Charlottetown Airport wants you to arrive 90 minutes before your flight

Charlottetown Airport has issued a reminder that passengers need to arrive 90 minutes before their flight in order to check in on time.

Both Air Canada and WestJet have 45-minute cut-off times for domestic flights and passengers need to be at the airport well before that deadline, the airport said in news release.

CEO Doug Newson said this is particularly important for early morning flights.

"With more seat capacity than ever before, there is the potential for over 375 passengers to be going through security for flights between 6 and 6:45 a.m. on a daily basis in July and August," he said.

According to the news release, airlines flying out of Charlottetown say most passengers are still arriving just 60 minutes before departure.

News to many

Several passengers at the airport Tuesday admitted they hadn't heard about the 90-minute advisory.

"I've heard one hour but 45 is usually what I shoot for," said Barry Linkletter. "Until now, I've never had any trouble. There's never a line, and I live five minutes away, so it`s a quick easy trip.

I've gotten here 20 minutes before my flight. It's been a close call but I don't find it very busy in this area.- Allie MacConnell

But he can see the reasoning behind the 90 minutes.

"I would agree with that," he said.

"People, if they've flown much, they know when there's that double flight and that huge line. You don't want to be at the back of that line wondering if you've checked in on time."

Allie MacConnell also cuts it a lot closer than 90 minutes.

"That's a long time ahead of time," she said. "I've been pretty close. I've gotten here 20 minutes before my flight. It's been a close call but I don't find it very busy in this area."

'I can make it in 40 minutes'

Some simply said minutes is unnecessary, even in the morning.

"Nope, I wouldn't be here 90 minutes early for that," said Codi Enman. "I can make it in 40 minutes. I've done it before."

But others travellers would rather be safe than sorry.

"You hate to be up that early," admitted Sandy Lindsay. "But, you know what? What's a few minutes sleep going to mean? Sleep on the plane, whatever. We like to give ourselves lots of time so we don't risk missing the flight." 

Hard to convince some

Newsom recognizes it's going to be a challenge convincing everyone.

"If you're flying to Halifax in the middle of the day on an 18-seater, you probably don't need to be here 90 minutes prior to departure," he said. "But we have a lot of customers used to getting here right prior to departure, going through security and getting on the plane.

"So it's really just an education piece to say, 'Come a little early.' We want to make sure people have an enjoyable experience and aren't stressed trying to get through long lineups."

Newsom says with the added service this summer, the airport will see the largest amount of morning traffic in its history.

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