1.5-hour connection time for an international flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Sydney (SYD) through San Francisco (SFO)
My partner (Australian) and I (American) are visiting Canada and the US in October. Our last flight back home involves either a 4.5-hour layover in LAX or a 1.5-hour layover in SFO. Both options are single ticket through either Delta (LAX) or United (SFO), United being the flight with a 1.5 hr layover.
I am more than sure that the 4.5-hour layover will be overkill, as I will go through immigration quickly and he should be a bit quicker, as he will be able to use those kiosks for non-residents who have visited the US in the last 5 years (we will have just spent 2 weeks there prior). Still, 1.5 hours ins't a lot of time. My questions are:
- Are we required to go through immigration/customs for an international to international flight?
- Is 1.5 hours enough time?
Best Answer
Usually you would both have to go through immigration, since the US does not recognize the concept of sterile transit. This includes collecting and rechecking your bags. However, @ZachLipton correctly points out that YVR is a preclearance airport, meaning you will complete this in Canada before your flight to SFO.
On paper the minimum connecting time for international to domestic/intl is 80 minutes, so if you have already checked into your connecting flight and have no bags, it's technically feasible (especially with the preclearance) but uncomfortably tight. However, since you're connecting to a flight to Sydney, if you miss it you'll be stuck for a minimum of 24 hours waiting for the next one, since all flights to Australia leave around the same time. So I'd strongly encourage you to play it safe and take the 4.5 hr connection.
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Is 1.5 hour layover enough for international flight?
The recommended layover time for international flights is generally longer, as you will have to go through customs and immigration before boarding your next flight. In most cases, a 30-minute layover for domestic flights and an hour for international flights is considered a minimum, or short, layover.What is the minimum connection time for international flights?
Some international airports have a minimum connecting time as low as 30 minutes. But usually, when traveling internationally, the MCT is at least an hour. It can go up to 2 hours in large airports requiring a change of terminal.Do I have to go through customs for a connecting flight in Sydney?
For those arriving internationally and connecting to a domestic flight: You will need to clear customs and immigration, which can take upwards of an hour if busy. You will need to transfer on the airside bus, which can take ten minutes when it arrives.What is the ideal gap of time for connecting flights?
Domestic are usually 30-60 minutes. International will be longer due to immigration/customs requirements. Larger, congested airports will require a longer time than a small airport. Booking systems typically will not allow a connection below the MCT.Trip Report Air Canada 33 Vancouver to Sydney B772 (YVR to SYD)
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Answer 2
Almost all flights from Vancouver to the US go through preclearance, which means you will arrive in San Francisco as a domestic flight, without any special procedures. And departing international flights in the US are procedurally identical to departing domestic flights, as the US has no exit checks; you simply walk onto the flight from inside the terminal just like a domestic flight (sometimes gates for departing international and domestic flights are next to each other with no difference in appearance). So basically this is no different from a domestic-to-domestic connection.
Depending on which terminals your flights are arriving and departing from (you have not provided enough information to tell), you may have to leave the secured area and re-enter security. In that case, you should leave extra time for the wait in the security line. 1.5 hours is probably enough if there is no delay in the first flight, but it is cutting it close if there is any delay.
Answer 3
One more problem: SFO has a fog problem--their main runways are too close together for instrument flying rules. Visibility drops, the airport capacity gets cut in half. Generally 90 minutes is fine for a connection at SFO, but twice now (out of maybe 20 connections) I have arrived more than 90 minutes late due to fog. (The first time we just barely caught our flight, the second time I knew better and was on an earlier flight, the recommended flight landed after we were already sitting on the second plane.)
Thus I will not book a connection that short at SFO, period.
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