 What brought that on? Well, the Wall Street Journal, of course, did the math to see how early you really should get to the airport. They found out 90 minutes does the trick, as long as you're not checking luggage. Really? Having a boarding pass on your phone will save you about 20 minutes. Add a half an hour if you're checking luggage and another 20 minutes to park. Traveling on a Wednesday will set you back another 30 minutes.