Do I still need to arrive at the airport 3 hours early to fly to Italy if first stop is domestic?

Question

I am flying to Italy from the U.S. My itinerary consists of 2 stops, one in America and one in Europe prior to arriving in Italy. I know it is recommended that I arrive at the airport 3 hours early for international flights, but is this still the case if my first flight is not directly international and is technically a domestic flight? 

Say this is the itinerary, for example, in case you need clarification: Denver to JFK, JFK to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Venice. Technically Denver to JFK is domestic, so does this recommendation only apply if you were flying directly to a different country?

Answer

Yes, as far as I understand that, you would still need to be at JFK 2-3 hrs prior to your international flight as you will have to re-check your luggage etc. I would be on the safe side and book my domestic flights will plenty of time to spare.

Answer

Yes, because your bags go through both extra screening at the point or origin and gets separated in a certain way, because it is an "internationally bound" baggage with high priority handling.  Also there is a ton of (electronic) submissions that the airline has to do even as you are flying to your last domestic point of exit.  The exception would be if you were flying out of a small regional airport like Minot North Dakota or Amarillo Texas.  Even smaller airports like Fargo ND that are 'bigger' regional airports need you to check in a little earlier...

Do I still need to arrive at the airport 3 hours early to fly to Italy if first stop is domestic?

Answers (2)