Airlines Sell Connections Under an Hour All the Time. Here’s How to Tell Whether Yours Is Too Tight for Holiday Travel

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Short layover holiday travel is a gamble you can measure. Airlines regularly sell connections of 45 minutes or less, because each airport sets a minimum connection time, the shortest layover an airline will sell on one ticket. A connection that meets that minimum is technically possible. Whether it’s realistic during the holidays depends on your itinerary.

Here’s how to tell whether yours is too tight. A short connection is usually fine if it’s on one ticket, you arrive and leave from the same terminal, you don’t have to go through security or customs again, and your first flight can run 20 or 30 minutes late without making you miss the second one. It’s probably too tight if you booked separate tickets, you have to change terminals, you’re entering the U.S. from abroad, you need to recheck bags, your connection is through a snowy hub in December, or your second flight is the last one of the day.

Going through each of these factors before you book, or as soon as you notice a short connection on an existing trip, can save you a night in an airport hotel.

How to Tell Whether Your Connection Is Too Tight

Check each of these factors in order.

Is it one ticket or two?

This is the most important question. When both flights are on one ticket, the airline is responsible for getting you to your final destination. If you miss the connection because your first flight was late, the airline will rebook you on the next available flight at no extra cost, and your checked bags are transferred automatically.

If you booked two separate tickets, sometimes called a self-transfer, the second airline has no obligation to help. If you miss the second flight, you could be treated as a no-show and lose your ticket. On separate tickets, a short connection is a big risk. Give yourself several hours, especially in winter.

Do you have to change terminals?

At airports like Chicago O’Hare, Detroit, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, some connections require a train, a shuttle, or a long walk between terminals or concourses. Look at your arrival and departure gates or terminals in the airline’s app on the day of travel. If you need to change terminals, especially if you have to leave security and go through again, add time.

Do you have to go through customs?

If you’re flying into the U.S. from another country and connecting to a domestic flight, you’ll usually need to go through passport control, collect your checked bags, go through customs, recheck your bags, and go through security again. That takes time, and lines can be long during the holidays. Many travelers aim for at least two hours for an international-to-domestic connection, though airlines sell shorter ones. Some airports offer preclearance at foreign departure points, which can make this easier.

How long is the walk?

At large hubs, your gates could be at opposite ends of the airport. Use the airport map in the airline’s app to see how far apart the gates are. A 40-minute layover with gates next to each other is very different from a 40-minute layover that requires a 20-minute walk.

How reliable is the first flight?

Look up the on-time record of your first flight. Some airline apps and flight-tracking websites show how often a flight number has arrived late recently. Early-morning flights are generally more reliable, since delays tend to build up during the day.

What’s the weather?

In winter, connecting through snowy hubs can add risk. Snow, ice, and de-icing can delay departures. If your connection is through a city with a winter storm in the forecast, consider changing to a longer connection, a different hub, or a nonstop flight, especially if the airline has issued a weather waiver that allows free changes.

Is it the last flight of the day?

If you miss a connection to the last flight of the day, you may be stuck overnight. A tight connection to an afternoon flight with several later options is less risky than a tight connection to the last flight.

Ways to Make a Short Layover Holiday Travel Plan Work

If you have a short connection and decide to keep it, these steps help.

Sit near the front

Choose a seat near the front of the plane on your first flight so you can get off faster.

Travel light

Carry only what you need. If you’re checking bags on one ticket, they’ll be transferred, but you’ll move faster without a heavy carry-on. Be aware, though, that on very tight connections, bags sometimes don’t make it onto the second flight even when you do.

Watch your gate information

Check the airline’s app when you land for your connecting gate. Gates often change.

Ask for help

If your first flight is late, tell a flight attendant about your connection. They can’t hold the next flight, but sometimes they can tell you the connecting gate or ask passengers to let people with tight connections off first.

Know your backup

Before you leave, look at later flights from your connecting city to your final destination. If you miss your connection, you’ll know which options to ask for.

When to Book a Longer Layover Instead

For holiday travel, a longer layover is often worth it. Consider booking a connection of at least 90 minutes to two hours if:

• You’re traveling with young children or someone who needs extra time.
• You need wheelchair assistance.
• You’re connecting from an international flight.
• You’re on separate tickets.
• You’re flying through a hub with winter weather.
• It’s the busiest period, such as Thanksgiving week or the days before Christmas.

A longer layover means more time in the airport, but it also gives you a buffer for delays.

What Happens If You Miss Your Connection

If you’re on one ticket and miss your connection because your first flight was late, the airline will rebook you. Use the airline’s app, which often rebooks automatically. If the app doesn’t work, go to a customer service desk or call the airline while waiting in line.

If you’re stuck overnight because of a delay the airline caused, such as a mechanical problem or crew issue, many U.S. airlines offer a hotel voucher. Weather delays generally don’t come with a hotel or meals.

A Quick Way to Score Your Connection

Before you book, or as soon as you see a short layover on your itinerary, give it a rough score. Add a point for each of these risk factors:

• Separate tickets.
• A change of terminal, or a long walk between concourses.
• Passport control and customs before your next flight.
• Checked bags you have to collect and recheck.
• A connecting hub that often gets snow, ice, or thunderstorms in the season you’re flying.
• A first flight that’s often late, or that departs late in the day.
• A second flight that’s the last one of the day to your destination.
• Traveling with young children, someone with limited mobility, or a lot of carry-on gear.
• Thanksgiving week, the days before Christmas, or the days just after New Year’s.

If your connection scores zero or one, a short layover is probably fine. At two or three, think about a longer connection or have a backup plan ready. At four or more, change your itinerary if you can.

How Minimum Connection Times Work

Each airport, and sometimes each terminal, has a minimum connection time set by the airlines and the airport. It’s the shortest amount of time an airline considers possible for a passenger to get from one flight to another. Booking systems won’t sell a connection shorter than that minimum on a single ticket.

Minimum times are usually shorter for domestic connections within one terminal and longer for international connections or terminal changes. They’re based on normal conditions, not holiday crowds or snowstorms, and they assume you’ll get off the plane, walk to your next gate, and board without problems. That’s why a connection that meets the minimum can still be too tight in December.

Tight Connections at Midwest Hubs

Midwest hubs have their own risks in December. Chicago O’Hare is large, with several terminals and long walks, and it’s prone to winter delays. Detroit’s main terminal has a long concourse with a train that helps people move between gates. Minneapolis-St. Paul has long concourses in Terminal 1, and connections between terminals require the light rail. If you’re connecting through any of these in winter, check your gate locations before you land, and allow extra time if the forecast calls for snow.

Rebooking a Short Connection in Advance

If your airline changes your schedule and your layover gets shorter, you may be able to switch to a different connection without paying, because a schedule change gives you more flexibility. Check the airline’s app for alternatives, or call and ask for a longer connection.

The Bottom Line on Short Layover Holiday Travel

A short layover isn’t automatically a bad idea. It’s fine on one ticket, in one terminal, without customs, early in the day, with good weather. If any of those factors goes the other way, give yourself more time. During the holidays, an extra hour at the airport is much better than a missed connection.