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Layover Calculator

TravelFlights and Air Travel

Local time at the connecting airport.

Local time at the same airport.

Published by the airport; often 45–90 min, longer for international transfers.

Layover length —
Layover in minutes
—
Time beyond the minimum
—
Connection
—

A layover is the onward departure time minus the arrival time, both in the connecting airport's local time. Land at 14:50 and leave at 17:25 and the layover is 2 h 35 min; against a 60-minute minimum connection time that leaves 1 h 35 min spare. Add 24 hours for each day the departure falls later.

About this tool

Travellers comparing itineraries, booking self-transfers or planning a meal or hotel near a hub need to know exactly how long they will sit between flights. Enter the landing time of the inbound flight, the departure time of the onward flight, how many days later that departure falls, and the airport's minimum connection time. The calculator returns the layover in hours and minutes, the total in minutes, how much time you have beyond the minimum, and a plain label from too short to stopover. Both times must be local to the connecting airport, as printed on the boarding pass. It does not know taxi delays, terminal changes or passport queues, so a connection that clears the minimum on paper can still be lost to a late inbound flight.

How to use it

  1. Enter the landing time

    Type the inbound flight's scheduled arrival in 24-hour local time at the connecting airport.

  2. Enter the onward departure

    Type the next flight's departure time, also in that airport's local time.

  3. Set days later

    Use the − and + buttons if the onward flight leaves the next day or later.

  4. Check the minimum

    Enter the airport's minimum connection time and read the spare time and verdict.

Examples

Land 14:50, leave 17:25

Inbound flight lands
14:50
Onward flight departs
17:25
Departure is how many days later
0
Minimum connection time
60

Result Layover length: 2 h 35 min
Layover in minutes: 155
Time beyond the minimum: 1 h 35 min
Connection: Comfortable

  1. Arrival = 14:50 = 890 min after midnight
  2. Departure = 17:25 + 0 × 1440 = 1045 min
  3. Layover = 1045 − 890 = 155 min = 2 h 35 min
  4. Spare over minimum = 155 − 60 = 95 min

A typical afternoon hub connection with a 60-minute minimum leaves over an hour and a half to spare.

Overnight: 22:10 to 06:45 next day

Inbound flight lands
22:10
Onward flight departs
06:45
Departure is how many days later
1
Minimum connection time
90

Result Layover length: 8 h 35 min
Layover in minutes: 515
Time beyond the minimum: 7 h 05 min
Connection: Long layover

  1. Arrival = 22:10 = 1330 min after midnight
  2. Departure = 06:45 + 1 × 1440 = 1845 min
  3. Layover = 1845 − 1330 = 515 min = 8 h 35 min
  4. Spare over minimum = 515 − 90 = 425 min

Crossing midnight, the next-day departure adds 1,440 minutes before the arrival time is subtracted.

40-minute hop against a 45-minute minimum

Inbound flight lands
09:30
Onward flight departs
10:10
Departure is how many days later
0
Minimum connection time
45

Result Layover length: 0 h 40 min
Layover in minutes: 40
Time beyond the minimum: −0 h 05 min
Connection: Too short – below the minimum

  1. Arrival = 09:30 = 570 min after midnight
  2. Departure = 10:10 + 0 × 1440 = 610 min
  3. Layover = 610 − 570 = 40 min = 0 h 40 min
  4. Spare over minimum = 40 − 45 = -5 min

Five minutes short of the airport minimum, so the airline would not normally sell this as one ticket.

How it is calculated

Layover = (D + 1440 × n) − A; Spare = Layover − MCT

A
Arrival time in minutes after local midnight
D
Departure time in minutes after local midnight
n
Number of days the departure falls after the arrival
MCT
Minimum connection time in minutes

Each clock time is turned into minutes after midnight. Every extra day adds 1,440 minutes to the departure, then the arrival is subtracted. The result is shown in hours and minutes. Spare time is the layover minus the minimum connection time; a negative spare means the airline would normally refuse to sell the pair as one booking. Under 30 minutes spare is labelled tight, up to 4 hours comfortable, up to 24 hours long, and above that a stopover.

When not to use it

  • Do not use it for times given in two different time zones without converting them first.
  • It cannot predict delays, gate changes or security queue lengths.
  • It does not check visa or transit rules for leaving the airport.

Common mistakes

  • Entering the departure city's time instead of the connecting airport's local time.
  • Forgetting to set days later for a connection that crosses midnight.
  • Treating the minimum connection time as enough for a self-transfer with checked bags.

Frequently asked questions

What is a minimum connection time?

It is the shortest gap an airport and airline accept between two flights sold on one ticket. Airports publish separate figures for domestic and international transfers; a large hub might use 45 minutes domestic and 90 minutes international.

How long a layover is enough for an international transfer?

Many travellers aim for at least two hours when passport control, a terminal change or re-screening is involved. If you are on separate tickets and must re-check bags, three hours or more gives room for a late inbound flight.

What is the difference between a layover and a stopover?

Under common airline fare rules an international connection longer than 24 hours counts as a stopover, while a shorter one is a layover or transfer. Stopovers can change the fare and may require you to enter the country.

How do I handle a connection that crosses midnight?

Enter the actual clock times and set days later to 1. For example, landing at 22:10 and leaving at 06:45 the next morning gives 8 h 35 min.

Why must both times be local to the connecting airport?

Boarding passes print each time in the local zone of its own airport. At the connecting airport, the arrival and the onward departure share one zone, so subtracting them gives the real wait without any time-zone adjustment.

Can I leave the airport during a long layover?

That depends on your passport, the country's transit visa rules and whether your bags are checked through. Allow time to clear immigration in both directions and return to security well before boarding closes.

Cite this tool

Using this tool in an assignment, article or report? Copy a citation, or a link for your website.

APA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. (2026, October 19). Layover Calculator. Tools Directory. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://tools.milunir.com/travel/flights-and-air-travel/layover-calculator/

MLA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Layover Calculator.” Tools Directory, 19 Oct. 2026, https://tools.milunir.com/travel/flights-and-air-travel/layover-calculator/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Layover Calculator.” Tools Directory. Last modified October 19, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://tools.milunir.com/travel/flights-and-air-travel/layover-calculator/.

Link<a href="https://tools.milunir.com/travel/flights-and-air-travel/layover-calculator/">Layover Calculator – Tools Directory</a>