A connecting flight is two or more subsequent flights. 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.

You have a connecting flight if your journey involves changing planes at an intermediate airport before reaching your final destination. On your ticket or confirmation email, this is usually indicated by multiple "Flight Segments" and a "Layover" time between them. A tell-tale sign is having two different flight numbers (e.g., UA123 and UA456) for a single trip. If your boarding passes are issued together at your first check-in, or if your bags are "checked through" to the final destination, you are on a connection. In contrast, a "direct" flight might stop at an airport but you stay on the same plane, while a "non-stop" flight goes point-to-point without landing. In 2026, airline apps are very proactive: they will often show a "Connection" icon and provide a map of the transfer airport. If your ticket shows a change of airport (like arriving at Heathrow but departing from Gatwick), that is also a connection, but one that requires a "self-transfer."