Short answer
Work back from each traveler's departure time: the time the airline asks them to arrive, the drive and a buffer give you a pickup time. Group travelers by pickup time and terminal, plan the earliest flights the day before, check for schedule changes the evening before and the morning of, and keep someone at the airport to confirm who has boarded.
Key points
- Pickup time is the departure time, minus airport time, minus the drive, minus a buffer.
- Group pickups by time and terminal, not by hotel or room list.
- Plan flights before 8:00 the day before, with the hotel.
- Check every departure for changes the evening before and the morning of.
- Confirm who has boarded, so nobody is left behind.
Start from one departures list
Put every departing flight into one list sorted by time: traveler name, flight number, date, departure time, airport and terminal. Arrivals are often packed into one or two days, but departures spread out, because guests extend their stay, leave early or fly from a different airport.
Before you plan any transport, read the list once from top to bottom and look for gaps.
- Travelers with no departure flight yet.
- Travelers leaving from another airport than the one you planned for.
- Flights on the day after the program ends, or a week later.
- Departure times that look like arrival times, a common copy mistake.
- Families or couples booked on different flights.
Work out pickup times from departure times
Many airlines ask passengers to arrive about 2 hours before a short flight and about 3 hours before a long international flight. Check the airline's own advice for each route, because bag drop deadlines and security queues differ from one airport to the next.
Take the departure time
Use the scheduled departure in the local time of the airport, as printed on the ticket.
Subtract the airport time
About 2 hours for short flights, about 3 hours for long international flights, more for a large group with bags.
Subtract the drive
Use the real drive time at that hour and on that day of the week.
Add a buffer
15 to 30 minutes for loading bags, a late guest and traffic.
| Step | Short flight at 14:00 | Long flight at 14:00 |
|---|---|---|
| Be at the airport | 12:00 | 11:00 |
| Drive of 45 minutes | Leave at 11:15 | Leave at 10:15 |
| Buffer of 15 minutes | Pickup at 11:00 | Pickup at 10:00 |
Group travelers into pickups
Once each traveler has a pickup time, put people with close pickup times into the same vehicle. A window of 30 to 45 minutes works for most groups. Wider windows mean some guests wait at the airport for hours, which they will mention later.
- Keep the same terminal in one vehicle when the airport has several.
- Keep couples, families and colleagues together, even if one flight is a little later.
- Count the bags, not only the seats: golf bags, strollers and wedding dresses need room.
- Write the pickup time, place and vehicle on a short note each guest receives.
Plan early flights the day before
A flight before 8:00 often means a pickup at 4:00 or 5:00. Those guests need more help than anyone else, and they need it the evening before.
- Remind them of the pickup time in person or by message during the last evening.
- Ask the hotel to prepare an early checkout, or settle the bill the night before.
- Order breakfast boxes if the restaurant is still closed.
- Give the front desk the list of early pickups and a phone number to call.
Check for changes the evening before and the morning of
Airlines move departure times, sometimes by hours, and the traveler is not always told. A flight that moved from 14:00 to 11:30 breaks the pickup you planned. Check every departure the evening before and again early in the morning, then adjust the pickups.
Cancellations on departure day are harder: the airline rebooks the traveler, and you may need a new pickup, a late checkout or another night at the hotel. The sooner you know, the more options you have.
Know who has boarded
The job ends when the last guest is through the gate. Keep one person at the airport on busy departure days, with the list for that day, and mark each traveler as they check in for the flight. If someone does not show up, you find out while there is still time to call them.
At the end of the day, send a short note to the team and, if they want it, to the client: who left, who is still in the hotel, and who leaves tomorrow.