👋 Get My FREE Flight Search Tool That Finds Hidden Flight Deals Like This...

...Unless you enjoy paying full price on tickets!

Published on

Flight Legs: Is More Legs Better or Worse?

Authors
  • avatar
    Name
    Jonathan Chum
    Twitter
    @jchum

When you book a plane ticket, you are going to be exposed to a lot of jargon. You need to make sure you understand exactly what is happening when you arrive at the airport. One of the most common terms that you met here is something called a flight leg. What does this mean? Is this important to you? There are a few important points that you should keep in mind when we are discussing flight legs. We are going to cover:

  • What it means to have a flight leg
  • What you should do to manage the layover process between your flight legs
  • How you can figure out how many legs you go trip will have before you book your plane ticket

Throughout the years, we have flown direct, and we have had a number of connections. We would like to share with you some of the information we have learned so that you can make an educated decision the next time you book a flight ticket.

What Is the Leg of a Flight?

A leg simply refers to one flight. For example, you may be flying from New York to Hong Kong; however, you could pass through Los Angeles and Tokyo along the way. Therefore, between New York and Hong Kong, you are going to have a total of three flight legs. You will fly from New York to Los Angeles. Then, you will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo. Then, you will fly from Tokyo to Hong Kong.

In other situations, you may have a direct flight. In this case, your flight only has one leg. For example, you may be flying from Los Angeles to Sydney. Even though this is a particularly long flight, it may still be direct. Even though this flight could be 13 hours, it still only qualifies as one flight leg.

There are several reasons why you need to keep track of your flight lights. First, it lets you know how many planes you have to take to get to your final destination. That way, you can plan accordingly. You need to pay close attention because you may cross over the international date line in some situations. When you land, it may not be the day you think it is.

Second, flight lives may also be important for certain reward situations. Some airlines reward their passengers through not only miles but also flight legs. If you accumulate a certain number of legs, you may access a certain type of reward.

What Do I Do To Manage My Layovers?

If your flight has a lot of legs, you could end up facing several layovers. A layover means you have a certain amount of time between you board your next plane. Often, if you are changing legs, you have to change planes as well. Even though it is possible you may be getting back on the same plane, This is highly unlikely.

When you are booking your plane ticket, you need to pay close attention to how much time you are going to have between the legs of your flight. In general, you should allow for at least an hour to change planes. That way, you have a bit of flexibility if your incoming flight is a bit late. Furthermore, if you are seated at the back of the airplane, it may take a while for you to get off the plane. As a result, you could be in a time crunch as you are trying to make your next flight.

Finally, the biggest reason why you need to allow this much time involves the airport itself. You may not think it will take very long to get from one gate to another; however, some airports are absolutely massive. You may need to take a bus or a train to get to a different terminal in order to board your next flight. Therefore, you need to allow plenty of time so you can reach your next flight before it leaves.

How Many Legs Will My Flight Have?

Of course, you are probably wondering, how many legs will your next flight have? The answer is that it depends. The farther you are flying, the greater the chances you will have to take a connecting flight. Furthermore, if you are leaving from a relatively small airport, you may not have a lot of destinations available to you. You may have to take a plane from your airport to a larger airport before you can access your final destination. Fortunately, you should have access to all this information before you book your plane ticket.

Before you click the purchase button, you should take a look at all of the airport codes you see. Usually, the web page will display something that says “direct” or “two stops” on it. If you have stops along the way, you should be able to see airport codes next to every stop. This lets you know exactly where you are going to land before you reach your final destination. You also want to take a look at the time you will be arriving at your final destination. If this seems a bit off to you, you may want to take a look and see if you have multiple flights. That could be the reason why it is taking you longer to get to your final destination.

Learn More About Flight Legs and Connections

Even though a lot of people prefer direct flights, there are some situations where this may not be available to you. If you are trying to fly into a small airport, or if you are leaving from a small airport, your flight options could be limited. As a result, you may not have any choice except to take a connecting flight. You need to make sure you have enough time between your flight. That way, you will be able to get to your next gate without having to worry about missing your flight.