Have a short layover? Travelling with a short layover can be stressful due to time constraints and the need to catch connecting flights. However, with our handy tips and advice, you can minimise the hassle and make the most of your limited time while ensuring a smooth trip. These tips will help you navigate the airport quickly, find the right gates and manage your schedule effectively.
Whether you're a seasoned traveller or new to flying, this guide will provide you with the essential tips you need to get around the airport efficiently. Learn how to handle your baggage smoothly, find shortcuts through security checks, and even discover ways to relax and unwind during your short layover.
By following these strategies, you can ensure a more enjoyable and less stressful travel experience.
When it comes to air travel, the words layover and stopover often get mixed up. Both mean you’re making a connection between flights — the difference comes down to time.
A layover is a short break between flights. For domestic flights, it’s usually under 4 hours. For international flights, it's less than 24 hours. Most of the time, you’ll stay inside the airport, waiting to board your next flight.
A stopover is like an extended pit stop. It’s anything longer than 4 hours on domestic flights, or more than 24 hours if you’re flying internationally. With a stopover, you’ll often have enough time to leave the airport and check out the city before catching your next flight.
Some airlines may call any connection under 24 hours a layover, whether you’re flying within the same country or heading overseas.
Sometimes an hour is enough to make your next flight, but it really depends on a few things, like where you’re flying, the size of the airport and the airline you’re flying with.
If you’re connecting within the same country, a one-hour layover can often be enough, especially at smaller airports where gates are close together. Airlines usually work to make sure you have enough time by setting what’s called a minimum connection time (or MCT for short). For example, Air Canada’s MCT for domestic flights can be as little as 25 minutes at some airports.
Connecting internationally is a bit trickier. You’ll need to go through immigration, customs and security checks, and these can take time. In most cases, an hour just isn’t enough. Travel experts, like us, usually suggest at least 2-3 hours for international layovers to give yourself a better chance of making it through without the stress.
It depends. Whether you need to clear customs during a layover comes down to where you’re flying, how the airport is set up and your travel plan.
If you’re landing in the US or Canada from another country, you’ll always clear customs and immigration at your first stop, even if you’re just passing through. This means you’ll need to show your passport, grab your luggage, check it back in, and go through security again before boarding your next flight.
In Europe, it’s all about whether you’re travelling inside or outside the Schengen Zone. If your flights stay within the Schengen Area, you usually won’t need to deal with customs on your layover. But if you’re entering or leaving the Schengen Zone, you’ll clear immigration at the first or last point of entry.
In some regions, you might be able to skip customs thanks to international transit zones that keep you ‘airside’ between flights. But not all airports offer this, so you may need to go through customs and immigration, even if you’re connecting between two international flights.
Take a look at our Connecting Flights guide, packed with tips to help make your layover stress-free.
Check out our detailed guide on getting through airport security efficiently below 👇
If you miss your flight due to a short layover, here's what we recommend doing:
We have a detailed guide on what to do if you miss your connecting flight - check it out now 👇
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In this guide, we've covered how to deal with a short layover, but we understand if you might still have concerns! If you'd like to speak to us, our Customer Service team will be happy to help with any concerns or questions you may have.
Alternatively, we might have the answer to your question in our FAQs below!
Simply put, a layover flight is a flight with a stop in the middle. Sometimes, this will mean staying on the aircraft while it lands to drop off and pick up passengers. Other times, it will mean you have to get off the plane and board a new one at the airport.
When you only have a very limited time to make your connecting flight, this is called a short layover (or a tight connection). A layover is different from a stopover, which is normally over 24 hours and may allow you enough time to explore the place you're stopping.
You can learn more about long stopovers with our blog on planning the perfect stopover.
Whether a layover is considered short or long will vary depending on whether it is an international or domestic layover flight. The recommended layover time for international flights is generally longer, as you will have to go through customs and immigration before boarding your next flight.
In most cases, a 30-minute layover for domestic flights and an hour for international flights is considered a minimum, or very short, layover.
It's common to worry that your layover is too short. And, unfortunately, there isn't an easy way of knowing if your layover will be long enough to make your connection. While airlines won't sell a flight that doesn't provide you with adequate time to make your connection, in reality, you might need a bit longer to make your connection.
Try to take into account the time you will need to go through customs and immigration for international layovers. You may also need to consider the time it takes to change terminals if your flights are with different airlines and also the size of the airport you are travelling to.
Allowing yourself at least a 60-minute layover for domestic flights and a two-hour layover time for international flights can often be a much more comfortable and stress-free journey than booking a flight with a very tight connection. If you require special assistance at the airport, you may need to arrange a much longer layover.
International flights require longer connections as you will often have to go through immigration and customs upon arrival.
For international layover flights booked on one airline, two hours is often recommended to make your connection. For international flights on different airlines, the connection time will need to be even greater as you may have to change terminals between the two flights. You may also have to claim and re-check your baggage.
Other factors to take into account include the time of year and the size of the airport you're flying into. If your connecting flight leaves from a notoriously busy airport, it may be necessary to arrange a layover that's at least three hours long.
The recommended layover time for domestic flights is normally one hour. However, as previously stated, you may require longer if your flights are booked with two different airlines, if you are traveling to a very busy airport or if you require special assistance.
Normally, when layover flights are booked with the same airline, your baggage will be automatically transferred to your final destination. However, if the two flights are with different airlines, you may have to claim and re-check your baggage during your layover.
On interline flights (where two airlines agree to handle passengers with multiple legs in their journey), your baggage will be transferred automatically. For international layovers in the US and Canada, you will have to collect and recheck your luggage independent of whether the flights are booked on the same airline.
To be sure about what will happen to your baggage during your layover, always ask the airline staff what will happen to your baggage when checking in for your first flight.
For international layover flights, you will normally have to go through customs and immigration at the connecting airport. For flights with a layover in Canada or the USA, you will need to go through immigration and fill out the necessary customs paperwork even if you are not staying in the country.
If your international layover is within the Schengen Zone, you will not have to go through customs and immigration for your layover. For example, if you are flying from France to Spain and then onto Mexico, you will only have to go through customs and immigration upon arrival in Mexico.
For domestic-to-domestic layovers, you normally won't have to go through security again during your layover.
However, for all international layovers, you will normally have to go through security again, but this will depend on individual airport policy.
If your first flight is delayed because of technical or maintenance issues, the airline will help you book onto the next available flight.
However, this may only be the case if both flights were booked on the same ticket. Or, if both flights are with the same airline or partner airlines.
If the missed connection is due to the fault of the airline (i.e. the first plane is delayed due to a technical fault) and you are booked onto a "through ticket" (one ticket for the entire journey) then it is the airline's responsibility to help you book another flight.
If you miss the connection through fault of your own, then the airline is under no obligation to help you re-book. If the two flights are on separate tickets, the airlines are not likely to take responsibility for a missed connection and you may have to purchase a new ticket yourself.
Yes - a 40-minute layover is considered a short layover or tight connection. This may not be enough time for you to change terminals or go through security if you're flying internationally.
Yes, a 30-minute layover is very short for most airports and likely won't be enough time for you to make your next flight, especially if there are delays or if your gate is far.
