A layover from one flight to another could be as quick as 30 minutes, and yet it could be days. To understand whether your flight connection is too short, first you need to determine where you bought your ticket. There are three options:
- You bought a single ticket through one airline/alliance, with a guaranteed connection.
- You bought a ticket with separate segments, but through one agency, and they guarantee the connection.
- You bought several separate tickets through separate sellers.
In the first case, the connection is guaranteed. Even if it’s a 30‑minute layover, you will still have time to transfer from one flight to another, and if a force majeure situation occurs and the first flight is delayed, you will be transferred to another. The minimum connecting time is calculated by airports and airlines together. Everything is taken into account: transport links between terminals, airline agreements, time for reloading baggage from one plane to another.
In the second case, if the first flight or another force majeure situation arises, you will need to contact the agency – they will change your tickets to the next flight themselves and provide you with everything you need. With this kind of connection, you need to collect and recheck your baggage yourself and check in for the next flight.
In the third case, all the risks lie entirely with the passenger. In this case, no one guarantees that you will have time to transfer from one plane to another, because the tickets were purchased separately and are not connected in any way. You will have to calculate everything yourself and account for the fact that your first flight might be delayed, so as not to miss the second. This option is the riskiest.