Got a connecting flight? How long you really need

It’s widely assumed in the travel industry that 90 minutes is sufficient time between connecting flights, but there are occasions when that just won’t cut it, as recent experience proved.

Due to a late arrival of my ITA Airways flight from southern Italy to Rome, I missed my connecting flight to Morocco and had to spend a night in a hotel near the airport. Rerouted via Paris the following day, with just 80 minutes transfer time, once again my incoming ITA flight was late and I had a panicky race between terminals at Charles De Gaulle airport to make it just in time to catch my onward flight to Marrakesh. But for a slightly delayed departure, I would not have made that flight.

Lesson learned. There are lots of circumstances when 90 minutes is not going to be enough to make your connecting flight.

First, you need to allow for the possible late arrival of your first flight. The later in the day your first flight is scheduled to depart, the greater the likelihood of a late departure and arrival. Particularly on domestic flights, a slight delay or two earlier in the day will cause later flights to be pushed back further and further.

If you need to change terminals and that involves a long walk or a train journey, this could add 20 minutes to your transfer time. If your first flight parks at a remote location and instead of an airbridge you are bussed to the terminal, add 15 minutes to your transfer time. It’s hard to know this in advance but budget airlines are more likely to bus passengers, particularly at busy airports.

If you need to pass through immigration and security checks, add 20-to-30 minutes. Since I was exiting the Schengen Zone when I left Paris for Marrakesh, immigration was quick, but security involved a long queue.

Airlines also apply the 90-minute rule when you book a flight that involves a connection. While the airline you book with is responsible for arranging your onward flight if a late arrival causes you to miss your connecting flight, plus any hotel expenses that might involve, you need to check carefully to give yourself the best possible chance of making that onward flight.