Enrichment · Passion Projects · Travel

Fifty-five minutes
is less than
it sounds.

Type the layover and the steps between the gates. The calculator shows the minutes you really have, and what a late first flight does to them.

Check my connectionWhat you get

The airport connection buffer calculator

The worked example is a 55-minute domestic connection in Denver. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Enrichment · Passion ProjectsFree

What you finish with
The minutes a connection needs, the spare time on time and after a typical delay, a verdict from comfortable to likely missed, and a table at 0 to 60 minutes late. It prints as a summary for the trip folder.
Who it is for
Travelers choosing between flights, families planning a trip with children and bags, and students flying to and from college.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Type the scheduled layover.
  2. Adjust the walk for your gates.
  3. Add security or customs if needed.
  4. Type the first flight’s usual delay.
  5. Pick a later flight if it is tight.

Check my connection

How the buffer is worked out

Every step between two gates, then the delay.

The worked example: a Denver connection to PortlandLayover55 minon the ticketNeeded42 minoff, walk, boardingOn time13 minto spare15 min late−2 minlikely missedThe worked example: a Denver connection to PortlandLayover55 minon the ticketNeeded42 minoff, walk, boardingOn time13 minto spare15 min late−2 minlikely missed
The layover minus the steps it takes is the spare time; a late first flight eats into it minute for minute.

The steps between gates

A layover starts when the first plane is scheduled to arrive and ends when the second is scheduled to leave, but boarding closes several minutes earlier. Getting off a full plane takes time, and the walk between concourses can take ten minutes or more. Leaving the secure area means screening again.

Arriving from abroad

Travelers arriving in the United States from another country clear passport control and customs at the first U.S. airport and usually collect and recheck their bags there, even with a connecting ticket. That step alone can take an hour at busy times. On separate tickets, a missed connection is usually the traveler’s problem, not the airline’s.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Transportation. Fly Rights: a consumer guide to air travel, delays and missed connections (transportation.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Airline on-time statistics and delay causes (bts.gov).
  3. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arriving in the United States: clearing customs and connecting flights (cbp.gov).
  4. Transportation Security Administration. Security screening and travel tips (tsa.gov).

An estimate from your own minutes; airports and airlines vary. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.