Airport Minimum Connection Times: What Are They, Can They Be Relied On?

When most consumers go to book airline tickets, there are several factors they may consider, from price, to the time of day a flight departs, to the total travel time. In this post, I’d like to talk a bit about minimum connection times on connecting itineraries, as this is something that many travelers don’t put enough thought into, in my opinion.

The basics of airline minimum connection times

When you go to book an airline ticket, you might notice that some itineraries have really short connections, while other itineraries have really long connections. The decision of whether or not an itinerary allows sufficient time to connect is based on the published minimum connection time (MCT) for a particular airport.

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There’s not just one minimum connection time across the board for an airport or airline, but rather, there are several things that factor into this:

• Minimum connection times vary based on the airport you’re connecting at
• Minimum connection times vary based on whether you’re connecting from a domestic to domestic flight, domestic to international flight, international to domestic flight, or international to international flight (after all, clearing immigration can take a long time)
• Minimum connection times vary based on the airlines that you’re connecting between, and on top of that, specific flights sometimes have different connection times, depending on the terminal they depart from

Personally, I look up minimum connection times through ExpertFlyer, which is a paid subscription service. You can expect that if an airline will sell you a connection, then it’s “legal” (meaning it meets the minimum connection time requirement). If you don’t have ExpertFlyer, you can just search online for “[airport name] minimum connection time,” and hopefully the results will come up.

To look at some extreme examples, Helsinki Airport (HEL) is one of the most efficient in Europe, and has minimum connection times ranging from 20 to 40 minutes.

The other extreme is Manila Airport (MNL), which has minimum connection times ranging from 45 minutes to 120 minutes.

Minimum connection times are unrealistically short

It’s important to emphasize that minimum connection times aren’t designed to maximize the odds of a passenger making their connection, but rather are designed to maximize airline profitability:

• Airlines used banked hubs to maximize connections, whereby a lot of planes arrive around the same time, and then depart 45-90 minutes later, in some cases making for very short connections
• Airlines create these short connections because planes don’t make money sitting on the ground, and also because itineraries with the shortest travel time look appealing to many travelers when they go to book

However, for the most part, airlines aren’t terribly invested as to whether or not you make your connection, so you really have to advocate for yourself. Why don’t they really care? Well, because they already have your money, and their only obligation is to get you to your destination on the next available flight.

Many people operate under the assumption that if you book an itinerary that meets the minimum connection time, then you’ll definitely make your connection if your flight is on-time. That’s simply not the case, though.

For example, American has an absurdly short 25-minute minimum connection time at Phoenix Airport (PHX). Even assuming your flights are on-time:

• If you’re seated in the back of the plane, it can take 5-10 minutes to get off
• If you’re connecting between concourses, it can easily take 15 minutes to get to your connecting gate, and that’s even the case if you’re walking at a fast pace
• American Airlines states that boarding ends 15 minutes before departure

Often people are of the belief that if you’re just a few minutes late, the airline will hold the plane for you. While that will happen sometimes, it’s the exception rather than the norm. Generally speaking, gate agents are more incentivized by getting the plane out on-time, rather than ensuring that as many passengers as possible are onboard.

My approach to airport minimum connection times

Personally I don’t trust airlines when it comes to their minimum connection times, so I won’t book a ticket just because the airline claims there’s enough time to connect. Here’s my general approach:

• While it varies by airport, I typically prefer a connection in the range of 90 minutes to three hours, which minimizes the odds of misconnecting
• There are various factors that determine how long of a connection I’m comfortable with, like how important it is for me to get to my destination on-time, what time of day I’m traveling (airlines are more reliable in the mornings), what the odds are of a weather delay (I expect delays if flying out of Florida on a summer afternoon), and how many alternative flights are available (in some high frequent markets, I might be less worried)
• If I’m checking bags, I’ll particularly avoid a short connection, since I don’t want to be in a situation where I make my connection, but my bag doesn’t (fortunately AirTags put me a bit more at ease than in the past)
• If I’m connecting between separate tickets, I’ll leave way more time than needed, especially if it’s in a region where airlines have a “use it or lose it” situation if you arrive at the airport too late

Conversely, let me also say that there are some situations where “gambling” with a short connection isn’t necessarily a bad idea. For example, Europe has generous government mandated compensation for passengers who arrive at their destination late. So if you have a very short connection and are just a little bit late, you could potentially be looking at up to €600 in compensation, given how much later the next available flight may get you to your destination.

Bottom line

Airlines publish minimum connection times, which are the minimum amount of time needed to connect at an airport “legally.” However, you shouldn’t assume that just because an itinerary is “legal” means that you’re likely to make your connection. Lots of airports have unrealistically short minimum connection times, especially if it’s a long walk between gates, if you’re flying later in the day, if you’re seated in the back of the plane, etc.

Personally I’d almost always prefer to plan a longer layover, where I don’t have to run to make my connection. I understand that airlines create these kinds of connections to make travel duration seem short and to maximize revenue, but it seems to me like there are some markets where these times are just unrealistically short, and are a disservice to passengers.

What’s your approach to minimum connection times, and what kind of a connection are you comfortable with?