I have a 7 AM flight from KCI to LAS next Sunday. I'll be at a music performance until close to Midnight the evening before, so I thought maybe I'd just get to the airport early and sleep at my gate.. anybody ever done this? I don't know how many hours before a flight TSA will let you through!
The other issue besides TSA could be checkin. If you’re going to check a bag you’ll need to be sure your ticket counter is open.
Most I have ever done knowingly was 4 hours.... I have been at Airports for 7+ hours because of Delays.. I can't imagine planning to do it.
I totally get it and I defiantly would have done the same thing in my younger days. In my 40s I just would not do it now.
The TSA rule is the same calendar day of the flight, you can get in. There is an article quoting the TSA that says 24 hours before but I’ve never tried it.
TSA doesn’t care. Your airline might if you’re checking a bag - United will now only accept bag checks 4 hours prior to posted takeoff time. This has screwed me in the past when I wanted to not gamble and just sit in the United lounge for my last day in town if gambling was going bad. Couldn’t get my bag checked so I had to sit out in the pre-security space for a lonnng time. Was frustrating.
Obviously TSA knows which flight we're on since they no longer ask to see the boarding pass, so it sounds like assuming they're open late, you can get through as long as your flight is within 24 hours??
TSA policy is same calendar day (with some reasonable accommodation for flights leaving just after midnight), but most TSA checkpoints will close when there aren't any flights. MCI's website says that the checkpoint will generally open 2 hours before the earliest flight, which seems to be 5:30 AM on most days, so I'd expect the checkpoint to open around 3:30 AM. The last flight of the day most days is ~10 PM, so I'd expect it to be difficult to get through the checkpoint between ~10 PM and 3:30-4 AM.
Agree, arrived very late to LV a few days ago ~2am, saw a handful of poor souls contorted in various positions trying to sleep. Benches all had arm rests which don't lend well to sleeping.
I had a flight to Vegas out of KCI last September. The flight left at 5:00am and I was there before 3am and security was open.
Why not sleep at home and then go to airport 5am? You can't really sleep at the gate. They constantly have people working & cleaning during the night because that is the best time to do their things. If I missed a connection and stuck at airport, I might do it, but not willingly go to the airport for the night.
Update for anybody following this thread, there is an information line for the KCI airport and a live person actually answers the phone. She said TSA opens at 3:15 AM. KCI Information Line: 816-243-5237
Gotta move to the floor in that case. At least the Vegas airport is open! I've been to some that close and kick everyone out overnight, which is not fun. If you ever find yourself in that spot, https://www.sleepinginairports.net/ is pretty helpful.
