American Airlines Online Check-in
Check-in and arrival
Arrive early and come prepared
American Airlines – We recommend you arrive to the airport at least 3 hours before your scheduled departure for international flights.
Check if your destination has travel restrictions. If your destination requires specific travel documents, remember to bring a completed copy with you to the airport.
When to arrive at the airport
Our recommended arrival times are meant to allow plenty of time to check in (with or without bags) and clear security before scheduled departure.
- Within the U.S. – 1.5 hours
- Outside the U.S. – at least 2 hours
Check-in
To speed up the process, you can use curbside check-in or self-service kiosks at most airports. You can use curbside check-in if you have an electronic ticket (can scan it from your phone).
Check-in times
You can check-in online or from the app starting 24 hours before and up to 45 minutes before departure (90 for international).
To check-in and check bags at the airport, you must be there a certain amount of time before scheduled departure:
- Within the U.S. – 45 minutes
- To or from destinations outside the U.S. – 60 minutes
Airports with earlier check-in times
| Airport location | Airport code | Check-in before scheduled departure |
|---|---|---|
| American Airlines Barcelona, Spain | BCN | 75 minutes |
| American Airlines Buenos Aires, Argentina | EZE | 75 minutes |
| American Airlines Caracas, Venezuela | CCS | 90 minutes |
| American Airlines Casablanca, Morocco | CMN | 75 minutes |
| American Airlines Dublin, Ireland | DUB | 75 minutes |
| American Airlines Georgetown, Guyana | GEO | 90 minutes |
| American Airlines Madrid, Spain | MAD | 75 minutes |
| American Airlines Maracaibo, Venezuela | MAR | 90 minutes |
| American Airlines Paris, France | CDG | 75 minutes |
| American Airlines San Juan, Puerto Rico | SJU | 60 minutes |
| American Airlines St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | STX | 90 minutes |
| American Airlines St. Kitts and Nevis | SKB | 90 minutes |
| American Airlines St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | STT | 90 minutes |
| American Airlines Tampa, Florida Applies only to the Consolidated Rental Car Center |
TPA | 90 minutes |
Check-in and arrival times for flights operated by other carriers, including codeshare partners, are set by the individual airline.
Airports with checked bag limits
You can’t check bags more than 4 hours before departure when flying from:
- Denver, Colorado (DEN)
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Portland, Oregon (PDX)
- Salt Lake City (SLC)
- Seattle (SEA)
