As theories go, “Airport Theory” is not really up there with evolution or relativity. It is a social media phenomenon in which travellers in the US time themselves going through American airports, from bag drop via security to boarding gate.

The theory is that you can often whizz through in 15 minutes. But it is full of holes. For a start, normal passengers at New York JFK Terminal 4 (used by Delta and Virgin Atlantic) will be barely halfway through queuing for security by the end of the first quarter-hour. Many Airport Theory influencers on TikTok and Instagram have evidently paid around $80 (£62) for “PreCheck” – a security fast track with the promise “99 per cent of passengers wait less than 10 minutes”.

All the Airport Theory videos I see are for US domestic flights, which means no labyrinthine duty-free spiral of doom to navigate, nor passport control. But attempting a Schiphol scamper at Amsterdam airport for a flight to the UK could end in tears (possibly those of transit passengers skittled by a late-running influencer).

Ridiculous conceit that it is, at least Airport Theory invites travellers to consider how much time to allow before a flight. In the 1980s, the British Airways Shuttle allowed you to turn up at the gate at Heathrow, Edinburgh or Glasgow 10 minutes before departure and still catch the plane – paying for your ticket on board.

When easyJet and Ryanair began the no-frills revolution, each had a 20-minute check-in. But with expanding airports and increasing security, everything has got slower and more complicated. Ryanair demands 40 minutes, while easyJet is up to an hour at some airports.

I took a poll of colleagues about when they would arrive for a 1pm flight to Malaga. All said two to three hours ahead – apart from one who lives near Heathrow and will allow 90 minutes with cabin baggage only and already checked in.

So many potential hurdles stand between you and the boarding gate.

One key variable is the time for airport security queue. Outside the UK and US, you need to add in passport control. Then there’s uncertainty about the distance to the departure gate and the risk of a bus transfer to the plane – which is likely to mean a rule of “be at the gate 30 minutes ahead” is strictly enforced.

And with children in tow, you can more or less double everything.

The consequences of missing your flight also vary. If it’s an easyJet hop on a route with lots of departures, if you miss it you can pay a rescue fare of £110 to get on the next available one. But if you have a business-class trip to Australia, and a cruise booked at the other end, you will probably want to err on the side of an abundance of caution.

One colleague insisted: “Early is on-time and on-time is late.” Four hours ahead of departure, then? Way too long. An hour and a bit is my policy. Any more, and you will squander some of your valuable life in the airport, a location on a par with prisons and hospitals in terms of wanting to minimise the time spent there. Except there are many more ways to relieve you of your cash while you wait. Airports love “dwell time,” when passengers sip overpriced coffee or head for the shops.

To reduce the time and money wasted at the airport, eliminate all the uncertainties you can, and then build in a bit of padding.

On a trip to Singapore earlier this year, I was glad to have followed my own advice. I turned up at Heathrow 70 minutes before BA11 was due to depart. So when the A380 SuperJumbo was cancelled because of a technical problem, scuppering the plans of more than 400 passengers, I was still “landside” with no luggage to collect and could rearrange a flight immediately.

When the travel gods conspire against you, though, do not hesitate to queue-jump. Ask other less-pressed passengers if you might go to the head of the line. Just make it clear you are not an Airport Theory influencer.

Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue – and what it means for you.