Is 1.5 hours enough for connecting flight in London?

Connecting to/from London City We recommend that you allow 3.5 hours to connect between London City to both London Heathrow and London Gatwick. If you do not have a boarding pass for your connecting British Airways flight, you will have to check in.



Whether 1.5 hours is enough for a connection at London Heathrow (LHR) or Gatwick (LGW) depends entirely on whether your connection is "In-Terminal" or "Between-Terminal." If you are staying within the same terminal (e.g., arriving and departing from Terminal 5 on British Airways), 90 minutes is generally sufficient, though you will still need to move quickly through flight connections and security. However, if you must change terminals (e.g., Terminal 2 to Terminal 5), 1.5 hours is extremely risky. Heathrow is a massive, sprawling hub, and moving between terminals requires a bus or train ride, followed by re-clearing security, which can have significant queues in 2026. If your first flight is delayed by even 20 minutes, you will likely miss your connection. For peace of mind, seasoned travelers recommend a minimum of 3 hours for terminal transfers at Heathrow. Additionally, if you are on separate tickets and must collect and re-check luggage, 1.5 hours is physically impossible, as the bag drop usually closes 60 minutes before departure.

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If you are connecting onto another flight at London Gatwick and you already hold a boarding pass for your onward flight, we recommend that you allow a minimum connection time of 60 minutes for same terminal transfers and 90 minutes if your flights arrive and depart from different terminals.

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We recommend that you allow the following minimum connection times: 1 hour for connections within the same Heathrow terminal.

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What is the recommended layover time for international flights? For international layover flights booked on one airline, two hours is often recommended to make your connection. 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.

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CONNECTING FLIGHTS If your baggage is checked through to your final destination, that's where you clear customs. If you're collecting your baggage and checking in to your next flight yourself, you need to pass through customs at Heathrow.

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We recommend that you allow the following minimum connection times: 1 hour for connections within the same Heathrow terminal. 1 hour 30 minutes for connections that require travel between terminals at Heathrow.

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Minimum connecting times We recommend that you allow the following times when connecting between terminals: Within Terminal 3: 60 minutes. Between Terminal 3 and Terminal 5: 90 minutes. Within Terminal 5 (UK domestic and international flights): 60 minutes.

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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 your itinerary was purchased as one ticket (as in: you have only one itinerary and one confirmation number), and the connection time was too short and you miss the second (or third) flight, you can rest easy, no matter what happens. The airline will simply put you onto the next available flight, free of charge.

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If a delay in your first flight is the reason you're missing your connection, don't worry too much. Usually, most airlines will rebook you on the next flight, and that too for free. Although, you might have to fly on standby depending on seat availability.

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The Heathrow website has a layover link that will tell you if your time is reasonable or not. 90 minutes is usually ok but tight unless it is not on the same flight code. If you are taking a flight with a different airline on a separate ticket, then any delay would likely void your connecting flight ticket.

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Two to three hours is the minimum recommended time for an international layover, but more might be needed. Sally French is a travel rewards expert who joined NerdWallet in 2020.

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If you have been delayed for more than five hours and no longer wish to travel then you are entitled to a refund. If you are a transfer passenger and missed your connection flight because your first flight was delayed, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point.

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It's really hard to put an exact number on how long you need for your layover. At a minimum, I'd say you should plan for one hour for domestic layovers and two hours for international layovers. But this is not a hard, fast rule! If you have to go through security again on a domestic layover, you might need more time.

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While, generally, the airline won't wait for connecting passengers, there might be some exceptions. If a flight is delayed, and there are many passengers who are connecting from this delayed flight onto the same connecting flight, the airline will hold the connecting flight for these passengers.

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Overall, passengers usually have to re-clear security for connecting flights, though there may be some exceptions depending on the airport and flight itinerary. To make this process easier, checking with the airline or airport ahead of time is recommended.

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You'll need to clear customs and immigration. Next, you'll recheck your luggage for the domestic flight. Finally, you'll need to go through Transportation Security Administration screening. This may include a physical inspection of your luggage and personal items with a metal detector or a full-body scan.

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We recommend that you allow the following minimum connection times: 1 hour for connections within the same Heathrow terminal. 1 hour 30 minutes for connections that require travel between terminals at Heathrow.

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However, if you are on a single ticketed flight and so have a protected connection then a) 2 hours should be plenty (same terminal connections at Heathrow has a cited minimum connection time of one hour) and b) if you are late then the airline has to reroute you to get you to your destination.

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If you can't avoid connecting, don't book the shortest layover, because you'll be building in stress and the possibility of missing your flight. A 1-hour layover is not enough anymore. Thirty minutes, not a chance. In most cases, 3 hours is safe.

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Minimum connecting times We recommend that you allow the following times when connecting between terminals: Within Terminal 3: 60 minutes. Between Terminal 3 and Terminal 5: 90 minutes. Within Terminal 5 (UK domestic and international flights): 60 minutes.

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In a passenger context, MCT is defined as the shortest time interval required in order to transfer a passenger and his luggage from one flight to a connecting flight, in a specific location or metropolitan area.

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