Tight airplane crash: what to do to avoid missing your flight

A typical example of the tight airline connection: It's 2:47 p.m. and your flight lands at 3:10 p.m. and your connecting flight leaves at 3:55 p.m. Forty-five minutes to get off the plane, cross half the airport and board another flight. As you look at the clock, you realize it's not that long. In fact.

If you've ever had a situation like this happen to you, you know that feeling of your stomach shutting down. If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will happen sooner or later. Better to know what to do.

How much time is really needed

The first thing to understand is that boarding closes from the 15 to 25 minutes before takeoff effective. Real time at your disposal Is not the difference between the landing time and the departure time of the connecting flight, but the latter minus at least a quarter of an hour. In the case of the opening example, with a 45-minute window, going down to 30 or even 20 useful minutes changes everything. After that, "how much time is enough" depends on a number of variables that completely change the picture.

Airports have what is called in the jargon. MCT, Minimum Connecting Time: is the official minimum time to make a transfer between two flights at the same airport. Each airport has its own, and it also varies according to the type of connection: domestic over domestic, international over international, or the most complicated case, international over domestic with an exit from the Schengen area.

A Frankfurt, for example, the MCT may be 45 minutes for domestic flights but rise to 60 or more for intercontinental flights. A Rome Fiumicino, one of Italy's largest hubs, between distant terminals can take more than an hour. Heathrow, with its five terminals spread over miles, is a case in point With as much as 75 minutes of MCT on the same terminal and as much as 90 in case of terminal change.

But there is a much more important distinction than any MCT, and it is this: you bought the flights on the same ticket or on separate tickets? If you are on a single ticket, even issued by different airlines in codeshare, the airline is responsible for getting you to your destination. Should you miss your connection because of a delay on the first flight, they will put you back on the next available one at no extra charge. If, on the other hand, you bought two separate tickets, perhaps to save money, the problem is solely yours. No protection, no refund, no obligation on the part of the airline.

The complicating factors

Besides the time on the clock, there are some elements that can turn a theoretically feasible coincidence into a nightmare.

The first is the size of the airport and the position of the gates. In a small airport, 30 minutes is more than enough time. In a hub like Amsterdam Schiphol or Dubai, the same amount of time may not be enough if the arrival and departure gates are on opposite sides of the same terminal, let alone if they are in different terminals connected by shuttle or internal train.

The second factor is the passport control. If your first flight comes from a country outside the Schengen area, you have to factor in the immigration line. At certain times and certain airports, that line alone can eat up 20-30 minutes.

The third element is the baggage. With carry-on luggage alone you are definitely faster: get off, run, board. With a trolley shipped in the hold the matter changes, unless it is on a single ticket and is automatically transferred, which is not always guaranteed even then.

What to do before you leave

The tight air connection is handled very before getting on the first flight. When choosing your seat, if you can choose it, when checking in, always aim for a row close to the exits. Being among the first to get off can make all the difference. If you can, avoid window seats and middle seats.

Download the company's app and keep an eye on the flight status in real time. If you see that the delay is already piling up before takeoff, you have more time to think about options. Some apps automatically alert you if your connecting flight is at risk and suggest alternatives.

Before boarding your first flight, write down or save your connecting gate number. At many airports, gates are assigned late, but if you already know it, you already know which direction to run as soon as you land. And don't ship your luggage if you can avoid it-a trolley in the cabin is one less stress.

What to do if you lose it

Despite all the arrangements, sometimes things go wrong. The flight is delayed, the gate is far away, and you arrive at the connecting counter when the gate is already closed. If you're on a single ticket, you go straight to the company's counter or call customer service. They have an obligation to re-route you on the first useful flight to your final destination, at no additional cost. If the resulting delay exceeds certain thresholds, the European regulation EU261/2004 comes into play, which provides for economic compensation based on the route and the accumulated delay.

If you are on separate tickets the situation is more complicated, but not desperate. Explain the situation at the counter; sometimes they can still help you if there are seats available on the next flight, even if they don't have to. In any case, check if you have a travel policy that covers the cost of re-routing-some premium credit cards include this coverage automatically.

The final advice

Tight air connections are best approached with a cool head and the right preparation. You know your transit airport before you get there, you know where the gates are, you know how long it takes to travel there. If you are on a single ticket, you have a safety net. If you're not, next time you'll think twice before saving a few euros by separating flights.

And if you still miss your connection, remember that there is usually always a later flight. It is rarely the end of the world.