Not so fast: Why you should think twice before booking flights with a tight connection

All travelers, at one point or another, have run a marathon through the airport, cursing themselves for booking such a tight connection (or whatever delay put them in that situation), and sweating as they slalom their way through Auntie Anne’s and Hudson News lines with a roller bag in tow. And sure, there’s an element of personal choice in that, but experts say part of the problem could be that many airlines even allow you to book tickets with such short connections in the first place.

Travel professionals advise against being lured in with the promise of a quick door-to-door trip time, because it leaves little wiggle room if something goes wrong.

Here’s how airlines – yes airlines and not regulators – decide what the minimum amount of time you need between flights is. And what travel professionals say you should consider when booking tickets.

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What is a legal connection time?

In the U.S. there’s no overarching rule about minimum connection times. Airlines are free to set their own guidelines and sell connecting flight itineraries with whatever time between flights they feel is reasonable.

How are minimum connection times determined?

According to Airlines for America, the trade association that represents most carriers in the U.S., airlines consider factors including airport layout, average boarding time and flight duration when considering their own minimum connection policies.

“Carriers have internal rules that are specific to each airport depending on terminal layout, concourses for inbound and connecting flights, and whether itinerary is domestic to international, international to domestic, international to international or domestic to domestic,” the organization said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Factors such as deplaning duration of an inbound flight and average time needed to board the connecting flight are considered as well. Carriers’ reservation systems will not build an itinerary that violates its minimum connection times.”

But many travel advisers say those guidelines result in itineraries that don’t always work for passengers.

“On average, 35 minutes is what they consider a legal connection,” said Loulu Lima founder of the Texas-based travel agency Book Here Give Here. She explained that “legal” in this case means “in line with the airline’s policies,” but she said that’s often not enough time, especially if your first flight gets delayed or even winds up taking longer to taxi to the gate than expected.

“I literally have a waiver that clients have to sign if they want that because the chances of you missing your connection are so high,” Lima said. “I don’t want to be responsible for that.”

What is a good connection time?

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.

“Let’s take into account: how fast do you walk, how much are you willing to hustle? How long was your original flight? … Do you need a wheelchair? … What if you’re a family and you traveled with a baby and you need your stroller?” Lima said. “There are a lot of moving pieces that you have to think about when you’re looking at connections.”

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Laurel Brunvoll, owner and president of the boutique luxury travel agency Unforgettable Trips, agreed that 90 minutes is a good floor on connection times, even if an airline sends you an itinerary with as little as 40 minutes between flights.

“I don’t care if you’re a marathon runner. It’s just not realistic to get off a plane, go across the airport and get on another plane” in so little time, she said.

What to do if you miss your connection

Lima said it’s important to do your homework before you fly, and know what your options are if something goes wrong.

It’s best to figure out what other flights may be available, so you can go to a customer service agent or rebook yourself on the airline’s website or app knowing what the next-best itinerary is for you.

Lima said that apps like Flightradar24 and FlightAware can help you see what flights are available, even if they aren’t showing up on your airline’s website.

“I try to arm my clients with: If this happens, this is what you need to do. You want to go to the customer service and you want to go to a gate agent of the airline that you’re flying, and you want to have a conversation going, how can you help me? Don’t get agitated,” she said. “I have to teach patience. Minimum connections come with therapy.”