After landing
Landed is not off the plane, and off the plane is not at the curb. The minutes between, by airport, and when to leave to pick someone up.
- How long checked bags take, and why nobody measures itNo US airport publishes bag delivery times. What the two 20-minute guarantees say, what foreign airports measure, and what to assume instead.Updated Nov 7, 2026
- How long from landing to the curbAbout 20 to 35 minutes with a carry-on at big US airports, 30 to 45 with a checked bag. The stages, by airport, and what stretches them.Updated Nov 7, 2026
- How long it takes to get off the plane, by rowAbout 3 minutes from the front of a 737 and 10 from row 30, once the door opens. The model, its one dataset and where it stops working.Updated Nov 7, 2026
- How long passport control takes, by terminalAt JFK a US passport typically takes 9 to 14 minutes and other passports 13 to 32, depending on the terminal. The terminal matters more than the airport.Updated Nov 7, 2026
- Taxi-in: why O'Hare takes 18 minutes and Midway takes 4Median taxi-in is 7 minutes nationally, 18 at O'Hare and 4 at Midway. What a year of flights shows about distance, the hour and the gate.Updated Nov 7, 2026
- When to leave to pick someone up at the airportBe in the cell phone lot when the plane lands, and leave the lot when they text from the curb. Typical times for 11 airports, with bags and from abroad.Updated Nov 7, 2026
- Where rideshare pickup actually is at the big airportsSorted by the extra minutes: same level, wrong level, garage or remote lot. Read from each airport's own page in November 2026.Updated Nov 7, 2026