You have to arrive at least 1hr early before your scheduled boarding time. 30 minutes boarding, means your "6hr" flight is actually more like 7.5hrs because you need to be at the airport.

Then you need to factor the fact that airports are not often in easy to reach places. (exception: LCY and JFK). That applies to both ends. The times stack up very rapidly.

In theory it's 2hrs to Birmingham from Copenhagen, but that trip will take approx 5hrs when you factor in all the "early arrive" and last mile shenanigans.

> You have to arrive at least 1hr early before your scheduled boarding time.

You don't have to. It's a recommendation. The only true "have to" is that you have to be at the gate before the scheduled end of boarding, which is usually 15 minutes before takeoff.

I've had to wait in the security line for over an hour before. That is proof security is not about terrorists - if it was you would not be allowed to stop until after they verify you don't have a bomb with you. Those lines are a perfect place for a terrorists to kill a lot of people.

Perhaps it is not a universal truth but I have certainly been in situations where my boarding card was not accepted because I was at the entry gates to security (where you scan your boarding card) less than 30 minutes before boarding.

This was in Amsterdam Schipol.

That must have been some kind of local rule. There's no such rule in the US.

Not a compelling argument, I will always make sure this doesn't happen.

And I also distinctly remember being unable to drop my bag at EWR for being "too late" to do so.

Always better to be early, so people will factor that in.

> And I also distinctly remember being unable to drop my bag at EWR for being "too late" to do so.

That is indeed a universal thing when you have bags to check. I just don't consider that a "have to" since you don't have to check a bag to fly.

The airport in Seattle has had many 75 minute security lines lately. I think it has to do with a TSA labor shortage than anything.