Transit flight: everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. How to handle long layovers at the airport Avoid layovers on night flights

It is always better to travel in comfort; hardly anyone will argue with that. And sometimes comfort is possible where many are not even aware of it.
Those who travel a lot, especially over long distances, are often faced with the inevitability of a long layover, when they have to spend the whole day or night at the airport. But some airports and airlines offer their clients a free hotel during transit and even breakfast!
There are few such companies, and there are also certain conditions for providing the service, but if they offer it, then why not use the service.

I’ll warn you right away: keep in mind that almost all airlines provide free hotel services when connecting only if both flights are on the same itinerary receipt, i.e. as part of a linked ticket, rather than two purchased separately.
So, the most interesting hubs for traveling from Russia:

Turkish Airlines
Airport transfers and: Ataturk (IST), Istanbul

Turkish Airlines offers business class passengers with layovers over 7 hours and economy class passengers (over 10 hours) free accommodation, transfers and meals in Istanbul. The offer applies only to international flights, and provided that the duration of the connection is determined by the schedule (it is impossible to fly earlier).
If you wish, instead of accommodation, you can choose a free city tour (with a 6-24 hour connection).

Booking: Go to the Hotel Desk after customs.

Emirates
Transfer airport: Dubai (DXB)

If your flight with Emirates includes a long layover in Dubai, the airline provides free hotel accommodation, meals, transfers and visas.
The service is available for first class and business class passengers with a forced connection of 6-24 hours and for economy class passengers with a connection of 8-24 hours.
Dubai Connect may be offered in other circumstances. Depending on the date of booking the tickets, the fare, the selected flight from the point of departure and the first available flight Additional rules may apply from the docking point.

Booking: Pre-registration required at least 24 hours before flight departure to Dubai, subject to availability.

Qatar Airways
Transfer airport: Hamad (DOH), Doha

For transit passengers with a long connection in international airport Hamad (Doha) Qatar Airways provides services for hotel accommodation, entry visa, transfer and meals.
This service is only available if there is an emergency connection (no other Qatar Airways flights with a connection less than 8 hours) and if the airport transit time is between 8 and 24 hours. Not provided if departure or arrival is from the following cities: Abu Dhabi (AUH), Bahrain (BAH), Dubai (DXB), Dubai (DWC), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT), Ras Al Khaimah ( RKT) and Sharjah (SHJ).

Booking: either at least 72 hours before departure, or directly at the airport.

Air China
Transfer airports: Beijing (PEK), Chengdu (CTU), Dalian (DLC), Hangzhou (HGH), Shanghai (SHA or PVG)

Air China provides passengers with an overnight layover of less than 24 hours a 24-hour shuttle to the hotel, breakfast and comfortable rooms. The offer applies to both international and domestic flights, and operates at five airports.
This offer is not valid for the following categories of tickets and passengers:
- tickets whose starting numbers are not 999
- combined flights
- tickets for unaccompanied children
- tickets purchased in exchange for miles
- passengers with a free ticket

Booking: on the website or at the airport; Passengers departing on overnight flights who have booked an Air China transit hotel in Beijing can find the Air China transit service counter at Gate B on the 2nd floor of the terminal.

China Southern
Transfer airport: Guangzhou (CAN)

Passengers on China Southern flights connecting to Guangzhou will now be able to enjoy one night's free accommodation at a variety of hotels, including five-star hotels.
The benefit applies to passengers traveling on China Southern or codeshare flights.
Connection time:
- connection without an overnight stay of 8 hours or more (6 hours or more for routes Australia, New Zealand, London);
- connection with overnight stay 8 - 48 hours.
Free accommodation is not available for heavily discounted economy class tickets, tickets purchased using miles or free staff tickets.

Booking: On the official website (6 months and up to 24 hours before arrival in Guangzhou) or at the airport transit counter.

Royal Air Maroc
Transfer airport: Mohammed V Airport (CMN), Casablanca

If you are traveling to Africa, North America, Brazil and Cape Verde on Royal Air Maroc's own flights with a transfer in Casablanca of more than 8 hours, the airline provides hotel accommodation for no more than one night. There is a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel. If the layover is 4-8 hours, then you will be taken to the lounge and fed.
Hotel accommodation is only provided if there is no earlier flight to your destination.

Booking: early booking hotel is not possible, to receive a voucher for accommodation you must contact the Services d’hebergement/Accomodation desk, presenting a printout electronic ticket, which indicates the route.

It's no secret that flights are not always direct. Very often passengers have to fly from one country to another with a transfer in a third country: for example, in January 2018 we flew from to ours in this way hometown Samara with a transfer at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul

We go to any air ticket search service, for example, Skyskanner and enter the desired direction. For example, we are looking for tickets from Tbilisi to Samara. Enter the departure date, departure and arrival cities and click “Search”. We see several options for flights with a connection in Istanbul, we choose the most suitable one: so that the transfer is a day and as long as possible:

It is worth knowing that Pegasus airline planes arrive at Sabiha Gokcen Airport (and then fly out from there), and Turkish Airlines planes arrive at Ataturk Airport. In fact, the only difference is in the time it takes to get to the city center: from Ataturk you can get there in just half an hour (from there the metro goes to the city), while it will take an hour and a half to travel from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to the city (depending on traffic jams). We talked about how to get to the center of Istanbul from Sabiha Airport. Therefore, if you are flying with Pegasus, we recommend choosing longer connections. (UPD from April 2019: Ataturk Airport in Istanbul was closed, and instead, the world's largest airport far from the city), so getting to the center of Istanbul has now become more difficult.

What you can see in Istanbul during a layover

If your transfer takes place in Ataturk airport and you arrived on Turkish Airlines, then you are very lucky. Because in this case you are entitled to a free city tour (we will talk about it in detail in the next paragraph).

If you arrived in Sabiha airport and want to arrange a city tour on your own, it is important to calculate the time accurately. You need to allow 3 hours for the road from the airport to the city and back (read our article about that), plus another hour to check in for the next flight. In total, you need to subtract 4 hours from the transfer time. You can devote the remaining time to a walk around the city. If you did not fly with Turkish Airlines, then the plan self-guided tour may be the same as described below, but the journey from and to the airport will need to allow 2 hours instead of 4.

All the main attractions of Istanbul are close to each other, so it should take no more than 2 hours to explore them. This is subject to only an external inspection of the places, because you can inspect the Topkapi Palace alone with a harem inside for 2-3 hours:

Pierre Loti Hill and view of Istanbul

And if you want to see the best sights not only of Istanbul, but of all of Turkey, we recommend visiting. There you can enjoy the best creations of man and nature that exist on the territory of the Turkish state.

If your layover is in Istanbul, and it’s too cold to walk around the city for so long, we recommend visiting several non-trivial places where you can warm up and have an interesting time:

Free tours of Istanbul for transit passengers from Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airline transit passengers are entitled to a free city tour.

By the way, this airline also provides its transit passengers with a free hotel when transferring in Istanbul for more than 10 hours (for economy class passengers) or 7 hours (for business class passengers). This service is only available if your airline does not have a flight to your desired destination for 10 hours. If there is a flight, but you did not choose it (for example, because it was more expensive), then you will be provided with a hotel.

But let's get back to free excursion. It is provided to all transit passengers whose transfer in Istanbul is no less than 6 hours and no more than 24 hours. Your flight must be international and all segments of the flight must be operated by Turkish Airlines. And one more thing: the transfer must be during the day; no excursions are conducted at night.

To book an excursion, you need to go through passport and customs control on the Hotel Desk (it is located near the Starbucks cafe). You must register for the tour no later than 30 minutes before it starts.

Total Turkish Airlines They offer 5 types of city tours:

Tour 1. Time from 8:30 to 11:00. The tour includes visits to the following attractions:

• Yedikule Fortress,
• Old Armenian Quarter Samatya (Old Samatya Armanian District),
• Walls of Constantinople,
• Eminonu district,
• photo stop on the Galata Bridge (10 minutes),
• Dolmabahce Palace (20 minutes of free time are given for external inspection),
• Taksim Square,
• Galata Tower,
• Golden Horn Bay,
• Aqueduct of Valens,
• Yenikapı port.

Tour 2. Time from 09:00 to 15:00. The tour includes free breakfast and lunch. Attractions:

• Blue Mosque,
• Topkapi Palace,
• Hippodrome Square,
• German fountain,
• snake column,
• Obelisk of Theodosius.

In addition to the excursion itself, the tourist package includes entry tickets to the museum and food.

Tour 3. Time 09:00 to 18:00.

Everything is the same as in tour 2, plus the Basiliqua Cistern and the Grand Bazaar.

Tour 4. Time from 12:00 to 18:00. Lunch is included in the tour.

What attractions does this include:

• hill and cafe Pierre Loti
• Sultan Eyup Mosque and Eyup Square
• Byzantine city walls
• burials of the sahabah in Ayvansaray
• Vlaheran Church of the Virgin Mary
• walk through the Jewish quarter of Balat
• St. Stephen's Church
• Ahrid Synagogue
• Greek Orthodox School "Great School of the Nation"
• Constantinople Orthodox Church

Tour 5. Time from 16:00 to 21:00.

The excursion includes only external sightseeing:

• Yenikapı port,
• Beyazet Square,
• University,
• Beyazet Tower,
• Old book market
• Grand Bazaar,
• Chorlulu Ali Pasha Mosque,
• Tomb of Mahmud II,
• Column of Constantine,
• Hippodrome Square,
• German fountain,
• Egyptian obelisk,
• snake column,
• Obelisk of Theodosius,
• Blue Mosque,
• Saint Sophia Cathedral.

After visiting these attractions, guests will have dinner and return to the airport.

All excursions are conducted in English.

There are unsuccessful connections when there is no point in going to the city, but you want to sleep. The flight may be delayed or cancelled. Plus, if you travel regularly, staying overnight at the airport can save you hundreds of dollars.

Can you sleep at all airports?

To be honest, you can’t sleep in any. But some airports are lenient with sleepers, while others close at night. It is better to clarify the operating hours of the airport where you may have to spend the night.

Is it safe?

Not really. An airport is not a train station, but there are also plenty of thieves, scammers and people with unclean intentions. It is best to sleep where surveillance cameras are installed, or contact airport security, they will tell you a safe place.

And I'm worried about my luggage. How to protect it?

Hide small items, money and documents under clothes. handcuff to an arm or leg. We're serious. Toy ones will do.

What will be useful if I decide to spend the night at the airport?

• Air mattress or mattress, headrest. Airport seats are not designed for sleeping; you will most likely feel uncomfortable lying on them. Please note that in many airports, employees are especially unfriendly towards sleeping on the floor; resort to this method in the most extreme cases.
• Sweater (or blanket), wear a T-shirt under it. It is difficult to predict what temperature will be inside the airport where you will spend the whole night. Prepare for heat and cold.
• Earplugs or headphones. There is no need for boarding announcements and conversations from neighbors in the waiting room to disturb your sleep.
• Water and cookies. At night, most shops and cafes close. The remaining coffee shops can charge such a price that an overnight stay in a hotel with dinner included will be cheaper.
• Book. You may find it difficult to fall asleep in a new and not very peaceful environment. The book will help pass the time.
• Tee. There are few chargers at airports, and there may not be enough for everyone. In order not to wait for a colleague at an overnight stay to charge all his equipment, invite him to charge together using a tee.
• Wet wipes. There is a lot at the airport. And dragging with all your luggage to the washstand before dinner is not entirely convenient.
• Cash and credit card. You need to anticipate situations in which an airport employee will demand a bribe to go to the toilet or you will have to pay for Wi-Fi.

How to behave?

The rules are simple. Do not disturb others, do not make noise, do not attract unnecessary attention to yourself and try to behave as appropriately as possible. Having allowed you to spend the night at the airport, its employees have already met you halfway. Respect their kindness. If the airport workers are not very enthusiastic about your idea of ​​spending the night in the terminal, try to placate them - it works.

Will I sleep through the plane?

Quite possible. Write on a piece of paper a request to wake you up before departure, indicating the time (preferably in English). Typically, airport visitors are willing to wake up travelers. But it’s better to additionally insure yourself with an alarm clock.

What to do if you can’t spend the night at the airport?

If sleeping at the airport is not possible, here are the simplest options: rent a hotel room or a place in a hostel near the airport. In some countries, it is cheaper to rent a car for a day and sleep in the parking lot. Some airports offer sleeping boxes right in the terminals. Always have a backup plan. Spending the night at the airport is far from a 100% reliable undertaking.

Although a flight with a transfer is less comfortable than a direct flight, the ticket is always cheaper. If waiting a few hours in the waiting room is not a problem for you, it is better to agree to such a comparative inconvenience as a transfer at the airport, but the money saved can then be spent on buying souvenirs or visiting a couple of additional attractions. We will tell you how a flight with a transfer works, and also give some useful recommendations.

The essence of an air transfer is simple: from the starting point you fly to a transit point, and after some time (it can range from a couple of hours to several days) you go directly to your destination. Moreover, it is interesting that geographically the transfer point may not be located along the route between points A and B, but somewhere off to the side. Also be careful when booking: the cheapest routes usually include up to several transfers.

Flight with transfer – more cheap way get to your destination

It is better to avoid a route that involves a transfer of less than an hour, especially at large airports with several terminals. Firstly, travel to air transport largely depends on a lot of third-party factors: weather, wind direction and speed, the work of dispatchers in the end, and so on. A flight delay is a common occurrence, so you simply may not be able to catch the second flight, and airlines, as a rule, in such cases (since they are considered to be the fault of the passenger) do not refund money for the ticket. Secondly, if the airport consists of several terminals, you may not have time to get to the desired gate, especially if it is located in another building. The optimal time for a safe transfer is 2.5-3 hours.

Please read the information about your flight carefully. You should not assume that transfers from plane to plane always take place at the same airport. Situations often occur, mostly in Europe and Asia, when you arrive at one airport, and a second plane takes off from another. It is noteworthy that such transfers usually take longer, but the road does not take into account possible traffic jams or the time required to wait for public transport. In addition, in this case, you will have to pick up your luggage yourself and check it back at another airport.

Note! You must have time to re-check in for a new flight and check in your luggage a maximum of 40 minutes before the departure time of the plane.

If you have a long transfer at night, consider in advance where you will spend your waiting hours. Not every airport, namely in the transit zone, has hotels for passengers, especially if the terminal is small. Most likely, after spending the whole night on a chair in the waiting room, you will never want to fly with a transfer again in your life, especially with one like this. If a transfer is unavoidable, make sure you get a visa in advance so you can leave the airport and spend the night in a hotel or hostel.

To avoid having to spend the night in the waiting room, worry about your visa in advance

Please check in advance if you need transit visa, how to register it, how much it costs. It is much better to spend time usefully than wandering aimlessly around the airport or surfing the Internet via the airport Wi-Fi. If time permits, go on a tour or just walk around the city.

How to get out into the city if you are flying with a transfer?

Many passengers are concerned about the following question: “Is it possible to leave the airport during a transfer?” Of course, no one can oppress your rights. And if you take care of a transit visa in advance (in those countries for which it must be obtained in advance), you will be able to easily get to know the city.

To avoid ending up in an offensive situation, start preparing for your flight in advance. Do the following:

• Check to see if a transit visa is required in the country where you will be transferring.
• Study the airport map and the city map, make a route. For example: first you will pick up your luggage at this place (if provided), then leave it in the storage room here, affix your visa Here(in those countries where it does not need to be opened in advance), go to bus stop here and then explore these sights and return to such and such time back to the airport.

If you have a long layover, use this opportunity to get to know the city

In countries such as Türkiye or Egypt, there are no problems with obtaining a transit visa. You just need to go to the required window with the “Visa” sign, pay the tariff and give your passport for stamping.

Note! If you have a layover (and in some cases there are more than one) in Canada, the United States or Schengen countries, a transit visa must be issued in advance at the embassy of the country where you will have a layover.

If you choose an indirect flight, this means that you will have to fly with a transfer. For those who are still afraid of transplants or don’t know everything about them, I’ll try to sort them out.

If you're on a connecting flight, you're moving from city A to city B, landing in a completely different city on the way to point B. In this case, you get off the plane, enter the airport, and then board another plane. Naturally, the total flight time when flying with a transfer increases. But the ticket, as a rule, becomes cheaper.

And it is simply impossible to get to some places in this world without a transfer. Therefore, if you are going to fly on planes at all, you should know as much as possible about transfers in advance.

A "transfer" may also be called a "Connection" or a "Transfer" (rarely a "Transit"). In addition, at every airport in the world there will be an inscription in English, by which you can understand where you need to go to get a connection, and not accidentally leave the airport - look for the inscriptions “Transfer” or “Flight Transfers” or “Flight Connections” or "Connecting Flights" (or rarely - "Transit").

Once again about terminology.

A transfer is a change of board during a flight from one point to another using 2 or more flight legs.

What is flight leverage?

A flight leg is a part of a route carried out without the aircraft landing. Accordingly, if your ticket has only 1 leg, it is a direct flight. If 2 or more, then you are flying with a transfer (after all, the plane lands and you get off the plane).

Important points about transfers:

1. Transfer within one terminal of one airport.

Everything is simple here. For example, you arrive at Sheremetyevo Airport (Terminal F) and depart from Sheremetyevo (Terminal F). In this case, everything will be easy and simple. After getting off the plane, you will need to follow the "Transfer" signs and the like.

These signs will take you either to the general departure hall or to a special area for transit passengers. There you will need to find a board/screen that shows flight departure times, flight numbers and gates. Next, go to the desired gate (you found the gate number on the board/screen) and wait to board your flight.

This type of transplant takes the least amount of time.

You should find out whether the transfer takes place at the same airport/terminal either when purchasing an air ticket, or find it in the form of the air ticket issued to you. If the departure terminal is not indicated on the ticket, during the day before departure you will need to go to the website of the airport where the transfer is made and look at the arrivals and departures board (or enter the flight number). Of course, both flights need to be checked. Because you must make sure that the arrival of one flight and the departure of another flight takes place in the same terminal.

If your transfer takes place in a small city/airport, then most likely there is only 1 terminal at this airport. Such airports are, for example, in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn.

*small and cozy Tallinn airport

But there are pitfalls here too. There are small airports without a transit area. For example, the same Tallinn airport.

This means that if you are flying from Russia via Tallinn to visa-free country, you still need a Schengen visa, since immediately upon leaving the plane you will have to go through customs control.

This is neither good nor bad. Simply, if you do not have a transit country visa, when purchasing an air ticket you need to check at which airport the transfer is taking place and whether there is a transit zone there. Such information for any airport can be easily found on the Internet.

2. Transfers occur in different terminals and even different airports

Things get more complicated if you find out that the ticket at the airport or arrival and departure terminal in the city of your transfer shows different values.

Let's take Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport as a first example:

In Moscow Sheremetyevo you can arrive, for example, at Terminal F, and fly out from Terminal D. They seem to be different terminals, but when you go to the airport website and look at the official airport diagram, you will immediately understand that no problems will arise. In this case, the terminals, although different, are located in the same place, are one group of buildings and are interconnected. Therefore, in this case, you will simply have to spend some time walking from one terminal to another. And, most likely, you will have to go through security again.

But if you arrive, for example, at Terminal C, and depart from Terminal D, then everything becomes more complicated. As you can see from the diagram, the terminals are located on different sides of the runway, which means that you will need to somehow get from one terminal to another. And this will no longer be just an easy walk.

I would like to note right away that there are quite a few airports in the world where you have to travel from one terminal to another by public transport or taxi.

In the case of Sheremetyevo Airport, a bus runs from Terminal C to Terminal F every half hour. It takes 10-20 minutes. That is, you need to budget at least 2 hours for such a transfer.

At some airports, such as Frankfurt am Main, a mini-train runs on a monorail between terminals. In any case, different terminals mean that, firstly, you need to find out how to get from one terminal to another (this information can be easily found on the airport website or on various forums), and secondly, that your transfer should last at least couple of hours.

But that's not all.

Things are even more fun if your transfer involves a change of airport.

For example, again, it’s easy to take the Moscow aviation hub, which contains as many as 3 major airports. And all are located on different sides of Moscow. If you arrive in Vnukovo, and your next flight is from Domodedovo, then your transfer time should be at least 4 hours. In general, this will not create any additional problems for you. Only time costs. If you are a citizen of Russia.

But again, if you are a citizen of Russia, and your transfer at different airports will take place in another country. This is a good reason to check the visa rules of a given country.

Let's imagine that you are flying from Moscow to Rio de Janeiro with a transfer in Frankfurt. If the transfer takes place within this airport, then you do not need any visas.

Now let’s imagine that you wanted to save money and found chip flights in Rio with a transfer in Madrid, and suddenly it turned out that you were arriving at Girona - Costa Brava airport, located 90 kilometers from Barcelona, ​​and flying to Rio from El Prat Barcelona airport. This means not only that you will have to travel about 100 km for the transfer (which, by the way, is very easy to do, in just 2 hours with one bus transfer), but also that you will have to obtain a Schengen visa for such a transfer. And this can both neutralize your savings and complicate your trip due to the need to obtain a visa.

Google can easily find routes from one airport to another by public transport:

If you already have a visa, then there are no problems.

By the way, about the airport "El Prat Barcelona".

Even if you have a transfer only within this one airport, but in different terminals... you will still have to get a visa, since the terminals of this airport are located on opposite sides of the runway (almost like in Sheremetyevo) and are connected to each other free of charge by bus. This means that you will have to leave the airport, which means step onto Spanish soil, which is the territory of the Schengen agreement :) So again you need a Schengen visa.

It is possible that in these examples everything seems complicated. And yet, everything is much simpler. I'm looking at different examples. In your situation, you will only need to check one air ticket. Preferably before purchasing :) And if you are satisfied with the transfer conditions, buy a ticket. Or choose another ticket.

If a difficult transfer is found in an already purchased ticket, we simply look at what needs to be done for such a transfer, find on the Internet how to get from one point to another and voila! :) Everything is simpler than it seems. And in any case, such situations are always easily resolved. Although it requires additional body movements, I don’t deny it :)

But independent travel initially requires your body movements :) That’s why it turns out cheaper and more interesting!

In addition, transfers at different airports are not always difficult and hard.

After all, such a transplant could be the beginning of a good thing or. In the same example about Girona and Barcelona - for some it will be an exhausting transfer, but for others it may be 2 additional wonderful Spanish cities on the way to Brazil. It all depends on your tastes and wishes.

3.Boarding pass

Almost always, at the check-in counter at the very first airport of departure, you will be immediately checked in for the rest of your route and given boarding passes for all flights.

You may not be checked in for onward flights if your connection lasts longer than 24 hours. If a child is flying with you without a seat, you may also not be checked in for further flights. If you bought two separate tickets, if the transfer takes place in different terminals or different airports, you may also be checked in only for the first flight.

That doesn’t stop you from going through online check-in yourself for each flight separately. If this cannot be done, then there is no problem. Just go to the check-in counter at your departure airport after your transfer and check in as usual! That's all :)

Yes, it's that simple.

By the way, some budget airlines do not sell transfer tickets even for their own flights. That is, they can only sell 2 separate tickets. This is what WizzAir does, for example, when it flies from Moscow to Hungary. And they also do not provide transit halls. That is, their tickets must be used to cross the border in any case, present a Schengen visa and check in again for the second flight at the check-in counter. Even if you fly through Budapest to visa-free Georgia.

If you are not flying with a budget company and have a transfer within the same terminal or at a small airport, but you are still checked in only for the first flight, then during the transfer go to any airport employee, to the information desk or to the transit/transfer passenger counter - and there You will be issued a boarding pass.

Everything is simple here.

4. Transfer time.

Even if you are not going to organize for yourself or, you still need to be attentive to the transfer time.
Taking into account the above, your transfer may sometimes require collecting your luggage and checking it in again, or moving from one terminal to another. In this case, you may not have enough time if the transfer lasts only 30 minutes or even an hour and a half. And if the transfer involves changing the airport, then, as I already wrote, the transfer may take several hours.

But even if you don’t need to pick up anything, and you don’t need to change the terminal or airport, surprises may still await you :)

For example, at Dubai International Airport (DXB) I walked from one gate to another for about an hour :))) This was very unexpected. I could not even imagine that the airport could be SO gigantic. It’s good that my transfer took several hours! It turned out that on the way there we were simply unlucky with the departure of the arriving plane and the departure of the departing plane from the transfer. They ended up at different ends of a huge airport, built in the shape of a long sausage :)

This is what the airport looks like:

On the way back the transfer was only 45 minutes. And I thought that everything was lost :) As a result, on the way back, they didn’t even take us off the plane! We just sat and waited for 45 minutes until the plane was refueled and additional passengers were brought on board. Apparently, the airline knew that we would not have time to change planes during the transfer :) In general, also look carefully at the size of the airports when choosing long transfers.

In Tallinn, for example, I managed to change trains in half an hour, taking into account passport control :)

5. It varies. Lateness and delays.

However, in the same Tallinn I had a 20-minute transfer. And I didn't have time anymore :)

But my ticket was sold for both flight legs of the same airline - in this case, Estonian Air. And both flight legs were sold as part of a single ticket. This means that the airline is responsible for my connection, and if I don’t make it in time, then by law they... must come up with something to solve the current situation :) I was checked in for the next flight in the same direction, departing 2 hours later , and were given a food voucher worth 10 euros.

There are different coupons, for example:

Photo sources: vm.ru and ru-travel.lj.ru

If I was flying in the evening, and the next flight was only in the morning, then I would be provided with a hotel. These are the rules in the European Union.

If you have a short layover in a non-EU country and you're worried you might miss it, then before (or after) purchasing, look for something like "[Country] flight delay policies." All countries in the world should have regulations describing the behavior of airlines in such cases.

In general, if one company sold you a single ticket with a short connection, and you did not have time to change seats during this time, then you must be transferred to the next flight and this is considered as a flight delay due to the fault of the airline.

If you bought two separate tickets, then you are responsible for the transfer yourself. This means that if you don’t make it in time, you will have to buy a new ticket at your own expense.

If you bought one ticket, and at the same time two flight legs are carried out different airlines, then there are already discrepancies here.

How do you know if the airline is responsible for the transfer or if all the risks are on you?

This is the most hidden information on the Internet, but I’ll tell you especially for you. It's actually simple:

The airline under whose code the ticket was issued is responsible. If the codes are different, then the responsibility is on you.

Airlines can be completely different, but at the same time they can be part of the same aviation alliance and there can be a special codeshare agreement between them. This means that they can fly on different flights under the code of the airline that sold the ticket (even if in fact the flight is operated by another airline).

As an example, I found a copy of a real ticket on the Internet. Here is an example of such a ticket:

Three airlines are participating! FlyBe, FinnAir, Bangkok Airways - as many as 2 transfers in each direction.

But pay attention to the Flight column - “AY ****” is written everywhere there. "AY" is the airline code. In this example, FinnAir is responsible for all connections and flights.

If the codes were different, then the responsibility would already lie with the passenger. For example, the first flight would have code SU2401, and the next one AY2502 - then the connection between these flights would be your concern.

6. Other

At the very beginning I wrote: "... so that you do not accidentally leave the airport." So, if you accidentally did not make a transfer, but left the airport, then do not despair.

Firstly, if you cannot leave the airport for visa reasons, then they will not let you out :) In this case, they will politely tell you where to go to get to the transfer.

If you have a visa and you can go out... and at the same time you went out, but didn’t want to... then you can always and easily come back with a ticket or boarding pass. You just need to go through security again.

7. Transfers with visas.

Not everywhere you can make a transfer without thinking about anything.

For example, in Australia, the USA or Canada, in order to make a transfer even at airports with a transit zone, you still need to get a visa! Yes, they even have a special transit visa for these cases. And for such a visa you also need to collect documents and spend money on its registration.

Take into account such nuances and always check whether the transit country requires a transit visa.

On the other hand, in some countries where you need to obtain a visa, you can not only make visa-free transit at the airport (as in EU countries with airports that have a transit zone), but you can even get the right to free visa-free transit for 2-3 days!

Such rules for visa-free 2- or 3-day transit exist, for example, in many major cities China and Singapore. Thus, when flying through them to a third country, you can visit new places completely free of charge and without any hassles. But in such cases, it is transit somewhere further that is taken into account. If the ticket is round-trip, for example, Moscow-Singapore-Moscow, then you will no longer be allowed in without a visa.

About baggage on transfers I'll tell you separately. Otherwise there is already too much information for one article :)

If you have questions, objections or additions, I will be glad to see them in the comments. Your comments will be especially useful if I made a mistake somewhere. Yes, I'm not perfect :)

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So you don't miss my next travel articles. - Press