens I also arrived 2 hours before departure and there truly was no need. 😅
mahuahuahua I am expecting to read this again in the book "Life of Anna 'Loss Aversion'"
I love these stories. They convey so much about how one approaches the world and one changes their behaviour due to experience.
I think with modern airports there is not that much to gain in terms of efficiency. My treat for making it early sometimes is to get a massage (especially in SEA airports where the quality of spas is pretty good): well worth it! But yeah...I still gotta visit Athens airport perhaps I'll be just on time for that one 😂
Re Schiphol: at this point I am going to think that there is something with the UX of that airport that doesn't make it friendly to navigate 🧐 (because what are the odds?!)
Damn, we are so similar 😂😂
Back when I flew often for work, I really tried to get to the airport as late as possible without missing my flight. To the point where I would sometimes sprint to the gate and be the last person to board.
And I felt great about myself for optimizing and not spending more time at the airport than I had to! Actually, I still do.
BUT of course there came a time when that strategy failed me: taking a flight departing from an unfamiliar city and airport—coincidentally also Amsterdam's Schiphol!
When taking flights from Athens, I used to arrive at the airport 30 minutes before the gate opens and that was always enough time (and if you consider the fact that flies are almost always late, it's usually more than enough).
So for the flight from Amsterdam I intended to arrive about an hour earlier. But a lot of things went wrong that I didn't predict: First, the train that I took from the city was delayed because of construction work. Secondly, the airport was MUCH larger than Athens’ and I also didn't know my way around it so it took me much longer to get to the gate. And thirdly, most infuriatingly, it was one of those flights where the gate CLOSES 30 minutes before departure! And I got there 20 minutes before departure…
Now I know that there are a bunch of flights that are like that, but until then every single flight I had ever been on, the gate OPENED 30 minutes before departure and closed exactly at the time of departure! Everything went wrong and since then I go to foreign airports 2-3 hours earlier. Which, not gonna lie, feels like a defeat. But I'm not paying another 700 € for a same-day flight! 😑
I realized recently though that I've taken this fear a bit too far because on my last flight from Athens I also arrived 2 hours before departure and there truly was no need. 😅
mahuahuahua I am expecting to read this again in the book "Life of Anna 'Loss Aversion'"
I love these stories. They convey so much about how one approaches the world and one changes their behaviour due to experience.
I think with modern airports there is not that much to gain in terms of efficiency. My treat for making it early sometimes is to get a massage (especially in SEA airports where the quality of spas is pretty good): well worth it! But yeah...I still gotta visit Athens airport perhaps I'll be just on time for that one 😂
Re Schiphol: at this point I am going to think that there is something with the UX of that airport that doesn't make it friendly to navigate 🧐 (because what are the odds?!)