Guide

Delayed flight: should you still go to the airport on time?

Updated 17 October 2026

In most cases, yes. Go to the airport at your usual time and keep to the original check-in, bag drop and boarding deadlines, unless the airline officially gives you new ones. A delay can shrink, and a flight that was running late can leave sooner than the last update said.

Why you should usually still go at the original time

A delay is a moving estimate. Airlines update it as they learn more, and it can get shorter as well as longer.

• The airline may swap planes. If another aircraft is free, a delay caused by a late incoming plane can disappear.
• A slot can move earlier. When an air traffic control restriction eases, a flight can be cleared to leave earlier than its delayed time.
• The turnaround can be faster. Ground crews can sometimes prepare a plane in less time than planned, and some schedules include spare time.
• Deadlines usually stay the same. Many airlines keep the check-in and bag drop cut-off based on the original departure time, even after announcing a delay.

If you arrive late and the delay has been cut, you can miss the flight, and a missed flight is usually your problem, not the airline's.

Can you check in later if your flight is delayed?

Don't count on it. Unless the airline tells you otherwise, assume the check-in and bag drop deadlines still follow the original departure time. Some airlines move the deadlines when they officially reschedule a flight, for example to a later time or the next day. If your airline sends a new check-in or boarding time in writing, by email, text or in its app, that is the one that counts.

Checking in online as soon as it opens takes one deadline off the list. If you have a bag to drop, the bag drop deadline at the airport still applies.

Does boarding time change when a flight is delayed?

Usually it moves with the official new departure time, but not always at once. Boarding can start soon after the plane is ready, which may be earlier than the last delayed time shown. The airline app and the gate screens are the best place to watch, and staying near the gate once boarding time approaches is the safest choice.

When arriving later can make sense

There are cases where travellers reasonably plan around a delay, but each carries some risk, so check the airline's own instructions first:

• The airline has officially rescheduled the flight and given a new check-in time in writing.
• The flight has moved to the next day and the airline has rebooked or re-timed it.
• The airline itself has told passengers they can arrive later.

A delay shown only on a tracking site, or a prediction such as ours, is not one of these. It can tell you a delay is likely, but it is not the airline's decision.

Can you leave the airport if your flight is delayed?

Before security, you can usually go and come back, as long as you are back before the check-in and bag drop deadlines. After security or passport control it is harder: leaving means going through security again, and on international departures passport control as well, which some airports don't allow. If you have checked in a bag, ask the airline first. For most delays, staying airside near your gate is the safer choice.

What to check before you leave home

• The airline's official time in its app or on its website, and whether it mentions new check-in or boarding times.
• Where your plane is now. If the incoming plane is already running late, a longer delay is more likely. Our guide on where your plane is coming from shows how to check, and will my flight be delayed? explains the other early signs.
• Your connection. If a delay puts an onward flight at risk, talk to the airline early, before you leave home if you can.
• Alerts. Turn on alerts so you hear when the airline changes the departure or arrival time, rather than refreshing the board.
• Who is picking you up. If someone is meeting you, share the flight so they can follow the new landing time. See picking someone up at the airport.

Already at the airport and delayed?

Our guide flight delayed? Here's what to do next covers what to check, what to keep and where to ask the airline about assistance. What you may be entitled to depends on where you fly and the airline, so check the airline's conditions of carriage or your local aviation regulator.