Check This Out Before You Book an International Flight!

Hair flying, bags flailing, arms reaching out, stressed and sweating, running down the concourse to desperately catch your flight… No, I am not describing a Bollywood scene where the hero runs helter-skelter in the airport to meet his heroine in a typical melodramatic scene. Talk about drama, and I guess we get our own share of it in real life. As we book an international trip, more than the anticipation and excitement of an international holiday, we are bogged down by the anxiety of connecting flights. A peaceful international flight experience might seem a rarity but is not quite impossible. All you need to ensure is that you give yourself enough time to make your connection. You might want to consider these points before making your next international flight booking.

• It is advisable to keep your bookings on one airline if possible. Most airlines are much more careful about their own passenger than they will be about others. This is especially when it comes to holding planes for connecting flights arriving late, getting baggage transferred, etc.
• Every airline adheres to an apportioned timeframe required to make a connecting flight, which is called the minimum connecting flight (MCT). This timeframe may vary from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the airline and airport being transited. The MCT will already be factored in with all flight schedules, in accordance with possible flight delays, time taken to transit terminals, immigration, etc. But MCT does not pay heed to other factors such as severe weather delays, long queues in customs and immigration and air traffic delays, to name a few. Hence, never try to make a reservation that underestimates the MCT and the traffic at the airport or else ensure that you’ve got a pair of really good running shoes!
• Be well informed about temporary airport issues and climatic conditions. Ask you travel agent or research online. During summers, thunderstorms in Chicago, New York and Dallas in the late afternoon are quite frequent that may delay flights. Clouds, fog and snow are a deterrent factor during winters.
• The day and time of your travelling can also make a big difference. Midweek flights usually have enough backup space, but weekend summer flights are packed. Hence, you’ll have to bear the penalty of spending lots of time at the airport, in case you miss your connecting flight while the other flights are packed.

As per the Official Airline Guide, the minimum connecting times for Air India are:

Also, some minimum connecting times at international airports around the world:

Information provided above may vary with flight operations evolving with time. Please check before booking.