Needs of a domestic flight: check in check luggage go through security board plane Additional needs of an international flight: valid passport check at check-in visa check at check-in to ensure you have the rights to enter the destination country (not every country) exit passport control - outbound stamp, check (not every country) departure forms need to be completed, checked
(cynically, you could argue extra time allows more spending at duty free) While not always the case, international flights are more likely to have more people, more luggage to load, food to load, and additional paperwork, refueling and checks.
Of course, most of that can be done while you're processing land-side.
travel.stackexchange.com/users/101/Mark Mayo
The rule is actually 60 min for domestic, 120 min for international.
Some companies, like Delta, even require 3 hours for international flights.
That could have a series of motivations, mainly due to convenience.
Bigger planes imply more luggage to load, more people to wait, more people to get on board.
It seems reasonable that they don't want the plane to get delayed with people who came barely earlier than 30 min.
And they obviously need to admin on board everyone who came before the stipulated time.
travel.stackexchange.com/users/8492/Quora Feans
From personal experience - and anecdotal evidence chatting with airline desk staff - this has to do with immigration formalities that can cause delays.
travel.stackexchange.com/users/1375/Burhan Khalid
Several things play a role.
Others have mentioned passport control and immigration but this shouldn't be overstated.
US-based passengers might mistakenly assume that the only thing that matters is whether the flight is domestic or international but it's just one factor among others.
In Europe, it's not uncommon for non-EU non-Schengen flights to have short recommended check-in times even though passengers need to complete all the usual formalities and the distinction is really between intercontinental/long-haul flights on the one hand and shorter flights on the other hand.
The layout of the airport, terminal used, size of the aircraft (and consequently the number of passengers and amount of luggage), etc.
presumably all play a role.
Therefore, it's not uncommon to have different recommendations for each airport , specific requirements for sensitive flights or different recommendations for different airlines at the same airport (I have occasionally noticed shorter minimum check-in and boarding time for local airlines).
From Europe, US-bound flights in particular seem to have a longer lead-in time than other comparable destinations (possibly because the airline needs to communicate the passenger manifest to the US authorities?).
Technically, you can also find flights that are intercontinental, yet domestic, e.g. flights between mainland France and Martinique, Polynesia or la Réunion.
They typically use large jets like the Boeing 747 and follow the same check-in rules than transatlantic flights and other long-haul routes (incidentally, there is a passport check but on arrival).
travel.stackexchange.com/users/6669/Relaxed
An intercontinental flight takes more people and has about the same amount of entrances as a continental flight.
Naturally, you'll need more time to get everyone in the plane.
travel.stackexchange.com/users/13778/Guestão
Many countries in Europe don't even have any domestic flights at all, and even in countries that do most people don't have a concept of "domestic" versus "international" flights like the US for example does.
Nowadays with most countries in Schengen, the EU or both, flights within Europe however have the character of domestic flights like in the US.
So the main distinction, as it exists in Europe is "continental" versus "intercontinental".
And since the major intercontinental destination is the US the rules for intercontinental flights are adapted to the requirements of the US.
travel.stackexchange.com/users/6047/Krist van Besien
Unforseen delays can make anyone late.
The difference is if you miss an intercontinental flight, you lose a lot of money.
This is just friendly advice, not airline policy.
Actual check-in cutoff is much closer to departure.
Eg, JetBlue is 30 minutes for domestic, 60 minutes for international.
Delta's are similar, although it lists a few cities where it strongly suggests to arrive really, really early.
travel.stackexchange.com/users/13844/Aleksandr Dubinsky
The check-in time assumes that you will check luggage (and not fly with carry-on only).
For long-haul super-jumbo aircraft (B747, A380, B773) more time is required to process luggage.
For international flights, checked bags undergo more rigorous security screening, which takes more time.
Perhaps more importantly, on international flights, airlines are required to verify that each checked bag is matched to a passenger who is on board.
If the airline finds that a passenger checked luggage but didn't board, the airline must retrieve that passenger's bags from the hold.
That's why, on international flights, you may hear some passengers being repeatedly paged in the airport, at the gate, and on-board ("If passenger xxx is on board, please ring your flight attendant call button.")
travel.stackexchange.com/users/13848/jetset
For intercontinental flights I am advised to be at the airport two hours before the gate closes. For intracontinental flights one hour is enough. Why is there a difference?
Why do I have to wait 2 hours instead of 1 for intercontinental flights?
travel.stackexchange.com
<air-travel><airports>
travel.stackexchange.com/questions/27291
travel.stackexchange.com/users/11666/Thorsten Staerk
Some companies like Delta actually require 3 hours for international flights. The waiting time can be explained by the time needed to process and screen luggage as well as boarding passengers and verifying that each checked bag is matched to a passenger who is on board. If the airline finds that a passenger checked luggage but didn't board, the airline must retrieve that passenger's bags from the hold. Immigration formalities also take a lot of time. Flights within Europe take a lot less time to process than to other destinations, so there the main distinction is "continental" versus "intercontinental". There could be many reasons why the lead-in times for intercontinental flights are longer than those for domestic flights. Loading baggage, stricter baggage checks, loading passengers and immigration formalities are all possible reasons. Flights to the US may also need more time to transmit the passenger manifest.
The rule for arriving at the airport is 60 minutes for domestic flights, 120 minutes for international. This may help to avoid passengers arriving at the lest minute. Bigger planes are used on intercontinental flights and they hold more passengers and more luggage which all have to be boarded. Also, baggage checks are more thorough and if passengers do not board their baggage must be removed. Immigration formalities may be a reason for the extra time. In Europe, flights to the US have longer lead-in times and this may be because the airline has to transmit the passenger manifest to the US.