What do I do when I get off a plane for a layover?

In general, if you're on a domestic flight, once you land for your layover, you'll pass through a transfer area that will take you to the gate for your next flight without having to check in again. Your bags will automatically pass through to the next flight without you having to collect them.



People Also Ask

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.

MORE DETAILS

In most cases, you'll receive your boarding pass for your connecting flight already when you check in for your first flight. This means you don't have to check in again for your next flight. If you haven't received it, you can go to the transfer desk or kiosk of the airline you're flying with to collect it.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

If you have a layover and both flights are part of the same itinerary and booked on a single ticket, you typically do not need to check in again. Your checked baggage is usually tagged through to your final destination, and you would proceed directly to your connecting gate after going through security.

MORE DETAILS

Do I need to check in twice for connecting flights? Usually, you don't. However, if your connecting flight is not with a SkyTeam airline, you may need to check in separately to get your boarding pass. You can do that at the transfer desk or the kiosk of the airline you're flying with.

MORE DETAILS

If your flights were booked under one ticket, your bags will be checked through to your final destination. If your flights were booked under separate tickets, you will need to collect your bags and recheck them before your connecting flight.

MORE DETAILS

Basically, a layover is the time an airline gives you to change planes between flights. On a layover that's scheduled by the airline, you'll likely be traveling on the same ticket for every flight included in the itinerary, and you may have some time to kill at the airport.

MORE DETAILS

A 4-hour layover may be enough time to leave the airport and explore the city. But it also depends on the airport's location, the time of day, and the immigration and customs procedures.

MORE DETAILS

Is skiplagging illegal? No, but it's against most airlines' contracts of carriage or the rules people must follow to fly with the airline. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both put skiplagging first on their lists of prohibited booking practices.

MORE DETAILS

It makes sense, because the practice saps revenue from them on two fronts: Not only do passengers underpay — potentially by hundreds of dollars per ticket — but the seat on the tossed leg also could have been sold to someone else. Most contracts of carriage from major airlines expressly forbid skiplagging as a result.

MORE DETAILS

While not illegal, intentionally skipping segments on an itinerary does almost always violates airlines' contracts of carriage. For example, American's contract of carriage says this: Reservations made to exploit or circumvent fare and ticket rules are prohibited.

MORE DETAILS

When you get your bag tags, make sure that before you board your flight, stop at the gate and ask the agent if he or she can make sure your bags were scanned. It takes seconds but you'll then know right away if your bags have been loaded onto your flight. And do that again at your connecting airport.

MORE DETAILS

Listen to the airline's announcements upon arrival—they will tell you where to find your luggage and how to recheck it if necessary. There will usually be signs in the airport when you disembark that will also indicate if you have to claim your baggage before connecting.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

You might only receive your first boarding pass when you check-in for the first time. If so, then you will have to find the correct ticket counter at the layover airport and get your second boarding pass for the new flight.

MORE DETAILS

  1. If your booking consists of more than one airline reservation code, a self-transfer may be required.
  2. This indicates that you are solely responsible for navigating your connections between flights.


MORE DETAILS

While these terms are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. A layover is the time you spend at the airport between two flights. A connecting flight is the next flight in your itinerary that you're waiting at the airport to take.

MORE DETAILS

In most cases, a 30-minute layover for domestic flights and an hour for international flights is considered a minimum, or short, layover.

MORE DETAILS

But skiplagging is controversial, and many airlines frown upon it — so much that it can be punishable by miles or status cancellations and even a lifetime ban from the airline.

MORE DETAILS

Skiplagging is not illegal. But most major airlines, including American, Delta Southwest and United, don't allow it. For one thing, airlines lose money on the practice, says Tim Huh, a professor at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, who co-authored a study on skiplagging last year.

MORE DETAILS

If an airline catches you skiplagging, in most scenarios it will punish you as per the terms and conditions of the ticket you're flying on. The punishments could range from financial penalties to restrictions on future booked travel.

MORE DETAILS