On the road
Short layovers: how not to miss the second flight
An hour's layover can be plenty or nowhere near enough, and it depends on five things. What they are and what to do if you miss the connection anyway.
Nerea Aguilar 6 min Photo by Tom Def on Unsplash Whether a layover is enough has no general answer, because it depends on five things and only one of them is the clock.
The five that decide
- One ticket or two? That is by far the most important.
- Do you have to clear immigration and check the bags in again? Count on a good hour.
- Are you changing terminal? At some airports that is twenty minutes on a train.
- Is it international to domestic or the other way round? That usually means a check.
- What time of day? Early-morning checks have different queues.
The airport's minimum
Every airport publishes a minimum connecting time, and booking systems will not sell below it on a single ticket. It is a useful and optimistic reference: it is calculated with everything working.
If you miss it
- On a single ticket, go straight to the airline's transfer desk: they rebook you.
- On two tickets, the second flight is lost and you have to buy another, unless the airline is generous.
- Keep everything: boarding passes, delay notices and times, because that is what any claim rests on.
- And tell whoever is waiting for you, and that is where the phone becomes indispensable again.
Two separate tickets are not a trip with a connection: they are two trips that happen to line up.
What helps before flying
Checking in online, travelling with hand luggage if the layover is tight, sitting near the front on the first flight and having the connection sorted so you can reorganise from the gate and not from a queue.
And if you land in another country on the way, watch out for this: what to do on landing, step by step.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do I need for a layover?
It depends on whether it is a single ticket, whether you have to clear immigration, whether you change terminal and on the time of day. The airport's published minimum is an optimistic reference.
What happens if I miss the connection?
On a single ticket the airline rebooks you at no cost. On separate tickets the second flight is lost.
Does my suitcase travel through on its own?
Only if the flights are on the same ticket. On separate tickets you have to collect it and check it in again.
How do I reduce the risk?
By checking in online, travelling with hand luggage if the layover is tight and sitting near the front on the first flight.
