Airport Minimum Connection Times: What Are They, Can They Be Relied On?

Or, there might be a situation in which only one flight for a desired routing is available for the whole day, but it falls afoul of the minimum connection time from a previous flight. It’s only when you’re piecing together an award itinerary that’s more complex than what the search engine spits out that you’ll need to be mindful of the minimum connection time at the airport you’re planning to transit through. Let’s take a look at minimum connection times, why they’re important, how to find out what a minimum connection time is, and how you can stand to benefit from schedule changes. As a pretty frequent American flyer, I find that most hubs have a minimum connection time of 40 minutes, and of course that’s already pushing it. Carriers’ reservation systems will not build an itinerary that violates its minimum connection times.” In the U.S. there’s no overarching rule about minimum connection times.

• For instance CM at PTY does 40 min connections, including to some US destinations (e.g. IAH), which have to go through an extra security check.
• I look at my connecting time as a window shade over a window.
• Laurel Brunvoll, owner and president of the boutique luxury travel agency Unforgettable Trips, agreed that 90 minutes is a good floor on connection times, even if an airline sends you an itinerary with as little as 40 minutes between flights.
• However, it could be longer for international routes, especially when changing terminals or going through immigration.
• You should note that there are different minimums depending on the connection type.
• And while most airlines will help you out with rebooking, it’s not a guarantee.

Booking and Ticketing for Non-IATA Travel Agencies

Personally I don’t trust airlines when it comes to their minimum connection times, so I won’t book a ticket just because the airline claims there’s enough time to connect. In this post, I’d like to talk a bit about minimum connection times on connecting itineraries, as this is something that many travelers don’t put enough thought into, in my opinion. When booking a connecting flight, airlines will provide options, often with varying connection times. Airlines have in their Contract of Carriage (COC) a defined list of minimum connection times at airports, also known as minimum layover times or legal connection times.

Factors Influencing MCT

If you already have a boarding pass for your onward flight, all you need to do is go to your new departure gate. You should allow enough time for all check-in procedures and possible delays of your arriving flight. In this case, your airline will allow sufficient time for a smooth transfer.

Develop a game plan on just how you will make the connection and how long it will take. If you fail to make a connection, the responsibility to reschedule is on you. Even though there were no first class award seats out of PDX that were earlier, they did change my flight for me. My first flight was on Alaska from PDX to Austin TX (AUS). Last July, I took an Alaska Airlines first class award flight from Portland (PDX) to London UK (LRH). My first flight from Portland (PDX) to Seattle (SEA) was delayed by over an hour due to an ATC hold at Seattle.

The two services combined can save you a ton of time and make once-stressful connections a breeze. In some cases, like when arriving back in the U.S., you’ll have to collect your bag from baggage claim, go through customs, and recheck it before boarding your connecting flight. This international-to-domestic connection at Miami (MIA) had the number crunchers at Flighty slightly concerned for my ability to make it. The best flight tracking app for travelers also has the best connection data analysis – go figure!

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If you don’t make minimum connecting time the flight, you’d either have to take an unpleasant red-eye flight or an overnight layover at the connection point. For example, there may be instances when you’d be within a few minutes of legally making a connection to the last flight back home for the night. In the above example, you could take a connection of 1 hour 30 minutes to get from an inbound Air Canada flight from Vancouver to an outbound flight with All Nippon Airways to Tokyo.

Transfer with renewed security check

• Never mind that for Department of Transportation (DOT) purposes, flights are considered on-time if they arrive less than 15 minutes late.
• Of course, some passengers may wish for a greater degree of padding.
• They are also useful for domestic passengers connecting to international flights.
• Now there is no way that I will have the minimum connection time to make it to flight 1989.
• Requests MCT for connection between segments 1 and 2.

Airports and airlines established Minimum Connection Time (MCT) guidelines to ensure that passengers and their luggage can move between flights without delays. With the rise of air travel in the 20th century, connecting flights became a crucial aspect of flight planning. For a smooth connection between flights, it’s important to give yourself adequate time between the arrival of your first flight and the departure of your next. For example, American has an absurdly short 25-minute minimum connection time at Phoenix Airport (PHX).

Turkey’s Istanbul Airport (IST) is approaching six years of operations and has developed a reputation as one of Europe’s best airports. Madrid Airport has four passenger terminals, alongside the T4S satellite terminal. Spain’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) is an ideal facility for passengers visiting Spanish-speaking Central and South America, with Iberia serving many destinations in the region.

And if your connecting flight is international, you will likely have to recheck it, which adds even more time. However, it is worth noting that airlines will not rebook a passenger on another flight or offer any other form of compensation if a connecting flight was missed because of their own negligence. It’s set by the airport or airlines based on factors like terminal distance, security checks, and customs. These guidelines differ depending on the type of flights (domestic or international) and the specific airports involved.

It determines whether you can successfully catch your connecting flight or if you will need a longer layover. Minimum Connection Time refers to the shortest duration legally permitted for a passenger to make a connecting flight at a particular airport. For instance, international connections generally require a longer MCT compared to domestic ones due to additional procedures like passport control and customs. Airlines agree upon MCTs in cooperation with airport authorities and these times are integrated into airline booking systems. Each airport has its own set of MCTs, which can vary greatly depending on various factors such as the size of the airport, the terminal layout, and whether the transfer requires changing terminals or even airlines. Minimum connection time refers to the shortest legally permissible time required to transfer from one flight to another at a particular airport.

It’s important to note that MCT represents the absolute minimum time needed. If a connection doesn’t meet the required minimum, it won’t show up in search results, or the booking will be flagged as risky. However, it could be longer for international routes, especially when changing terminals or going through immigration. Validate the MCT for specific flights. Flighty on time performance statistics really comes in handy in being able to determine if the calculated risk is worth a tight connection. I always look up when the next flight departure occurs to ensure I am not stuck overnight if I arrive late and have to be put on a later flight.

Had we booked the next Delta flight to New York that morning, however, we might have missed the flight to Rome. The TripIt itinerary shows just how long of a buffer we gave ourselves to ensure we didn’t miss that important flight to Rome (FCO). For example, we recently took a positioning flight from Minneapolis-St. Airlines aren’t obligated to help you rebook if you land too late or miss your second flight.

We provide you with data on flight connection type, historical flight connections and schedules for airports worldwide. The Station Standard MCT defines the Standard Airport official shortest time interval required to transfer a passenger and their luggage from one flight to a connecting flight in a specific location. The IATA Station Standard Minimum Connecting Time(s) – MCT, includes over 400 of the most connected airports worldwide, representing 90% of all international connections.

She explained that “legal” in this case means “in line with the airline’s policies,” but she said that’s often not enough time, especially if your first flight gets delayed or even winds up taking longer to taxi to the gate than expected. “On average, 35 minutes is what they consider a legal connection,” said Loulu Lima founder of the Texas-based travel agency Book Here Give Here. If you miss your connecting flight, inquire immediately about your checked baggage. Considering rebooking through partner airlines can expand your travel options. Airline staff often have the authority to prioritize passengers with missed connections, especially during irregular operations. The SITA Baggage IT Insights report from 2021 noted that around 25 million bags went missing or delayed globally, many due to tight layover times.

These risks can impact the ease and success of making your connecting flight. Customs can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the time of day and airport traffic. Flights within the same terminal allow for quicker connections. Implementing technology such as real-time flight tracking apps can help passengers stay informed. Flight schedules can also change unexpectedly, requiring longer layover times. It also depends on either same-terminal or inter-terminal connections.

After all, if you book a really short connection, you’re increasing your odds of misconnecting. Minimum connections come with therapy.” It’s just not realistic to get off a plane, go across the airport and get on another plane” in so little time, she said. “There are a lot of moving pieces that you have to think about when you’re looking at connections.”

From January 9, British Airways passengers with flight connections at London Heathrow will need 15 additional minutes (increased from 60 to 75 minutes) to catch their onward flights. When booking flights with a layover, our general rule of thumb is 60 to 90 minutes for a domestic flight and at least two and a half hours for international itineraries. They both mean the same thing and they state what the minimum connection time is for a particular airline. These times can be referred to as minimum connection time or legal connection time. Airlines have in their Contract of Carriage (COC) a defined list of minimum connection times.