What happens to my checked bag if I have a connecting flight?

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.



In most cases, if you are traveling on a single ticket (PNR) with the same airline or its partners, your checked bag is "checked through" to your final destination. This means the ground crew will handle the transfer between aircraft, and you do not need to reclaim it at your layover city. However, there are two major exceptions. First, if you have booked separate tickets on different airlines, you must almost always collect your bag and re-check it for the next flight. Second, if you are arriving from an international location and connecting to a domestic flight in certain countries like the United States, Canada, or Australia, you must legally clear customs at the first point of entry. In this scenario, you retrieve your bag, carry it through the customs checkpoint, and then drop it off at a designated "Transfer" or "Bag Drop" belt just outside the secure area. Always check the "Final Destination" code on your printed bag tag to confirm exactly where your luggage is headed.

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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.

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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.

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If you checked a bag, you'll have to collect it from baggage claim from the international flight. You'll need to clear customs and immigration.

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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.

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While skiplagging isn't illegal, American Airlines filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month against Skiplagged.com, accusing the company of unauthorized and deceptive ticketing practices and tricking customers into believing they've gained access to a secret loophole.

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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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Minimum connection times typically range between 30 minutes and two hours for domestic flights within the continental United States. For international flights, the range increases to between one and three hours.

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The general rules are: 1-4 hours: short-checking luggage usually isn't permitted during quick layovers in this duration. 4-10 hours: airlines are hesitant to short-check luggage during moderately long layovers unless an acceptable reason is provided. You may or may not able to get your luggage.

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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.

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In most cases, your baggage will be checked through to your final destination. No further action is required on your part.

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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. ...
  • United Airlines and Delta Air Lines also prohibit skiplagging.


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In its complaint, American alleges that Skiplagged's practices are deceptive and abusive. Skiplagged deceives the public into believing that, even though it has no authority to form and issue a contract on American's behalf, somehow it can still issue a completely valid ticket.

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It's not illegal but it does come with two problems: Most airlines will cancel your return ticket if you miss a portion of your itinerary. So if you intentionally skip your connection, you may find yourself without a flight home. Airlines can, and do, blacklist customers from booking tickets with them.

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Generally speaking, most airlines will make some kind of efforts to wait for delayed passengers on a connecting flight, though this is not necessarily guaranteed. In some cases, airlines may be able to hold a connecting flight for a period of time, but it is not something that is typically guaranteed by any airline.

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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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However, the only time you have to get your checked bag and re-check it is when you have to go through customs and you have a connecting flight. You go through customs in the first country you land in.

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International connection baggage (“ICB''), is prepaid excess baggage for the guests who have an inbound/outbound connecting International flight while flying on the Airline's domestic network.

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