As a solo female traveler based in Hawaii and on a budget, I’ve gotten to be a fan of cheap fare flight and ultimately, a fan of layovers and connecting flights.  Yes, fan. I enjoy the diversity of new airports and what I learn passing through them. Often I see connecting flights and airport layovers as an opportunity to check out a new airport layout, security regulation, in-transit city and even get an extra trip for free.

But connecting flights and airport layovers can be tricky suckers. All airport procedures and layouts are not entirely alike, throwing first time travelers to it, for a loop.   In this layover itinerary guide, I’m sharing the essential things you MUST know about connecting flights & airport layovers.

10 Things you MUST Know about Connecting Flights & Airport Layovers

1.Your international terminal switches to domestic terminal wing

If you’re flying international but you’re making a connection to a domestic flight, be prepared for the probability of going through immigration when you transfer from international to domestic as you are now entering the country.

Domestic and international terminals are often located in a different terminal wings of the airport, so you could find yourself hiking to another terminal in the airport. If you’re lucky and it’s a small airport, it can be a 5-20 minute walk, a monorail or shuttle bus ride away.

But in really enormous airports, like Singapore’s Chiangi, Chicago O’Hare, even San Francisco International Airport, it can get confusing and take some time to get to the other side of the airport. You may need to exit the terminal and re-enter, passing through Security screening.

There is  also a likelihood you may also encounter #3 so keep reading.

Pro Tip: Download your airlines’ mobile app. Some will give you flight updates but also a map of your airports so you can see where your gate is located and how far you’ve got to haul ass from your arrival gate. It may show you to monorail information or directions. At the very least, the airport map of gates is key so when you deboard your plane, you can hit the ground running.

2. Interconnecting airport transportation

Most interconnecting flights are gotten to by either a short walk to another gate or through the airport monorail from terminal to terminal.

But then you have those situations when your connecting terminal is a 15 minute airport shuttle bus away or in another airport entirely!

3. Flying international and connecting to a domestic airport

Always read the fine print of where your connecting airport is. Travelers assume their connecting flight will be in the same airport terminal… or at least same airport.  Not always

International airports are for international flights. Domestic airports are for inter-country flights. Sound simple, right?

In the worst case scenario, you have two airports- an international and domestic one and the domestic airport can be located further from the international airport .. sometimes, in another town.  In this case, you need to take an airport shuttle bus or taxi to the domestic airport. If you indeed have two airports,  this can entail, going out through immigration, collecting your luggage and then after arriving at the domestic airport, checking into your flight, going through security to get to your gate! It’s an arrival-departure process.

If I’m flying internationally (from U.S.) and arriving in Delhi (India), but my final destination is Kolkata (India), then when I arrive into Delhi, in many cases, I must transfer to their domestic terminal to continue my flight connection. Domestic terminals can be on the opposite site of the international terminals and sometimes, a good 20-30 minutes away (or so it was in Delhi’s case).

Domestic airports and budget airlines terminals are tricky. Did you know Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport located around 20-30 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport is a domestic airport, which services Southeast Asian routes like Myanmar, Borneo- Malaysia, Bali-Indonesia, etc..?  It’s actually the home of smaller airlines carriers such as Skoot and Air Asia.

If flying into airports like Chicago, London-Heathrow, Bangkok, Delhi, even Incheon … you can experience this rude awakening of needing to haul it to another terminal far from the international airport.  I’ve experienced the close calls. If I am booking tickets online, I am careful about timing my layover and the terminals I’m flying out of.

Pro tip: Download your airlines mobile app and check the gate and terminal arrivals of your flight to see how far apart your connecting flight is.

Read Tips for Choosing your Airport Layovers

4. You need a In-Transit Visa to pass through

Failing to check the visa requirements can lead to denied boarding, missed flights, and hefty fines upon arrival. By taking a few minutes to check the visa situation beforehand, you ensure a seamless transition through your layover, allowing you to relax, explore the city, or simply catch your connecting flight with peace of mind.

Travelers flying through Russia or China (Updated: China has a free 144 hour transit visa), even on a layover, might need a transit visa to pass through immigration and customs. This holds true for some other countries too, like Afghanistan, Albania, Bolivia, Cuba, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Iran.

Thankfully, staying within the secure international transit area usually doesn’t require a visa, as you’re not officially setting foot into the country.

But if your flight involves switching airports, like Heathrow to Gatwick, a transit visa becomes necessary as you’ll need to pass through customs and immigration at the layover point. Remember, checking visa requirements for your layover country, even for short connections, can avoid potential headaches and ensure a smooth journey.

Tip: Getting a visa through iVisa is quick and easy and you avoid the hassles of bureaucratic government website applications.  

5. The airlines you booked with changes carriers

Always check your flight itinerary details to see if your connecting flight is with the same airlines carrier you started with.  If your airlines carrier has a little note under it saying “Operated by (another airlines)“,  this means you are not only flying with one carrier but more than one and its partner/s are taking over the other connecting routes.

This is crucial because a secondary airlines managing your connecting route, can mean anything from walking to another gate can equate hauling butt to another terminal wing or re-checking into another airlines counter.

6. Forced to exit baggage and check in again.

Along with airlines carrier changes, some airlines force you to do the entire check-in process again.

When I fly with China Eastern Airlines (read my review), it makes a lot of connecting flights in Shanghai, which is infamous for forcing travelers to exit baggage claim and doing the entire check-in process again.  I often need to retrieve my luggage in baggage and go upstairs to Departures to get my boarding flight ticket with another airlines.

That increases connection time, because the check-in process have a long queue and you need to account for the time going through security and immigration before connecting to your next terminal.

7. Check your airport terminal and gate before landing

Knowing your terminal and gate before landing cuts the stress of trying to find it when you land.

Download your airlines’ mobile app to see the airport gate map. Sometimes, they’ll send you texts or email messages updating you on where to go next.

You can also find an airport terminal and gate map in the back of in-flight magazines.

Another resource is download the mobile app: Gate Guru (iPhone | Android).

Pro Tip: A handy mobile hack is to text yourself your airline and flight number code (ie. HA332 or UA 379). When you receive your text, tap on it and all the flight details pop up instantly: gate changes, delays, even baggage claim info! You can easily text this to your family member or friend so they know when you’re arriving into the airport.

8. Research airport resources

Sleepinginairports.net is a site around airports and all the facilities travelers have in them. They have a breakdown list of airports across the globe, with information about each from lounges, to airport Wi-Fi, Internet access, sleeping accommodations, etc..

A handy site to know your passenger rights in the case of delays and cancellations is the DOT Travel Dashboard. This is the U.S. Department of Transportation Airlines Cancellation and Delay Dashboard, that shows passenger rights for situations like “maintenance or crew problems, cabin cleaning, baggage loading and fueling…“. It also updates you on the legal commitments each airlines has made about things like providing meal cash/vouchers for delays, rebookings, cash refunds for cancellations, etc… You can select the airlines you are flying with and it will let you know what that specific airline is committed to in compensatory damages.

My blog resources:

• A List of 32 Airports with Sleeping Pods
• List of Airlines with Free Hotels for Layovers
• Airports with Free or Cheap Layover Tours

Resources for finding your flight status:

• Download your airlines mobile app. Many send text updates about delays and gate changes. They are a MUST as they have vital up-to-date status information on your flight, airport maps, gates and terminals and transportation. 
• Use the handy mobile hack I mentioned in the last tip about texting your flight code to yourself.
• Put your flight code into a Google search bar and it will pop up the status.
• Check airport websites for cancellations and delays.
• Go to Flight Aware, Flight Radar 24, Flighty for flight status updates

Read Tips for Surviving Airport Layovers

9. Book at least 3 hours for your connection

Unless you know your route is all domestic or all international, and you know your connection terminals are in the same airport, always book at least 3 hours for your connecting flight.

International flights are tricky – if you’re connecting to a different airport or a terminal located further away,  factor in baggage claim, an entire check-in procedure, security and immigration (for international travel). 50 minutes for that type of connecting flight won’t cut it.

10. Be Strategic to Maximize your Layover

This bit of advice is for travelers looking to make the most of their layover. Airports are wonderful places of discovery. From museum exhibitions to rooftop gardens, free layover tours, free in-transit hotels and spas or showers. I like to choose my layover airports rather than a search engine assign it to me as if I were gambling.

Research your airport beforehand and follow these tips to maximize your next layover

What are things you MUST know about connecting flights? Please share this layover itinerary guide with other travelers so they can prepare for their next trip?