Which airports have the most missed connections?

There’s a particular kind of stress that comes with a connecting flight. Even when you’ve given yourself plenty of time to transfer, just a short delay and suddenly it’s a close call when you realize your gate is on the other side of the terminal — or another terminal altogether.

A missed flight can really throw off your entire trip, so as summer approaches, we’re taking a look at the airports that have the most missed connections, so that travelers can fly as prepared as possible.

Index:

• What counts as a connecting flight?

• What causes missed connections?

• Our data and the Missed Connection Score

• What's the minimum airport connection time?

• Which airports have the most missed connections?

• How to avoid missing a connection

• What to do when you miss a connecting flight

We've considered both connecting and self-connecting flights in our score. But it's important to understand the the distinction between the two, as it affects your rights!

When an airline offers you a connecting flight as part of a single journey, you’ll be issued one booking reference and be checked into all flights at once — and your luggage will usually be transferred to your next flight automatically. Airlines will only suggest connecting flights that include a reasonable transfer window, and they are somewhat responsible for helping you catch your second flight.

However, when you book two separate flights, with two separate booking references, that’s considered a self connecting flight — even if both flights are with the same airline. You are solely responsible for ensuring you’ve left adequate time to transfer, and the airline is not responsible if you miss your flight, even if it is due to a delay on their part.

There are many ways to miss a connecting flight — it’s more common than you think! You might underestimate the size of the airport you need to navigate through, overestimate your ability to speedwalk with a suitcase in tow, or simply get distracted browsing in the airport bookshop — it happens.

Often, missed connections are due to delayed incoming flights, and passengers are left with a much smaller window of time to make their second flight. While delays are usually beyond the airport’s control, poor design or unclear signage can slow passengers down, too.

At AirHelp, we work with a large amount of flight disruption data. We see the claims passengers submit, the flights that went wrong, and the connections that were lost as a result. So we decided to take a closer look at that data to turn it into something useful for travelers.

Here's how our Missed Connection Score works. First, we identified the airports that appeared most often as connecting points in our data — places where passengers were transiting between flights across Europe, the US and Brazil. Then we looked at how frequently those passengers reported a missed connection at each airport. By comparing the total number of connections to the number that were missed, we arrived at a score for each one.

The lower the score, the higher the chance of a missed connection.

Airports and external databases offer guidelines on how much buffer time to allow between flights using Minimum Connection Times (MCTs), and connecting flights booked with the airline should always include ample connecting time.

As well as the missed connection score, we've also included the minimum connection times for each airport, sourced from minimumconnectiontime.com.

These connection times are the minimum for an organised connecting flight. If you have booked two separate flights for a self connecting flight, you need to allow even more time, especially if you need to collect and re-check in luggage.

Bergamo, Dallas/Fort Worth, Frankfurt, São Paulo Guarulhos, and Philadelphia all feature at the top of the list. These are major international hubs where travelers frequently connect between flights. If your journey routes you through any of these airports, we'd recommend building in more buffer time than the recommended minimum — especially on international routes.

Ranked by Missed Connection Score.
Missed Connection Score: AirHelp internal data. Lower score = more missed connections. Based on passengers who reported a flight disruption. Minimum connection times: sourced from minimumconnectiontime.com.

• Dom: domestic flight

• Intl: international flight

• –: not available

If you’re changing through Florianópolis Hercílio Luz, Tallinn, Santa Genoveva, Indianapolis, or Peretola airports, you’re far more likely to make your second flight without an issue. These airports scored best based on our data, and that’s likely due to numerous factors — smaller or better-designed airports, more generous Minimum Connection Times, and, of course, fewer delayed incoming flights all make it easier for passengers to get to their gate on time.

Ranked by Missed Connection Score.
Missed Connection Score: AirHelp internal data. Higher score = fewer missed connections. Based on passengers who reported a flight disruption. Minimum connection times: sourced from minimumconnectiontime.com.

• Dom: domestic flight

• Intl: international flight

• –: not available

You can find the full results for all 196 airports we looked at here.

Even with all the insights in the world, there’s no guaranteed way to prevent a missed connection — sometimes things just go wrong. But you can still reduce the risk and the stress by being prepared before you fly.

Do your research

Before you fly, check out the airport you’ll be connecting through. Will you be arriving and departing from the same terminal? Does the airport offer a transit system to get around? Have you checked the Minimum Connection Times database or the airport’s website for a guideline on how much transfer time you’ll need? Knowledge is power, as they say.

Give yourself more time than you need

Airlines will always take the Minimum Connection Time into account when your journey includes a connection, but you still may wish to err on the side of caution when choosing your connecting flight and give yourself a generous transfer window. Even if your flights are right on time, it’s nice to travel at a more leisurely pace or grab a bite to eat in between your journeys.

Track your flights with the AirHelp app

Flight tracking apps are a game-changer for travelers. The free AirHelp app monitors your journey in real time, alerting you to delays, gate changes, and disruptions as they happen. If your incoming flight is running late, you'll know early — so you can skip the duty-free shopping and get straight to your next gate.

Even with the best planning, a missed connection can sometimes be unavoidable. Here’s what to know when it happens.

Know that you have rights

There are protections in place for passengers who miss their connecting flights where the airline is to responsible. Naturally, the airline is not to blame if you lose track of time in the gift shop. However, if your first flight was delayed, leaving you with less than the recommended connection time, you may be entitled to compensation.

Exactly what you’re entitled to depends on a few factors, and we’ve compiled everything you need to know in our handy Air Passenger Rights Guide — it’s just been updated for 2026, and it’s free to download.

Claim your compensation

Check whether your disrupted journey qualifies for compensation. It only takes 2 minutes to find out if you’re eligible with our free compensation check, and you could receive up to €600. We handle the whole claim on your behalf — including any back-and-forth with the airline — on a no-win, no-fee basis. You have up to 3 years to make a claim, so even if your disrupted trip was a while ago, it's well worth checking.

Protect yourself for future trips

If you travel regularly, an AirHelp+ membership means you're automatically covered every time you fly. Get quick €200 payouts for missed connections, lounge access when you're stuck at the airport, and a range of other perks — so the next time something goes wrong, you're already sorted. It's the easiest way to make sure a missed connection doesn't leave you out of pocket.

Why share this at all? Because knowledge helps. If you're booking a trip with a connection, knowing which airports have seen more missed connections in our data can help you build in a little more buffer time than recommended to enjoy a smoother and more relaxed travel experience overall.