Traveling with a lot of luggage, kids, or need to change terminals?
You may want to book that longer layover.
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Its totally natural to want to get to your vacation destination as fast as possible.
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Because the one thing that can ruin your vacation is missing the flight to get there.
Luckily, airlines and airports do have a few rules in place to try and ensure smooth connections.
However, MCTs can vary within an airport.
So, how long should a layover really be, then?
That depends on a few things.
Are your plans flexible?
According to Keyes, you should probably consider any consequences that may come with risking a short layover.
Say youre traveling to attend a wedding, work event, graduation, or the birth of a child.
Will you should probably go through additional security?
If youre making a domestic connection, odds are you wont have to go through any additional security.
However, if youre making an international one, there may be both immigration and security involved.
How good do you feel about the airline youre flying?
Do you have faith that your airline will accommodate you if youmiss your flight?
And does your first flight have a history of being on time?
Heres a little good news: its very easy to check your flights performance record.
This can help you decide if a short layover is worth it or not.
And think hard about how badly you want this trip.
Maybe waiting an extra hour and getting a coffee in your layover airport isnt so bad after all.
