Are you a 1-hour or 3-hour layover kind of guy?

[ArsenX]

It’s 3 hours for me. I don’t have to be in too much rush and have enough time to stretch, visit a few or maybe a local boutique and still catch up.


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[JParm]

All my 3-hour guys - relaxation and no stress are the keys!

[Kinnakeet]

Originally Posted by JParm

All my 3-hour guys - relaxation and no stress are the keys!

I agree. We fly often and mostly get direct flights. Usually MCO/YYZ route, but otherwise a longer layover is stress free and preferred. Why hurry.

[Blansky]

I don't like stress and especially not creating my own.

I'm famous for getting everywhere I go early and sitting in my car until time to go in. My wife not so much.

As for plane connections, I think using the same airline makes connections easier because they will sometimes wait for late connectors, but who needs the stress. So for me it's always a minimum of 2 hours. But that also depends on where you are going.

Hawaii for instance has United Flights only twice a day from SF. And they are often full. So taking a chance on that is not a great idea. If there are flights every couple of hours that's a different story.

[904VT]

Unless connecting thru Atlanta usually no issues with the shorter layovers.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Depends, am I single or married?

Steven if you don’t know maybe you should seek some kind of help

[AF_Rob]

3. I grab food and a beer and walk the airport. I like the padding, in the event something holds me up.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Steven if you don’t know maybe you should seek some kind of help

Am open to suggestions

[Star Ferry]

0 hour layover guy. Only thing that sounds more painful than a commercial flight right now would be two back-to-back flights.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Depends, am I single or married?

Oh dear, the "muse" will be so dissapointed when reading this.

[dba]

Anything over an hour, I find the business class lounge or the AMEX Centurion Lounge.

[Me4u2night]

I typically fly direct. The one time I had a layover, it was 35 mins and I ran to get to my next flight. Haha

[Andy0331]

It largely depends on the airport & terminal layout. Domestically, I'd prefer 1.5-2 hours, but don't want to spend longer in the terminal that the flight itself. Internationally, 3-4 is pretty much the sweet spot if you're flying regularly (allows for a shower, food & duty free); if it's infrequent, longer layovers in the right airport can be enjoyable too.

[Fleetlord]

If I can’t get a direct flight, then I don’t go (ear issues can’t do 2 landings in 24hr or I’m in trouble)

That being said, if it’s a layover..3hrs

[69mach351]

It really depends on the airport. Anything less than about 45 minutes and I sweat it. Anything over an hour and a half and I don't care for it.

[Shmoopy]

3-4 hours would drive me nuts. The only airport I am ok with that kind of a connection is CDG, as my checked bags rarely make it onward to Nice, unless there is at least a two hour gap between the incoming flight and the departure.

[lowmandfl]

For work, probably the 1 hour to get there or home faster. Vacation, probably the 3 to relax a bit on not stress if the first flight is delayed.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by Andad

Oh dear, the "muse" will be so dissapointed when reading this.

She's wicked cool, no worries

[prnceofpersia23]

One hour layovers give me anxiety.

[AF_Rob]

My wife is taking off late from Manila and will miss her (1 hr) connection


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[Sperry]

It's been a while but a few years back, and a couple of decades back, I fairly regularly found myself in the tin tube. 99% of the time, 3-week trips even, I'd manage with a small carry-on. Buy what I need at location. And go out of my way to fly non-stop.

But for a connecting flight, 90 minutes tops. 35 minutes is fine.

[Goatrope]

When I was traveling every week for work I’d take the longer layover. I’d set up camp in the Delta Skyclub and do telecons from there.


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[zengineer]

I know...old thread...

As others have mentioned, it depends. In general, if the layover is long enough that the online site will let me book it, I will go for the least total travel time. Beyond that, there are a lot of factors to consider, especially flying international: will you need to go thru security between flights, how fast does passport control get people processed, how far apart are the gates and will you have to rely on a shuttle between terminals(not always possible to determine when booking), if I miss the connection is there a later flight?

Since most of my travel is for business, how I look at the risk depends on whether I'm going away or trying to get home.

So for me it's really about minimum travel time without excessive risk. I don't get any thrill out of sitting in the premium lounges, shopping or eating airport food.

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[Boothroyd]

In the current environment, 3 hours. It depends on the airport, too. I am assuming flying through a major hub.

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by Boothroyd

In the current environment, 3 hours. It depends on the airport, too. I am assuming flying through a major hub.

I fly Detroit DTW to Lisbon LIS frequently. On Delta that means passing thru Amsterdam AMS or Paris CDG. I can get thru AMS in either direction in as little as an hour because there is no need for security screening and they will expedite you thru passport control if you have a tight connection. Thru CDG it depends on what gates are used. Sometimes it's a short walk and just passport control, other times it is a bus ride, several elevators and lots of walking plus a security screen along with passport control. I've done it a half dozen times in the last few months and it seems almost random.

Given all that, a colleague still goes CDG because you can smoke there.

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[Easy E]

Direct in as much as possible. Flying out of ATL that's largely achievable. Other than that, it doesn't take many missed connections to put you in the 3 hour camp. That plus the Delta clubs are usually good for a snack, drink, place to make calls, wiz break, etc. That works pretty good for me.

[RyanJ]

As others have said it depends on the airport.

Direct is always first choice even if more expensive.

Depending on the time of year and weather will decide if I take a layover and in what area. I do not like to rush when I travel so I like 2 hours or so layovers if I have to have a layover.

[77T]

If a non-stop isn’t available, I consider the checked bags making the changeover more-so than me running through an airport concourse for the connecting flight.


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[Boopie]

Nonstop gal here. I absolutely hate layovers unless a absolutely necessary to get to the destination. If so I prefer short ones and don’t have any checked bags.

[JSol1]

3 for me. I did a lot of flying for work and if I can’t do direct, it’s 3…just less stress to deal with the unexpected.
We just had to make a similar choice but this is for a trip to the airport from a cruise terminal. We had a choice of 3 hours after the ship disembarks vs 4.5.
We chose the latter…in the past you could easily hop on an earlier flight if you got to the airport early, but not so much any more.