What is minimum connection time — the airport-and-airline legal minimum between flights on one ticket, why booking engines respect it, and when you should add your own buffer.
What is minimum connection time?
Minimum connection time (MCT) is the shortest interval an airport and airline pairing officially allows for a same-ticket connection — below which a through itinerary should not be sold.
MCT is built from terminal layouts, security re-clearance rules, customs lines and historical taxi times. Domestic-to-domestic minimums are often shorter than international-to-international or international-to-domestic. Booking engines that sell a single ticket are supposed to honour MCT; separate tickets ignore it entirely.
Legal minimum is not comfort minimum. A 50-minute international MCT can be lawful yet miserable if your inbound aircraft parks remote and the next gate is in another terminal. Add personal buffer for checked bags, mobility needs, first-time airports and winter irregular operations. Layover tactics: airport layover survival guide.
Same-ticket connections that meet MCT are usually protected connections. Separate tickets are self-transfers even if the clock looks fine. airport maps and airline MCT exceptions for renovation periods.
When an airport publishes different MCT for online versus interline connections, trust the stricter figure if your ticket mixes carriers. Terminal-change connections at large hubs deserve an extra 30–45 minutes beyond the legal floor even when the engine sells the itinerary. Travellers with reduced mobility should request assistance when booking so the airline plans the tighter legal link rather than leaving you to sprint.
How should travellers use MCT when planning?
Treat MCT as a floor, not a target: book at or above it on one ticket for protection, then add time if you need immigration, a terminal change or stress-free walking pace.
Example: Heathrow or Schiphol international-to-international might show a tight legal minimum that works when you are airside with hand luggage and both flights on one alliance ticket. The same clock fails if you must collect bags and re-check on a self-transfer. Codeshare quirks: what is a codeshare.
If a legal connection is missed on one ticket, rebooking duties and possible compensation paths start from protected connection and flight delay compensation rights. care vs cash rules for your route.