Is Your Layover Long Enough?
Planning a trip involves several parts, and unless you’re staying close to home, chances are you will need a flight. I always try to book non-stop flights because they’re easier to deal with. But what if you’re flying somewhere that’s too far away for a non-stop flight? What if the non-stop flights are significantly more expensive? There are many reasons why you might end up with a two or even three leg flight, and while there are no guarantees, it’s important to determine whether your layover is long enough.
Is your layover long enough for your luggage?
As always, I would encourage you to travel carry-on only, but if you have to check luggage, this will factor into your layover. The baggage handlers need to unload the entire plane once it lands.
Some of that luggage will stay at the airport for those passengers who aren’t traveling on, but for everyone else, their luggage will be redistributed to any number of airplanes. This takes time, more so at a bigger airport.
If you have a short layover, any little delay in the process could mean your luggage won’t have time to make it from the first plane to the second. It could be hours, or even days, before your luggage catches up to you.
>>Read: Can you take batteries on planes?
Is your layover long enough to get through the airport?
During your layover, you have to be able to get from the gate where your first flight came in to the gate where your second flight leaves.
Sometimes this is as simple as walking a little ways down the hall. But other times it could mean a long walk, or even a ride on an airport tram, and switching terminals.
In bigger airports, getting from one end to the other could easily take 20 minutes or more, especially if you’re not familiar with the airport.
Worse yet, some airports have different security check points for different sections of the airport, which means you might have to go through the security line again.
Don’t forget to leave yourself time for boarding the second flight. Boarding usually starts anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes before the actual flight time, and the doors close before flight time.
>>Read: What to Pack for a Trip: Travel Packing Checklist for Carry-On Only

Is your layover long enough for an international flight?
In some places, you have to claim your luggage upon arrival even if you’re on a layover in the middle of an international flight.
For example, if you are returning from a trip to Australia, and you live in Atlanta, chances are you will fly from Sydney to Los Angeles and then continue on to Atlanta.
In the US, you are required to claim your luggage once you get through passport check. Before you can go to your second flight, you have to bring your luggage to another line to be rechecked, and then you go through security again. This can be time consuming.
Even if your connection is in a country that doesn’t require this, you will still have to go through their passport check or transit line. This will take a lot more time that getting from one gate to another on a domestic layover.
Is your layover long enough to change airports?
I highly recommend you avoid this at all costs. Having to change airports during a layover is a lot more stressful and complicated than just switching gates. But in rare cases you might not have a choice.
Some cities have two airports, one that’s predominantly for domestic flights and the other for international flights. I’ve also seen flight schedules where your first flight lands in one of London’s or New York City’s airports and the second flight takes off from the other.
If you really can’t book a flight with connection in the same airport, research how long it will take to get from one to the other. Sometimes there are airport shuttles for cases like this, but often you will need to rely on a taxi or public transportation.
Give yourself a buffer above what your research tells you. Take into account the time of day you will be switching since rush hour will most likely add to your time.
Plus don’t forget you will need an hour or two at the airport ahead of your flight. And if the first flight was international, see the previous section.
>>Read: Can you take disinfectant wipes on a plane? Plus how to disinfect your airplane seat!
Please note that some posts contain links that earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.
So how long do you need?
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.
Busy airports could require more time whether it’s a domestic or an international layover.
Long lines at customs and immigration could add lots of time to your layover.
Use your best judgement. No one can predict the exact amount of time you’ll need for your layover, but hopefully the tips you’ve read here will help you plan the best layover possible.
I always recommend allowing plenty of time for your layover. Better to have more time than you need so you don’t risk missing your connection.
>>Read: Can you bring hand sanitizer on a plane?

No one wants to get stuck sitting in an airport for hours on a long layover, but the alternative resulting from a layover that’s too short could be much worse.
Your checked luggage might not make it to the next plane, or you might not have enough time to get through the airport. International flights have extra steps you need to get through on a layover.
The amount of time you need will vary depending on a variety of factors, including your own comfort level.
In general, I try to avoid layovers with less than an hour for domestic flights and layovers with less than two hours for international flights. But remember, even that might not be enough time.
Layovers can be complicated. Every time you book a flight with a connection, look at all the details and ask yourself, is the layover long enough?
You might also be interested in:
- Carry-On Luggage Size Chart with over 170 Airlines
- Layover Perks You Never Knew About
- 8 Things to do If You Think Your Layover is too Short
- Can I leave the airport during a layover?


Karla
August 1, 2022 @ 11:35 pm
Hi!! I am traveling from London to Lima, Peru. I am considering a flight that have a layover of 2 hours in Newark. I will have to change terminal. I am not sure if I have to pick up my luggage (My first flight is with Lufthansa and the second one with United Airlines) and not sure if I have to pass customs since I won’t be entering USA. Any advice? Do you think will be enough? I am so afraid, haven’t have this long flights in a while.
Ali Garland
August 2, 2022 @ 12:02 pm
Hi Karla! Unfortunately, when you land in the USA, you always have to go through customs and immigration and claim and recheck your luggage. They don’t care that you’re not actually staying in the US, there isn’t really a transit option. So two hours could be tight, especially if there are long lines at customs and immigration. This wouldn’t be my top choice. And keep in mind that flying through Canada is similar with having to deal with customs and immigration, so I imagine you don’t have a choice really. But you may want to look for a flight with a longer layover. Even if you get stuck with too much time on your hands, it’s better than missing your connection.
Pacmac
July 28, 2022 @ 11:38 am
Hello, we are flying from San Francisco via KLM with just 1 hour layover in Amsterdam to take a connecting flight to Madrid also via KLM only it is operated by Air Europa. We are supposed to arrive in Amsterdam at 10AM and depart for Madrid at 11AM thus very tight, yikes! We are not familiar with AMS airport- so if we are changing planes, do we have to go through immigration/passport control or customs in Amsterdam before boarding Air Europa to Madrid? Would you know how far is it from KLM terminal/arrival gate to the Air Europa terminal/departure gate in Amsterdam? We are getting really stressed out what if we don’t make it to our connecting flight to Madrid on time, sorry about this nervous rant. Any advice is very much appreciated on pointers or tips for us to make it through as efficiently as possible. Thank you so much!
Ali Garland
July 28, 2022 @ 3:40 pm
Hello! No apologies needed, I understand your nervousness! One hour is very tight for your layover. When you land in Amsterdam, you will have to go through customs and immigration before you can board your next flight since AMS is where you’re entering the Schengen Zone. In the past when I’ve flown through AMS to get back to Berlin (where I live) it has been soooo fast. BUT…it’s been a few years, and these days flying is riddled with delays and short staff issues. You might breeze through, but you might get stuck in a long line. AMS especially has been having some issues, you can read about it here: https://www.klm.de/en/information/travel-alerts/operational-issues-schiphol. However, KLM has lots of flights from AMS to MAD, some on Air Europa, some on KLM itself, so it might be worth contacting them and seeing what it would take to get yourself switched to a later AMS-MAD flight, or at least asking what their policy is about putting you on a later flight if you miss your connection. As for the terminals, the airport is well signed, so once you know your gate number, it’s just a matter of following the signs, and I even remember video screens telling you how long it takes to walk from where you are to certain terminals. It’s actually a great airport, but it is a big one. They have some maps here: https://www.schiphol.nl/en/airport-maps.
Alexandre
July 19, 2022 @ 4:52 pm
Hi, I am flying from Paris ( France ) to Charleston, South Carolina ( USA ).
My flight has a layover in NYC at the JFK Airport.
Hello !
I should be landing at 10:45 AM at JFK and my second flight to Charleston will take off at 2 PM at an other Terminal than the one of my first flight.
So that makes me a 3h15 minutes layover to get throught all the immigration security and the commute between the terminals.
Do you think it will be enough time for me catch my flight ?
Thank you very much for your help ! 🙂
Ali Garland
July 20, 2022 @ 1:52 pm
Hi Alexandre! Air travel is a bit crazy these days, so anything is possible and I can’t make any guarantees. But I think that should be enough time to make your connection. When you land in JFK, you’ll have to go through customs and immigration, plus claim and recheck your luggage, which all unfortunately takes a lot of time, especially if there are long lines. But 3+ hours is generally enough time for it.
Alvina
July 12, 2022 @ 1:52 am
Hi,
I have a connecting flight in Istanbul airport but only have an hour and 20 mins to transfers. I would only have carry on so I won’t need to waot for luagge. Would this be enough time or would you recommend re booking?
Ali Garland
July 14, 2022 @ 5:30 pm
Hi Alvina, that depends on a few things. Are you flying to another destination within Turkey? In that case, you’ll have to go through customs and immigration in Istanbul, and that could take some time. But if you’re connecting to another country, you can usually bypass it. When you get off the plane, look for signs that say “transit” or “transfer” or “connecting flights” and you should be able to bypass immigration. You’ll probably have to go through security before your next flight.
Ursula
July 11, 2022 @ 10:52 pm
We are travelling from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Denver airport with a 54 minute layover and then fly to Cancun, Mexico. I have never been in this airport before. Will this be enough time to get to where we need to go? Do we have to go through customs there before the flight to Mexico or in Edmonton before we leave there?
Ali Garland
July 14, 2022 @ 5:28 pm
Hi Ursula, 54 minutes is pretty tight! Most major Canadian airports have US border control, so you actually have to go through US immigration and customs before you even leave Edmonton. Check here for more info. So that will save you time in Denver. Also, the US doesn’t do exiting passport control, but the airline staff will check your passports. This usually happens when you check in for your first flight, but since you’re actually starting from Canada, you might have to show airline staff in Denver. If you get both boarding passes in Edmonton, you should be fine. Otherwise if you only get the Edmonton to Denver boarding pass, you’ll need to speak with the gate agent at your departing gate in Denver.
Larry J
July 10, 2022 @ 9:44 am
I am deciding on flight combinations from SEA to TLV. Both UA and ElAl.
Connecting through FRA, my layover time is 1.5 hours with either carry-on only or checked through luggage. The gated are close to eachother. I get that this is tight but is it doable? The other option is through CDG but FRA is a much more reliable route. Thoughts?
Ali Garland
July 14, 2022 @ 5:22 pm
Hi Larry! 1.5 hours is tough, but it helps that you aren’t staying in the Schengen Zone, only transiting through. When you get off the plane, look for signs that say “transit” or “transfer” or “connecting flights” and you should be able to bypass immigration. You’ll probably have to go through security before your next flight. I’d probably stick with FRA, I’m not a fan of CDG myself. If you can manage to go with only carry on luggage, you’d be better off, especially if you’re flying sometime in the near future. Flying is kind of a nightmare right now with all the staffing shortages, and people’s checked bags are getting delayed or lost more than ever.
Oskar
June 28, 2022 @ 10:08 pm
Flying from Stockholm to LA, with a 2h 39min layover at JFK Terminal 4. This will be my first time entering the United States too. Does this sound doable?
Ali Garland
July 4, 2022 @ 11:55 am
Hi Oskar! Honestly, that sounds like a tight layover. You’ll have to go through customs and immigration at JFK, plus you’ll have to claim and recheck your luggage. I haven’t connected there in quite a few years, but when I did it, there wasn’t an easy way to recheck luggage, you just had to go into the front of the airport and find the airline counter as if you were starting your journey. Not very efficient time wise, though maybe things have changed. Does the airline have any later flights from JFK TO LAX? If they do, maybe you could switch to a later flight, or at least knowing if there is a later flight could be a bit of a safety net for you. You could zip through super fast and have no issues, but sometimes those lines at customs and immigration are really long and it could take awhile.
Sherri Norwood
June 11, 2022 @ 11:06 pm
My husband and I are traveling on miles to London from DFW. (We did not have enough miles to take a non-stop from SMF/SFO/SJC.) We are planning on taking a separately reserved flight into DFW the same day of departure. I have given us 4 hours between arrival at DFW and departure from DFW. Will that be sufficient?
Ali Garland
June 15, 2022 @ 7:52 pm
Hi Sherri! I think 4 hours should be plenty of time, barring any major delays. Are you taking the same airline to DFW and then on to London? If so, ask at check in if they can tag your luggage to go all the way through. They might not be able to, but it doesn’t hurt to ask in case they can do it. And if you’re doing the same thing on the way back, you have to claim and recheck your luggage at your first US airport anyway, so that shouldn’t be a big deal, but you definitely want plenty of time (again 4 hours seems like it should be enough) to go through customs and immigration and claim and recheck luggage.
Susan Heroux
May 14, 2022 @ 9:36 pm
I am traveling from USA to Israel to meet with a tour group there. I have only a 1 hr. 15 min. layover in Paris-CDG is there any way I can make this connecting flight? I fear I will miss meeting my tour group before they depart if I miss my connection. Thank you for your advice.
Ali Garland
May 23, 2022 @ 3:53 pm
Hi Susan! That doesn’t sound impossible. It helps that you’re not actually staying in the Schengen Zone, so you *should* be able to bypass customs and immigration. When you land, look for signs that say “transit” or “transfer” or “connecting flights” and you should – in theory – be able to bypass immigration. You’ll probably have to go through security, but that should really be it.
Violette Stedham
May 5, 2022 @ 5:40 pm
We are planning a trip with the same airline from Kelowna BC to Phoenix Arizona. We do have checked luggage. Our layover is in Vancouver BC. We are wondering if we need to have more than 2 hrs for the layover?
Ali Garland
May 7, 2022 @ 3:29 pm
Hi Violette! Normally I’d say 2 hours is enough, but I have a little hesitation because you’ll actually do US customs and immigration while you’re still in the Vancouver Airport. Here’s more info: https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/navigate-yvr/customs-and-immigration/us-customs-and-border-protection. So that could take some extra time, just depends on the lines. I can’t make any guarantees, but if it’s a 2 hour layover vs a 6 hour layover or something, I personally would probably take my chances on the 2 hours. If there’s a 3 hour option, I might go for that to be safe.