Quick layover: how not to miss your connection

What to prepare before disembarking

If seat assignment is still flexible, choosing a row close to the exit on the first flight allows you to gain precious minutes during disembarkation. Before landing, it's also worth checking on the airline app or onboard maps where the gate of the next flight is located relative to your arrival gate, already identifying the shortest route to follow without searching the terminal boards.

Checked baggage through to final destination

If the suitcase was checked through to the final destination, you should not claim it or re-board it at the connection: this is a check to make at check-in, because with a connection under two hours, retrieving and re-boarding baggage from the hold is often impossible. Keep instead within reach, in an outer pocket, travel document and boarding pass for the next flight to avoid wasting precious time at control points.

Who to ask for help if time is tight

Alerting the flight attendant to a risky connection before landing often allows activation of coordination with ground staff: priority disembarkation, an agent accompanying you to the next gate, or in some airports, rapid transport between terminals.

If the connection is missed anyway

When the delay is attributable to the airline, the passenger has the right to rebooking on the first available flight to the same destination, even with a different airline, plus assistance provided by the European regulation in case of prolonged wait. Knowing what to do in the first minutes after seeing the gate close prevents wasting more time: here are the concrete steps to follow.

Before you even disembark, open the airline app instead of looking for terminal monitors: it's almost always the fastest way to find the updated gate of your next flight.