What is the best layover time for international flights?

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. She previously wrote about travel and credit cards for The New York Times and its sibling site, Wirecutter.



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So how do you know how much time to leave for connecting flights when you have booked with two separate airlines? 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.

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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. The recommended layover time for domestic flights is normally one hour.

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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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For international layover flights booked on one airline, two hours is often recommended to make your connection. For international flights on different airlines, the connection time will need to be even greater as you may have to change terminals between the two flights.

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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.

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Minimum connecting time recommended by EASY CDG* 60 minutes for connections within the same terminal. 90 minutes for connections that require travel between terminals.

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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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Yes, a security check is mandatory when you take a connecting flight. This is because there is a time lag between getting off one aeroplane and getting on-board another to reach your destination.

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Most airlines recommend arriving at the airport three hours before departure for international flights. It's common for international flights to start boarding earlier than domestic flights (the aircraft are often larger and have higher passenger capacities), which accounts for the earlier recommendation.

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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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On interline flights (where two airlines agree to handle passengers with multiple legs in their journey), your baggage will be transferred automatically. For international layovers in the US and Canada, you will have to collect and recheck your luggage independent of whether the flights are booked on the same airline.

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Customs and immigration are usually required at the connecting airport for international flights. You don't always have to for domestic flights. In most cases, passengers on layover flights must clear customs and immigration at the first point of entry.

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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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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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If you know you'll be traveling during a peak time, it's probably still a good idea to plan on the standard two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. If you're heading to the airport at a slower time of day, then you can consider arriving a little later.

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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.

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AF has the best service and food IMO (but also I speak French so it may be biased). KLM is great because AMS is a way nicer airport to transit through vs CDG. Seat depends on the aircraft type and cabin class. The service is better on KLM and AF.

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Can I visit Paris during my layover ? Charles de Gaulle airport is about 26 km (16 miles) from Central Paris, It does take about 45-60 minutes to reach the city center, so we only recommend leaving the airport for the city if you've got at least 6-7 hours between flights.

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Transit. Another point of confusion is layover vs stopover or transit. Once again, a layover is a stop that lasts less than 24 hours, while a stopover lasts 24 hours or more. On the other hand, Transit is simply the act of returning to the same aircraft after your layover at the airport.

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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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To ensure that you make your connection without any issues or delays, it's best to plan for at least two hours between connecting flights at Dubai Airport.

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