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Home » United Airlines » Why I Won’t Arrive 15 Minutes Before Departure Next Time I Fly Out of Burbank
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Why I Won’t Arrive 15 Minutes Before Departure Next Time I Fly Out of Burbank

Matthew November 16, 2010 5 Comments

Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California is a handy little United Express station. Less 20 minutes from my house, it is always my airport of choice when I travel to and from Southern California. When mainline pulled out over a year ago, the SkyWest staff that took over was uninformed and unprofessional. But the staff has improved dramatically over the last year and I now know many of them on a personal basis.

Burbank is also great because the security lines in Terminal B are rarely busy (only in the early morning when the AA MD-80 bound for DFW, AS 737 bound for SEA, and UA’s CRJs for SFO and DEN leave around the same time) and there are no full body scanners (yet).

Usually, I’ll arrive 35 minutes before my flight, which gives me plenty of time to print my boarding passes, clear security, and use the restroom before boarding starts. Yesterday, I decided to cut it a little closer. I was having lunch with friends and deliberately pressed my luck.

I didn’t arrive at the airport until 1:10p for my 1:26p flight. I had checked in online, but didn’t print out my boarding pass at home so I had to stop by the check-in desk first. Thankfully, my friend Joe was at the counter and quickly printed out my BPs. The security line was empty, but I heard my name being paged as I was pulling my laptop out of my carry-on bag. It was 1:14p now, two minutes before the ten-minute cutoff, so after walking through the metal detector I ran over to the gate agent in my socks (about 100 yards away) and told him not to close the flight without me.

I ran back to the checkpoint, gathered my belongings, put my shoes back on, then walked back over to the gate where the agent scanned me in, closed the flight, and walked with me out to the plane to hand the FA the final manifest.

I made the flight, but I’d say that was cutting it a bit too close.

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About Author

Matthew

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 120 countries over the last decade. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BBC, Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Al Jazeera, Toronto Star, and on NPR. Studying international relations, American government, and later obtaining a law degree, Matthew has a plethora of knowledge outside the travel industry that leads to a unique writing perspective. He has served in the United States Air Force, on Capitol Hill, and in the White House. His Live and Let's Fly blog shares the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs and promotions, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel. His writings on penandpassport.com offer more general musings on life from the eyes of a frequent traveler. He also founded awardexpert.com, a highly-personalized consulting service that aids clients in the effective use of their credit card points and frequent flyer miles. Clients range from retirees seeking to carefully use their nest egg of points to multinational corporations entrusting Matthew with the direction and coordination of company travel.

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5 Comments

  1. Michael Reply
    November 16, 2010 at 2:57 am

    Love flying in and out of BUR – so convenient when working with the studios. Too bad no mainline UA service, though. I really love the super short walk to pick up a hertz car. 2 minutes from getting gate checked luggage to hopping in the car.

  2. Michael D Reply
    November 16, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    You live a wild life. What’s next running yellow lights?

  3. Marcus Reply
    November 16, 2010 at 6:37 pm

    Ahh yes, hearing your name called out for final call as you’re standing in line at TSA without your shoes on – one of life’s nervewracking moments.

  4. Matthew Reply
    November 17, 2010 at 1:32 am

    @Michael D: ROTFL. Hey man, do you ever show up to Dallas Love 15 minutes prior to departure? 😉

  5. Michael D Reply
    November 17, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    I haven’t shown up to DAL yet. Its a freight airport. Oh yeah and SouthWest. But I guess if you consider cattle freight, DAL is 99% freight. 😉

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