Minimum Connect Times Explained
Minimum Connect Time (MCT) is the shortest legally-permitted interval between two flights at an airport, on a single ticket, that a booking system is allowed to offer. MCTs are set per airport per carrier-pair and are published through industry data sources. During periods of sustained disruption — such as the Pakistan-India closure rerouting or Middle East advisories — published MCTs can lag operational reality.
How MCTs Are Set
Each airport's slot coordinator, in consultation with airlines, sets MCT values for airport-pair combinations: same-terminal, different-terminal, international-international, international-domestic. Values range from ~30 minutes (small domestic airports) to 90+ minutes (complex international hub transfers).
MCTs are reviewed periodically. In theory, when inbound block times routinely extend (as happens during sustained airspace disruption), MCTs at affected airports should be revised upward. In practice, revisions lag.
Why This Matters in 2026
A Delhi-London passenger with a 60-minute connection to onward Europe, booked via Mumbai, may find the 60-minute MCT no longer reflects current routing reality. The Delhi-Mumbai-London routing now takes longer per leg; arriving aircraft more frequently land late; connection margins that were comfortable in 2023 now fail more often.
Booking systems continue to offer combinations at the published MCT. Missed connections are typically protected (re-protected at carrier expense) but the experience of missing connection, queuing for re-protection, and arriving hours later is costly for passengers.
What Passengers Can Do
- ›When booking itineraries through affected hubs, deliberately choose longer connection times than the MCT.
- ›Avoid same-day final-connection to urgent events if using a route through 2026-affected airspace.
- ›Consider single-ticket itineraries over separate-ticket combinations; missed connections on single ticket are re-protected, separate tickets are not.
- ›Check the airline's app the morning of travel for schedule changes before heading to the airport.
Informational. Specific MCTs vary by airport and carrier combination. See Terms of Service.