Connecting flights and layovers are a normal part of many longer journeys, but they add complexity, and getting them wrong can mean missed flights and stress. Understanding how connections work helps you travel smoothly. This guide explains layovers and connecting flights and what you need to know. The details depend on your specific itinerary and airports, so always check your booking and the airports involved when planning a journey with connections.
What a layover is
A layover, or connection, is a stop on your journey where you change from one flight to another before reaching your final destination. It can be short, just long enough to connect, or longer. During a layover you may stay within the airport's transit area or, for longer stops, sometimes leave the airport. Understanding that a connection means changing planes partway through your journey, and that the length and nature of the layover matter, is the basis for planning a connecting journey that goes smoothly.
Allow enough connection time
One of the most important things is having enough time between flights. Too short a connection risks missing your onward flight if the first is delayed or the airport is large, while a very long layover means a tedious wait. Airports publish minimum connection times, but a comfortable buffer is wise. Choosing a connection with enough time to change planes calmly, allowing for delays and the size of the airport, greatly reduces the risk of missing your onward flight and the stress that comes with rushing.
Through-tickets versus separate bookings
How you book your connecting flights matters greatly. On a single through-ticket, the airline is responsible for getting you to your destination, and if a delay causes you to miss a connection, they should rebook you. If you book separate tickets yourself, that protection is lost, and a missed connection is your problem and cost. Our guide on how to find cheap flights touches on booking. Understanding the big difference in protection between a through-ticket and self-connecting on separate tickets is crucial when planning connections.
Self-transfers and their risks
Self-transfers, where you book separate flights and connect yourself, can be cheaper but carry real risk. You must collect and recheck your bags, clear any immigration, and check in for the next flight, all within your self-allowed time, with no protection if the first flight is late. This requires a generous time buffer. Weighing the saving from self-connecting against the risk and effort, and allowing plenty of time if you do it, helps you decide whether the cheaper fare is worth the added responsibility.
Baggage on connections
Whether your baggage is checked through to your final destination or you must collect and recheck it at the connection makes a big difference. On a through-ticket it is usually checked through, while on separate bookings you typically must collect it and check in again. You may also need to collect and recheck bags when clearing immigration. Knowing in advance whether your bags travel through or you handle them at the layover helps you plan your connection time and avoid surprises when you change flights.
Same airline or alliance
Connecting on flights with the same airline or within the same alliance often makes for a smoother journey, as connections are coordinated, baggage is usually through-checked, and you are protected if a delay causes a missed connection. Booking your whole journey with one airline or alliance, rather than piecing together unrelated flights, tends to be more reliable. Choosing connected flights under one booking, where the airline takes responsibility for the connection, is generally the safest way to travel with a layover.
Changing airports
Some connections require you to change airports in a city, rather than connecting within the same one, which adds considerable time, effort and risk. You must travel between airports, with your luggage, and meet the next check-in, often having entered the country. This is much more demanding than an in-airport connection. If your itinerary involves changing airports, allow plenty of time and understand what is involved, as it is far more complex than simply walking to another gate in the same terminal.
Transit visas and rules
Depending on the country you connect through, you may need a transit visa or authorisation, even if you stay airside, and certain connections count as entering a country. The US, for example, requires you to clear immigration even to connect. Our guide on whether you need a visa for a stopover or layover explains this. Checking the transit requirements for the countries on your route, before you travel, ensures you have any visa or authorisation needed and are not turned back at a connection.
If you miss a connection
What happens if you miss a connection depends on how you booked. On a through-ticket, the airline should rebook you onto the next available flight and may owe you assistance. On separate tickets, you bear the cost of sorting a new flight yourself. Travel insurance may help in some cases. Knowing in advance where you stand if a connection is missed, based on your booking, helps you respond calmly and underlines why through-tickets and generous connection times are worth choosing.
Making the most of a long layover
A long layover need not be wasted time. Some airports have excellent facilities, lounges, or even tours, and for very long stops you may be able to leave the airport and see the city, provided you are permitted to enter the country. Our guide on whether you need a visa for a stopover or layover explains the rules. Planning how to use a long layover, whether resting in the airport or exploring the city where allowed, can turn an enforced wait into a pleasant break in your journey. Just be sure to allow enough time to return, clear any security and reach your gate, so an excursion does not put your onward flight at risk.
Check-in and boarding at the connection
At your connection, know whether you simply proceed to the next gate or must check in again, clear security, or pass through immigration, as this affects how much time you need. On a through-ticket you often just find your next gate, while self-connections require checking in afresh. Allowing for these steps, and knowing the airport layout where you can, helps you make your connection calmly. Understanding exactly what you need to do at the layover, rather than assuming, ensures you reach your onward flight in good time and are not caught out by an unexpected step such as re-clearing security or immigration.
In short
With connecting flights, allow enough time between them, accounting for delays and the airport's size, and prefer a single through-ticket or one airline or alliance, where the carrier is responsible if you miss a connection. Self-transfers on separate tickets can be cheaper but riskier, with no protection and bags to recheck. Check whether baggage is through-checked, whether you change airports, and any transit visa rules, and know what you must do at the connection itself. A long layover can even be a bonus if used well, whether resting in the airport or seeing the city where you are allowed to enter. Choosing connections carefully, with enough time and ideally a through-ticket, makes a journey with layovers far smoother.
Find more travel advice in our Flights & Getting There guides.