Over the weekend, I was flying from Richmond, Va to New York JFK, and I was shocked to hear the airline gate staff announcing that any passengers not on the plane were about to “forfeit” their seats. Not only was it precisely 27 minutes before our scheduled take-off, but there were like literally two people in the waiting area.

The experience just got me thinking about the up-in-the-air nature of airline boarding procedures these days. I checked Delta’s web site for check-in requirements and learned that the standard time passengers are supposed to be at the gate is 15 minutes prior to take-off. Continental has the same policy. American Airlines doesn’t offer this information (that I could tell) on its web site – just the times you should arrive at the airport in order to get your checked bags on the plane. JetBlue doesn’t have any readily available information about check-in policies on its web site. Northwest is slightly more confusing. Passengers must be checked-in 30 minutes prior to their flights and “on the plane” 15 minutes before departure in order to avoid losing their seat assignments. But the airline’s web site says nothing about when to arrive at the gate in order to be “on the plane” 15 minutes before take-off. United passengers have to receive boarding passes at least 30 minutes prior to departure and arrive at the gate 20 minutes before take-off to keep their seat assignments. USAir advises passengers to check-in 30 minutes prior to departure and to arrive at the gate 15 minutes before take-off.

It’s a lot for the average traveler to remember. Just sayin’ is all.

You can check the individual airlines’ web sites for more detailed check-in information below:

Delta Check-in Requirements

American Airlines Check-In

Northwest Airlines Current Airport Procedures

United Airport Check-In Information

USAir