As a rule of thumb, allow at least an hour for a domestic connection and an hour and a half for an international one, more if you change terminals, clear immigration or collect bags, and three hours or more if your flights are on separate tickets. The shortest connection an airline will sell you is legal, but it assumes everything runs to time.
How long to allow
| Connection | Comfortable minimum |
|---|---|
| Domestic, same terminal | 1h |
| Domestic, changing terminals | 1h 30m |
| International, same terminal | 1h 30m |
| International, changing terminals | 2h |
| Entering the US, then connecting | 3h |
| Separate tickets | 3h |
Our rules of thumb, the same ones the layover calculator uses. Busy hubs, winter weather and the last connection of the day all argue for more.
Minimum connection times
Every airport sets a minimum connection time: the shortest gap airlines may sell between two flights there, for each kind of connection (domestic to domestic, international to domestic, between terminals). They can be as short as 30 to 45 minutes at a compact airport, and well over an hour at sprawling hubs. If your booking was sold as one ticket, it meets that minimum, and if the first flight's delay makes you miss the second, the airline has to get you onto a later one.
What takes the time
- Getting off: 10 to 20 minutes from a seat at the back of a big plane.
- Changing terminals: a train or bus ride, sometimes a second security check.
- Passport control and customs: unpredictable; anything from ten minutes to well over an hour at peak times. Connecting in the US, you clear both at your first US airport, even if you're flying on.
- Bags: collecting and re-checking them adds a trip to baggage claim and a queue at the desk.
- Boarding: gates usually close 15 to 20 minutes before departure, so your real deadline is earlier than the time on the ticket.
Separate tickets: the big risk
Two bookings stuck together, for example a long-haul flight and a cheap onward flight on another airline, carry no protection. If the first flight is late and you miss the second, the second airline owes you nothing, and you may have to buy a new ticket. Allow at least three hours, more internationally, and think about travel insurance that covers missed connections.
Tight connection? Do this
- Sit near the front; carry on if you can.
- Check the arrival and departure gates in the airline app before landing.
- Tell the crew; on some flights they'll help tight connections off first.
- Follow the “flight connections” signs, not the exit.
- If you miss it on one ticket, go straight to the airline's transfer desk.
Long layover? Use it
Three hours in a terminal is three hours with no meetings. Find a quiet corner, put on the cabin hum or some brown noise, and work through a few Pomodoros. If you're not sure which airport is best to connect through, the nearest airport finder shows the big hubs near any city.
Check your connection
Enter your arrival and departure in the layover calculator to see how long you have and whether it's enough. And for a flight with no connections at all, try Flight: a focus session that's always nonstop.