About Connections

Unless you live in a major hub city, connections are probably very common when you travel for fun or return to China. Missing a domestic flight is one thing, but missing an international flight can be a real hassle. Connection times can vary a lot depending on the itinerary (international or domestic) and the airport. Even for the same itinerary, different external factors can make the required connection time vary significantly. For an international-to-domestic connection, you usually need to wait for your bags, clear customs, transfer terminals, recheck your bags, and go through security again. Getting all of that done in an hour would already be considered pretty fast. For a domestic-to-international connection, it may be a bit easier: you may only need to change terminals and go through security again.

Below, let’s go through the different situations.

Domestic Connections Within the U.S.

Domestic connections within the U.S. usually happen when traveling from one smaller city to another through a hub. These tickets are often much cheaper than nonstop flights and may offer more schedule options. For this kind of connecting itinerary on one ticket, domestic transfers are very convenient. Checked bags are usually transferred directly to the next flight, so you do not need to pick them up after the first flight.

At this point, the main things to consider are whether the connection is in the same terminal and whether you need to go through security again. Usually, if both flights are on the same airline, they should be in the same terminal. So after getting off the plane, you are basically still in the same airline’s departure area and can just walk directly to the next gate without clearing security again. Different airlines, however, may be in different terminals at some large airports, so you need to factor in the walking or transfer distance. Some terminals are connected airside. For example, at ORD, Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are connected, which is fairly convenient. But at airports like LGA, DFW, and LAX, from what I remember, you may need to take a bus or light rail between terminals, so you need to estimate the time needed for those transfers.

Generally speaking, for a domestic-to-domestic connection, leaving about 30-60 minutes is about right. This helps account for a slight delay on the previous flight while still leaving enough time to walk calmly to the next gate. Of course, if you have an “entry pass” for lounges such as Priority Pass, you might as well leave around 1 hour to check one out and grab something to eat and drink.

An Example

For example, suppose you plan to book a Boston (BOS)-Hawaii (NHL) flight.

Go to Google and enter AA 2527 directly, and you can see this right away:

Then search for AA 5:

You can see that when connecting at DFW, you need to transfer from Terminal C to Terminal D. Of course, a 2-hour connection time is definitely fine. If you are arranging this flight for family members who do not understand English, you should first look up how to change terminals at DFW. At that point, just Google it.

Then helpful internet users will tell you to take the skyline...

Of course, if your family members do not understand English, it is best to have them call you or do a WeChat video call. Over the phone, you can listen and help confirm whether they have reached D. Last time my family connected at DFW, this is exactly what we did: listening to the letters one by one.

International Connections

Connecting After Entering the U.S.

If you are flying internationally into the U.S. and then connecting onward, for Chinese passport holders, you must take into account the time needed to enter the country, wait for bags, pick up bags, and recheck them. If you are in a sensitive academic field, you should also add another hour for secondary inspection.

  • Immigration: In general, if there are many people, immigration takes about 30-50 minutes. If several international flights arrive at the same time, plus some complicated cases, it can take quite a while.
  • Secondary inspection: If you are in a sensitive field, especially if you are a PhD, there is a real chance you may be asked to go to secondary inspection. ymlulu once experienced this: after going in, they waited half an hour before their turn, answered questions for 1 minute, and then left... That connection at LAX took three and a half hours in total.
  • Picking up bags: Usually, after clearing immigration, if you wait another 10 minutes or so, your bags will come out.
  • Clearing customs: Usually you take your customs form and luggage, line up, and clear customs. If you are selected for an inspection, it may take another 20 minutes or so.
  • Rechecking bags: If you bought a through ticket, congratulations. Airlines generally have direct bag-drop counters in the international terminal, so you can just leave your bags there. If it is not a through ticket and you bought separate tickets, then for the second domestic flight you need to pay again to check your bags. Sometimes you may even need to drag your luggage to the next terminal and handle it yourself. Estimate another 20 minutes or so.
  • Getting to the next terminal: International and domestic flights are generally in different terminals, so be sure to calculate the time needed to change terminals and leave about 30 minutes.

For example, at ORD, the time needed after arriving internationally is very unpredictable. You might run into many flights arriving together, and it is possible to wait several hours. International flights are in Terminal 5, while domestic flights are in Terminals 1, 2, and 3. They are connected by light rail, and you usually need to wait about 10 minutes. I have also entered the U.S. in Hawaii; Hawaii has an extra agriculture-related inspection, but that only adds about 5 minutes.

We recommend leaving at least 3-4 hours for the connection. For specific guides on entering the U.S. and connecting, you can read the article below:

Connections When Leaving the U.S.

Connections when leaving the U.S. are actually similar to domestic connections, because procedurally you only need to change gates or terminals. Checked bags do not need to be rechecked, and your visa does not need to be checked again. So just leave enough time to change terminals and clear security. Security for a domestic-to-international connection is usually handled directly in the transfer corridor, which is a bit different from entering from outside the airport, and there are generally fewer people. Of course, for specific advice, it is still best to check based on your own airport.

When leaving the U.S., 30-60 minutes is generally enough. If you have lounge benefits such as Priority Pass, you can leave more time, because these lounges are in the international terminal, and the food and drinks are usually much better. They basically serve three meals a day. If you arrive at 10 o’clock, you might even be able to finish breakfast and then have lunch, haha.

Connections in Other Regions

Sometimes you may find cheap China-U.S. tickets that require a connection in Hong Kong, Japan, or South Korea.

  • Connecting in Hong Kong: You do not need to pick up checked bags, leave the terminal, or go through security again. You only need to take your carry-on bags to the next gate. Hong Kong’s airport operates overnight, so even if you need to stay overnight and take a flight the next morning, there is no need to worry. However, the airport is very cold at night, so you can ask staff for a blanket in advance. Hong Kong’s airport is quite large, so it is best to leave 1-2 hours for the connection.
  • Connecting in Japan or South Korea: On flights to Japan or South Korea, you do not need to fill out an immigration declaration form. After getting off the plane, follow the transfer route (Chinese signage is available). You do not need to pick up checked bags, and do not clear immigration to enter Japan or South Korea. Before entering the next gate area, you need to go through a small security check. Just have your passport and next flight ticket ready.

Please note that if you spend the night at certain airports in Japan that do not operate overnight, you may need a pass. Staying in Japan or South Korea for more than 24 hours may also require a pass. Airport connections in Japan and South Korea are usually very fast, but it’s best to leave at least 1 hour. You can also take the opportunity to walk around; shopping is a good option too. One more thing: if your connection in Japan or South Korea is tight, there may be staff waiting for you at the jet bridge. They may even take your carry-on bag and jog with you all the way...

Connecting on Separate Tickets

There is a special case where, for various reasons, you book two separate tickets. Even if both flights are on the same airline, it still does not count as a through ticket, which means all the risk is yours. The author recently ran into this situation twice when booking international flights.

Leave Enough Time

The first time was when I accompanied my wife to Australia for a conference. At the time, I didn’t know much about miles yet, and since it had to be reimbursable, I could only consider economy class. Of course, it was a painful flight. I was originally looking at a trip from New York to Sydney (EWR-SYD) and then back from Sydney to Chicago (SYD-ORD). The fares I found were over $1,600+ (January should count as peak season). This route all connected through DFW, so I tried searching for flights from DFW-SYD and SYD-DFW-ORD, which came out to only $999. Adding a separate EWR-DFW flight for around $200 was still a bit cheaper than buying a through ticket. My approach was to leave plenty of connection time, even with an overnight layover. I left about 6 hours for the connection. Even if there were delays of several hours, I could still make the next flight. This is especially suitable for itineraries that connect a domestic flight to an international one, because buying another international ticket can easily cost you the equivalent of several credit cards’ worth of sign-up bonuses.

Call to Have Bags Checked Through

The second time was for a ticket I was about to use to fly from China to the U.S. As introduced in Virgin Atlantic award travel: a real-world case of using miles for Delta One business class awards between China and the U.S., PEK-ORD required 82,500 miles, but PEK-DTW only required 60,000 miles, and the DTW-ORD fare was around $100. To save miles, I chose the latter and bought two separate tickets. But since both flights were on Delta, after calling and asking, I was told the bags could be checked through at PEK all the way to ORD. This saved miles when ticketing, but I would have to bear the risk of the first flight being delayed. In theory, if I missed the second flight, I would have to buy a new ticket myself.

This is the segment I booked separately

I chose the first flight to go to a place very close to my final destination, meaning I planned to connect through DTW on the PEK-ORD route (another option was connecting through SEA). That way, even if I missed the DTW-ORD flight, rebooking wouldn’t be especially expensive. Since I wanted to get back to Chicago overnight, I didn’t leave a lot of connection time. If possible, it’s still better to leave more connection time, combining it with the first approach above to make things safer.

What If You Miss Your Connection?

In general, airlines use data to set a minimum connection time for each airport, called Minimum Connection Time (MCT). A through ticket must meet this minimum connection time in order to be issued. If a flight is delayed or canceled and you miss your onward flight, the airline will usually put you on the next flight. So if you book a through itinerary, you don’t have to worry about missing the flight and being unable to reach your final destination.

In addition, if you buy your ticket with a credit card that includes Trip Delay Insurance, then if your flight is delayed or canceled, you can be reimbursed by the card for various expenses incurred during the delay, including meals, lodging, transportation, and even admission tickets, usually up to $500. The delay threshold varies by card. Citi Prestige’s 3-hour delay coverage has now also been changed to 6 hours, like CSR, Barclays Arrival Plus, and others.

Summary

If you have family members who don’t understand English, or if you’re traveling with children, it’s still best to choose nonstop flights. It really eliminates so much hassle. If you really need to connect, then try to choose about 1 hour for domestic connections within the U.S. and about 3 hours for international connections, and check baggage, security, and terminal issues in advance.