OMAAT reader Peter asked me a question that I think is worth addressing more broadly — if you book an itinerary that involves two or more separate tickets, how much of a buffer should you leave between flights on those two tickets?
There’s not going to be a “one size fits all” answer, but I’d like to share my thought process, and hear how others approach this. First let’s talk about why you might want to book tickets this way, the things I’d factor into deciding on a buffer, and the approach I take (admittedly I don’t always get this right!).
In this post:
Why you might book an itinerary on separate tickets
Typically, most people will book an itinerary between their origin and destination on a single ticket, even if multiple airlines are involved (which is possible thanks to partnerships and interline agreements). However, there are definitely situations — especially in the miles & points world — where you might want to book separate tickets:
- Maybe you only found reasonably priced award tickets out of a long haul gateway city, and then you need to position there on a separate ticket
- Maybe you’re being savvy and are trying to avoid the UK Air Passenger Duty, so you book your first flight out of the UK separately as a short haul ticket, and then pick up your long haul ticket elsewhere
- Maybe an itinerary just ends up being cheaper if booked as two separate tickets, whether you paid with cash or points
- Maybe you booked a ticket far in advance, but then your plans change, though the most economical option is to just book a separate positioning flight, but still take your originally booked ticket
Anyway, I do end up booking itineraries as separate tickets with some frequency, and the most common reason is because I’m redeeming points out of another gateway city, and that ends up being the most economical option.
The considerations with deciding on what buffer to leave
To state the obvious, there are many factors that would impact my decision of how much of a buffer to leave between flights on separate tickets. For example, if you’re flying a once daily flight to board a cruise or to attend a very important business meeting, I’d take a different approach than if you’re connecting to a ticket in a market that has 50 daily flights.
So to expand on that a bit, here are the things that I’d take into consideration:
- How important is it to actually make the flights on your second itinerary, and to arrive at your destination on-time?
- How flexible are your tickets? If you miss your second itinerary, is it a “use it or lose it” situation, or could you easily rebook?
- Are you checking bags? Obviously you’ll want to add to your buffer if you are, especially since bags often can’t be checked through on separate tickets
- What time of day is your first flight? The earlier you fly, the better the odds of things going smoothly
- What are the weather conditions to consider? On summer afternoons you have to be worried about thunderstorms, and in winter, consider how likely a snowstorm could be
- How many other flights are there that could get you to your destination within a reasonable timeframe, assuming you miss the originally booked one?
- How skilled are you at managing your own travels? If you’re very resourceful and not stressed out by a potential misconnect, you can handle this differently than someone who gets really stressed in these situations
How I decide on how much of a buffer to leave
It goes without saying that if you want to maximize your odds of not having any major disruptions, you should leave a massive buffer between separate flights on itineraries. It’s definitely a best practice to maybe even leave a day between separate itineraries, or at least to leave an unpleasantly large number of hours.
That being said, I want to be realistic here:
- Often people have limited vacation, so adding an extra day enroute might not be practical, might significantly add to the expense of the trip, etc.
- Of course leaving a really long layover sounds smart, but most people don’t want to spend 10 hours at an airport waiting for their connecting flight
Let me share my approach, acknowledging of course that I don’t always get this right (including recently!). As I view it, I take a calculated risk, trying to find the middle ground between minimizing risk and being efficient.
Obviously it depends on the circumstances, but assuming that I don’t 100% have to be at the destination exactly at my planned arrival time, my most common approach is to typically leave a buffer of four hours, and/or to have at least another flight between my original flight and subsequent one that I can be rebooked on, in the event that it cancels.
Admittedly this isn’t a perfect system, and a lot can still go wrong. After all, “when it rains, it pours” also applies to aviation. Sometimes there’s just a very bad weather system, and you have flights for an entire afternoon delayed by hours. In those situations, there’s nothing you can do.
To get a bit more specific, personally I generally hope for a bit bigger of a buffer if I’m checking bags, and if my second ticket is non-refundable or non-changeable. Meanwhile if I’m traveling alone, I’m on separate tickets, or it’s in a high frequency market, I’ve certainly booked connections way shorter than that.
Just to give an example, maybe I have an award ticket booked from Frankfurt to Chicago on Lufthansa, and then I book a connecting flight to Miami on American. There I’d gladly book a short connection, and worst case scenario, I can just rebook on another flight. That’s an example of a low risk situation, as I see it.
I generally view things as lower risk if they’re at the end of my trip, and if I’m headed home, especially flying a US carrier, since they tend to be more flexible if you miss a flight (compared to Asia, Europe, etc.).
Bottom line
Especially in the miles & points world, it’s common to see people book flights across multiple tickets. This is often necessary if redeeming miles for a long haul flight out of a gateway, and then needing to position.
It can be hard to decide on the right buffer. Obviously the bigger the buffer, the better the odds of everything going smoothly. At the same time, adding an overnight layover can add a lot of time and expense to a trip.
My general rule of thumb is that I try to leave a buffer of at least four hours between separate tickets, with at least one flight between the two that would still get me to that destination in time to make the flight. Admittedly there are many other considerations as well, so that’s not some hard and fast rule.
What approach do you take when it comes to leaving a buffer between separate itineraries?
I often leave at least 3 hours, because I can buy third party travel insurance that covers missed connection insurance as long as the delay is at least 3 hours.
As a resident of the Canary Islands, we get a 75% discount on flights to MAD/BCN and, as through tickets are laughably expensive, we have separate tickets all the time.
Without hold baggage, I try to leave 2 hours, especially if a non-Schengen flight is involved; in December, we'll be on an early flight with an aircraft which has overnighted at my local airport; and I ensure that there's a backup flight if things go seriously wrong.
For an aspirational redemption or otherwise critical flights, and I'm going through Houston, Dallas or Hong Kong/TPE during inclement weather season, it's a two day buffer.
Should add, absolutely two days if it involves any flights on AA.
Having skimmed most of the comments, I think my takeaway is to treat the situation similarly to a flight connecting to a ship/cruise. Go the day before, layover somewhere comfortable to you (airport hotel with a view / cool downtown property with a gym or spa / whatever). Takes out most of the stress. Easy to say being retired, but looking back on my career, an extra day on a complicated trip is a good decision.
That's the sensible thing to do for long-haul/complicated/expensive flights. No reason to be as cautious when it comes to salvaging a €30 MAD-BCN ticket when you can always jump on the train if you miss it.
Another consideration is whether you have lounge access at the transfer airport by whatever means, how good the lounge options are, whether you'll be limited to 3 hours lounge time (and whether that's actually policed) and if there are snooze/sleep options if appropriate.
While last minute mechanical delays can happen, I feel like most of the time you can predict predictable delays. I’ve only ever missed 1/900 flights in my life where probably 2-300 of them were self connections.
Africa- just don’t do it. Visas and all is the issue.
Asia- leave 3 hours if no bags. Can do less here if a top airline.
America- 2 hours for morning flights, 3.5 hours for afternoon/evening
While last minute mechanical delays can happen, I feel like most of the time you can predict predictable delays. I’ve only ever missed 1/900 flights in my life where probably 2-300 of them were self connections.
Africa- just don’t do it. Visas and all is the issue.
Asia- leave 3 hours if no bags. Can do less here if a top airline.
America- 2 hours for morning flights, 3.5 hours for afternoon/evening
Europe- 4-5 hours
Australia/New Zealand- 4 hours
Granted it all comes to passport, status, what seat you are sitting in, and checked bags. Like the one time the VS plane diverted to Bermuda, while on the ground I called 1K line and they rebooked me for free and immediate upgrade to domestic F.
4-5 hours is excessive for Europe, even for Schengen/non Schengen connections.
It's about right for Heathrow.
Depends on Europe right. LHR T5 on a morning BA flight? 1.5 hours no issues. Albania or Bulgaria on an evening flight? No.
I was just generalizing. But yeah for most 4-5 is OTT for EU.
Let me start by saying I am retired so have plenty of flexibility. On my 2-3 long international trips each year I typically select a gateway city based on the international carrier I'm flying then take a positioning flight. Is somewhere I enjoy I go in the day before, book a hotel and stay overnight (did that in Boston last fall on way to the UK). However, I always allow enough time for bags to...
Let me start by saying I am retired so have plenty of flexibility. On my 2-3 long international trips each year I typically select a gateway city based on the international carrier I'm flying then take a positioning flight. Is somewhere I enjoy I go in the day before, book a hotel and stay overnight (did that in Boston last fall on way to the UK). However, I always allow enough time for bags to make a follow up flight and also buy a ticket on another carrier if needed.
For example, I am flying Virgin Atlantic out of IAD in September and that flight to LHR leaves at around 10:30 PM. I'm flying UA CLT-IAD and taking a morning flight that gets to IAD around noon. I booked "day rate" at a local hotel 1-6 PM and will take a shuttle to relax, shower, change etc then head back to the airport. Yes it costs more in the way of time (all day) and $150 for hotel but, to me, it is worth it. On way back I don't worry as much and just book flight back from from gateway city with enough time to clear customs/immigration (have Global Entry so usually not a problem).
Wait… are you retired? /s
(Good move on the day rate. Agreed, excellent way to rest-up before a long-haul. Did you book direct, or use a site like DayUse?)
@1990 - I used DayUse for this booking. Hilton has the option, as I'm sure you know, to book on their website by entering both the check in and check out date as the same. However, the options available for this trip weren't real good. Hyatt claims to offer it but doesn't let you enter the same date so I frankly didn't want to try and deal with them.
In the past I've used DayUse...
@1990 - I used DayUse for this booking. Hilton has the option, as I'm sure you know, to book on their website by entering both the check in and check out date as the same. However, the options available for this trip weren't real good. Hyatt claims to offer it but doesn't let you enter the same date so I frankly didn't want to try and deal with them.
In the past I've used DayUse and also could provide my Hilton or Marriott number at check in so got any benefits (daily meal allowance for lunch at last stay for example). It is a 3rd party booking but DayUse only charges a nominal booking fee with stay paid at check in so you can try and get elite credit. No guarantee but I've had decent success with it.
Another approach for self-connecting to/from high frequency domestic flight - book multiple refundable (award) tickets on different airlines with staggered departure times, then cancel the ones you don't need. Works well between BOS and JFK/SFO/LAX/ORD, where you have AA/UA, DL, and B6 running multiple flights per day.
If you don't have a diamond-encrusted unobtainium status with the airline that allows free rebooking, making award reservation far in advance is usually a better deal then...
Another approach for self-connecting to/from high frequency domestic flight - book multiple refundable (award) tickets on different airlines with staggered departure times, then cancel the ones you don't need. Works well between BOS and JFK/SFO/LAX/ORD, where you have AA/UA, DL, and B6 running multiple flights per day.
If you don't have a diamond-encrusted unobtainium status with the airline that allows free rebooking, making award reservation far in advance is usually a better deal then making last-minute changes.
A few years ago I used this to self-connect at LAX to a JX flight to TPE. Had both B6 and UA awards from BOS. B6 was getting the usual late afternoon delays, so I canceled it and flew on UA.
Then I self-connected at TPE to take CX to HKG, then self-connected there on FJ to NAN, where I self-connected to a domestic FJ flight. No overnights or very long connections anywhere. That was a fun trip :)
My case was easy to book. We'll see how well it works. I have a morning arrival in AKL from the US. I am flying to another NZ city (necessarily on a separste ticket). AirNZ has 10 flights to that city from AKL after my arrival. I opted for the fare version one step more expensive than their cheapest fare (planes are Y only). It allows for changes to earlier/later flights on the same day...
My case was easy to book. We'll see how well it works. I have a morning arrival in AKL from the US. I am flying to another NZ city (necessarily on a separste ticket). AirNZ has 10 flights to that city from AKL after my arrival. I opted for the fare version one step more expensive than their cheapest fare (planes are Y only). It allows for changes to earlier/later flights on the same day for free (space avaliable). Interestingly, I opted for 4 hours for the one on which I am scheduled (NZ customs/passport is so quick, it's almost like a domestic connection).
Since my next flight out of AKL is early morning, I fly back into AKL the day before and stay close by for the night.
Misconnected from CMH to IAD (3.5hr layover) to DXB :( Saw my 380 pushing back on arrival in IAD. My UA flt (1st of day) had a maintenance issue, driving a 3 hr delay. The MX issue, a broken seat on a 1/2 empty E175, was noticed by the UA (well, YX) Captain on pushback...Not EK's problem, I knew I was SOL.
I got very lucky back in April. Coming home from Saigon with Vietnam Airlines I had the choice of 1hr 55m in Munich, or 10 hrs before continuing to Manchester with Lufthansa. Chose the short option, but was nervous. Thankfully had a brilliant agent in SGN who agreed to interline our bags through to Manchester. Wouldn't have made the next flight without it, and I probably won't be doing such a booking again anytime soon.
lucky to be coming home from saigon ... lucky , yes , indeed .
Asian full-service airlines are almost always happy to interline bags to any IATA member. I would've also done the 2 hour connection as it's international to international.
If it's a major flight like a long-haul business class flight then I will not risk it and always fly the night before. These flights are most likely to be 1x or 2x daily as well, so there are not a lot of back ups. On the contrary, domestic flights have more frequencies, so if things start to go wrong I can always switch to a later flight often without any fare difference or change...
If it's a major flight like a long-haul business class flight then I will not risk it and always fly the night before. These flights are most likely to be 1x or 2x daily as well, so there are not a lot of back ups. On the contrary, domestic flights have more frequencies, so if things start to go wrong I can always switch to a later flight often without any fare difference or change fees.
I also think the flexibility to freely cancel without penalties and immediate redeposit is the most underrated part of mileage redemption. This especially comes in handy on situations like these.
If they truly are two separate tickets you should do overnight or at least a very large buffer-US centric. Too much can go wrong with weather, aircraft and crew issues.
Yeah, it’s almost as if the US is uniquely anti-consumer; like, airlines owe near-zero duty of care… huh, maybe we should change that… *COUGH*
Why should Airline A be responsible for your ticket on Airline B if it's not sold as a single ticket or other arrangement? What a stupid belief.
George, you're asking the wrong question to avoid the point: Whether it’s a single ticket or separate ones is a distraction from the lack of consumer protection in the US.
If we had EU261-style consumer protections in the US, and your first segment was significantly delayed or cancelled for reasons under the airlines' control causing you to miss your second (independent) segment, you could recoup some of your losses with the compensation received from the...
George, you're asking the wrong question to avoid the point: Whether it’s a single ticket or separate ones is a distraction from the lack of consumer protection in the US.
If we had EU261-style consumer protections in the US, and your first segment was significantly delayed or cancelled for reasons under the airlines' control causing you to miss your second (independent) segment, you could recoup some of your losses with the compensation received from the first. No it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.
Feel free to see my recommendations earlier in the comment thread. I'm much more with you on large buffers and overnight stays before big, important flights. I'll even go a day early, if it's really important, like for a wedding, cruise, etc. I also mitigate risks with comprehensive travel insurance. I'm no turkey, bud.
I did this and almost missed my 2nd flight to Asia . Had 4-6 hours before the 2nd flight, but due to heavy wind in ORD, all domestic inbound flights were delayed.
After that experience, for any separate ticket, I fly previous night and use the points to stay in a hotel and fly out next day.
I end up doing this a lot at SFO and LAX when doing flights to / from Asia and connecting to / from US East Coast. Outbound to Asia, I have often been able to do 1 hour of less connections at SFO, key is to not check bags and have your boarding pass for Asia flight. On the return, I have often been able to get by with 90 min or less connections at...
I end up doing this a lot at SFO and LAX when doing flights to / from Asia and connecting to / from US East Coast. Outbound to Asia, I have often been able to do 1 hour of less connections at SFO, key is to not check bags and have your boarding pass for Asia flight. On the return, I have often been able to get by with 90 min or less connections at LAX, key is again to not check bags and global entry helps. So far, I have been able to make all of these connections. I have even been able to get a shower / meal at Qantas lounge at LAX after landing the last couple of times and still making my connections. The terminals being connected airside helps a lot.
1-hour at SFO on separate tickets between domestic and Asia?! You live dangerously! (I’d much rather enjoy a night of plane-spotting from the Grand Hyatt at SFO before/after the long-journey.)
If it's not an overnight connection on separate tickets, I'll always book a 'back up' flight that's refundable in case I miss the first connecting flight. And if it's the outbound going on vacation, I'll pretty much always connect overnight.
Coming back, I don't really mind if I don't make it home in time so I'll do riskier connections, but will make sure I have a safer back up flight booked in case things go sideways.
If it's the same carrier and nothing is long haul, a few hours.
If it's between carriers or international/long haul, generally overnight. This saved my bacon in 2024, when WX hit the East Coast and so I had to switch to Amtrak to get to NYC for a flight to the UK. I made it to my conference. A lot of other people lost a day or two.
@Lucky in your FRA-ORD-MIA example, what airline policy allows you to rebook that AA domestic leg on a later flight for free if your FRA-ORD is late (provided you don't have status)? Aren't you at least paying a last-minute fare or mileage difference? Is it better to leave a bigger buffer and then standby for an earlier flight?
This is a simple example. There are dozens of options every day (direct and 1-stop) from ORD to MIA and Ben is heading home anyway.....
I'd much rather hear Lucky's choice for the ORD-FRA leg, where the chance of finding a replacement flight to Germany in the next 12 hours is slim.
I always check the records of my first leg - if it's usually on time I would be more willing to book separate itineraries / less buffer. On a route with notorious delays, I'd rather opt for one ticket that includes all legs.
Traveling to Europe via IAH but originating in STL. I had 2 separate tickets with a 4 hour layover in IAH. Plenty of time I THOUGHT. (The 2nd ticket from IAH to Europe was an F award on LH).
My flight to IAH was delayed and then delayed even more and then the crew timed out. AHHHH!!!!
So my 4 hour layover evaporated to zero.
I was very fortunate that I was...
Traveling to Europe via IAH but originating in STL. I had 2 separate tickets with a 4 hour layover in IAH. Plenty of time I THOUGHT. (The 2nd ticket from IAH to Europe was an F award on LH).
My flight to IAH was delayed and then delayed even more and then the crew timed out. AHHHH!!!!
So my 4 hour layover evaporated to zero.
I was very fortunate that I was able to rebook my award the next day out of ORD and still book into F on LH.
Any "big trip" that I go on now I leave the day before and overnight.
Absolutely, if you are traveling on hard-to-find award space on the outbound, you should ideally allow a day or even two if you wish to visit your stopover city. As Ben says, on the return, don't worry too much, especially since there are typically countless alternate ways from one big hub to another in the USA, and all US carriers sell "refundable," really "cancellable" tickets (NEVER book Basic in these situations!). Even better, book an...
Absolutely, if you are traveling on hard-to-find award space on the outbound, you should ideally allow a day or even two if you wish to visit your stopover city. As Ben says, on the return, don't worry too much, especially since there are typically countless alternate ways from one big hub to another in the USA, and all US carriers sell "refundable," really "cancellable" tickets (NEVER book Basic in these situations!). Even better, book an award ticket, and it is usually fully refundable. Another great option is using same-day-confirmed options. Delta's First Class SDC is the best, followed by United, and then American.
I recently did a separate-ticket connection from UBN to the US via Seoul, because the only through-ticket on that day was inconveniently timed and extraordinarily expensive. The calculus included that the layover was overnight; that I knew I could check in online for the connecting flight (and therefore didn't have to leave the international/transit zone); that I had no checked bag; that ICN has a hotel within the sterile zone; and that I had a...
I recently did a separate-ticket connection from UBN to the US via Seoul, because the only through-ticket on that day was inconveniently timed and extraordinarily expensive. The calculus included that the layover was overnight; that I knew I could check in online for the connecting flight (and therefore didn't have to leave the international/transit zone); that I had no checked bag; that ICN has a hotel within the sterile zone; and that I had a few Plan Bs ready to go if needed - which they ultimately weren't.
But, very much to your point, there's no single answer: Lots of very contextually-specific considerations.
Like you, I calculate the risk vs reward for each individual scenario. My most common time to use separate reservations is when I'm leaving home and positioning to another US gateway airport. In that case, if feasible I'll often book 2 separate award tickets on 2 different US carriers. They're fully cancellable up until time of departure (AA and UA) or 10 minutes before departure (DL and WN), even Basic Economy. That way I can...
Like you, I calculate the risk vs reward for each individual scenario. My most common time to use separate reservations is when I'm leaving home and positioning to another US gateway airport. In that case, if feasible I'll often book 2 separate award tickets on 2 different US carriers. They're fully cancellable up until time of departure (AA and UA) or 10 minutes before departure (DL and WN), even Basic Economy. That way I can leave a buffer of just a few hours with relative safety. I take the first flight, and cancel the backup once I'm on my way. So far I have never had to use the backup flight.
Yes, it's still a risk, but minor enough that I'm willing to accept it.
Longer connections going on holiday, much shorter ones coming back. No issue calling my boss to tell him I'm delayed somewhere and will be late back to the office "because the airlines are all idiots"..... :)
For me, it's gotta be an overnight stay. Preferably with a hotel near the airport.
There is no ‘sweet’ spot, other than adequate comprehensive travel insurance, booking the second ticket refundable/points (if you need to cancel, rebook, due to the first segment failing you), or consumer-friendly regulations, like EU261, where if the cancellation/delay is under the airlines’ control, they actually have a duty of care and compensate you for the inconvenience. That said, depends on airline, airport(s), routing, etc. 3 hours minimum.
3 hours is nothing . I suggest 23 hours minimum .
Yes, Alert. This is the way. Bah!
I don't want to say this is true for all insurances, but all I know will not cover mised connections on different tickets. The same is true for EU261, which only covers the travel from start to finish on a single ticket.
neogucky, sorry, I would have addressed every possible situation, outlier, and objection, but there is only such much time in the day (and space in a comment section). Let’s be clear, what I referenced above is a good baseline, not all-inclusive. If you got specific better ideas, please do share, as I’m always trying to improve, personally, as well.
Also, I’ll add, on EU261, it’s often better, if connecting through Europe, like US-EU-3rd country, to book two separate tickets, because otherwise, EU protections may not apply (bad loophole airlines use to get out of obligations). So, like, for max protection, book US-EU on EU carrier, then EU-say, Asia, on any airline, both covered, individually. So, if first segment 5 hours late and miss second, can get compensation at least, even if need to rebook...
Also, I’ll add, on EU261, it’s often better, if connecting through Europe, like US-EU-3rd country, to book two separate tickets, because otherwise, EU protections may not apply (bad loophole airlines use to get out of obligations). So, like, for max protection, book US-EU on EU carrier, then EU-say, Asia, on any airline, both covered, individually. So, if first segment 5 hours late and miss second, can get compensation at least, even if need to rebook second, independently. It’s nuanced. Most folks won’t bother or know.
@neogucky , I've seen various travel insurance policies which include cover for missing a flight due to 'public transport delays', and I've chosen the one I use specifically because it mentions flight connections on separate tickets.