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LAYOVER // MODEEstimates — verify visa, hours and connection rules

Layover Survival Mode

Tell the planner where you are and how long you have. It budgets the boring parts first — buffers, immigration, transit — and only then tells you whether the city is realistic.

Priorities

Estimates from editorial airport guides. Confirm visa rules, terminal transfers, airline requirements, operating hours and real-time conditions before acting.

Awaiting flight plan

Choose an airport and times, then build your plan. The planner works for 10 hub airports so far.

How it works

The maths behind the verdict

  • Arrival buffer

    45 minutes to deplane and orient, plus 30 if you change terminals and 15 for international arrivals.

  • Immigration

    Airport-specific estimate, only counted if you leave. Peak-bank queues can be longer.

  • Transit ×2

    Realistic one-way time into the city from the airport guide, doubled, plus 15 minutes each way for tickets and platforms.

  • Return buffer

    A fixed 90 minutes before departure that belongs to the airport (105 for international). Never planned away.

  • Verdict

    Under 90 minutes total: protect the connection. Under two hours of city window, or no entry eligibility: stay airside. Otherwise: leave, with an itinerary sized to your window.

Do not attempt

Separate tickets with a short gap, bags to collect and re-check on a short layover, or a city trip without confirmed entry eligibility. The planner flags these, but it cannot see your ticket — you can.