How early to leave St Andrews for a 07:00 flight
Work backwards from the gate, not forwards from your front door. For a 07:00 departure from Edinburgh we collect at 03:45 — and here is where every minute of that goes.
The drive is about 1 hour 15 minutes via the Tay and the M90. At that hour the road is usually empty, but a closed Forth crossing or a slow bridge lift still happens, so we do not plan as if it cannot.
Bag drop and security eat the rest. Airlines still ask you to be there two to three hours before a short-haul departure; we take the published figure rather than the optimistic one. That leaves a margin at the terminal rather than a sprint from the kerb.
Give us the flight number when you book. If the 07:00 moves, the pickup moves with it. If it does not, the car is outside at 03:45 and you can finish the coffee on the road.