Do I need to go through security for a connecting international flight in Europe?

You might have to go through customs during a layover, especially if your layover is in the Schengen Area (which consists of most countries in the EU). For example, if your final destination is Paris, France, but you have a layover in Madrid, Spain, you will actually go through customs in Spain, not France.



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You might have to go through customs during a layover, especially if your layover is in the Schengen Area (which consists of most countries in the EU). For example, if your final destination is Paris, France, but you have a layover in Madrid, Spain, you will actually go through customs in Spain, not France.

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The minimum required transfer time at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is usually around 50 minutes. Please note, though, that if you travel to a non-Schengen country, you'll need to go through additional security checks, which might require more time.

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You will go through customs when exiting your destination airport, not when transiting. Usually, in Schengen airports, going through customs doesn't involve much. You may not even notice it. Just pass through a door under a green sign that says something to the tune of “nothing to declare.”

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What is a good connection time? Travel advisers say there's a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries.

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By default all connecting passengers have to go through security and plenty of airports do this for everyone regardless of where you come from (London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Doha (DOH), etc.)

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To put it simply, having a connecting flight means you will have to change planes. You will not be flying directly from A to B, but there will also be C. You will fly from A to C, and then from C to B. Sometimes there will be more than a single stop.

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Good to know: most connections are booked as a single journey and don't involve transferring baggage, check-in or passport control.

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When layover flights are booked with the same airline, your baggage will be automatically transferred through 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.

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The foremost reason fo rechecking your bag after an international flight is security. “It's part of our efforts to protect the country,” Tammy Melvin, a CBP public affairs spokesperson, told AFAR.

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Everyone who boards an aircraft at Heathrow has to be security screened to UK government standards. Even if you've already been through security checks at another airport, we're obliged to screen you again before you fly from Heathrow.

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If you miss a connecting flight, and arrive at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours, you are entitled to compensation. This compensation is calculated according to the length of the delay and the distance to your final destination.

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You will need to go through passport control (and customs if applicable) and then check in again as normal for your connecting flight, so please ensure you have enough time.

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It's a security measure to stop anyone bypassing border controls by arriving with an international connecting ticket, then swapping documents with someone booked on to an internal (domestic) flight.

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In most cases, your checked baggage will be automatically checked through to your destination airport. If this is not the case, pick up your baggage at baggage claim and check it in again with your airline. This also applies if you have booked your flight connections individually.

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Travel advisers say there's a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries.

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The rule of thumb is that you leave AT LEAST 3 hours from arrival to departure for international flights and 1.5 hours for domestic. You still have to get your bags, clear customs, re-check your bags and then go through security for your next flight. All of this can take a couple of hours.

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Do connecting flights wait for delayed passengers? Most airlines will try to accommodate passengers from a delayed inbound flight, but it's not guaranteed. Flight attendants might notify the ground crew of connecting passengers, but airlines typically won't delay a departure for a small group.

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