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Trip PlanningSection

Trip Planning

Connections, bags, fares and ground logistics

Boarding pass codes explained

Trip Planning

Boarding pass codes explained

Passengers may notice "SSSS" and a jumbled six-character code, such as "KFR48B," on their boarding pass, but to the untrained…

Carry-on size limits, measured

Trip Planning

Carry-on size limits, measured

Carry-on size limits for U.S. airlines are determined by individual carriers, measured from the outer extremities of the bag, and…

Checked bag fees, explained

Trip Planning

Checked bag fees, explained

Checked baggage fees have long mystified American travelers, who believe that the base fare they hear is the bulk of what they'll…

Minimum connection time explained

Trip Planning

Minimum connection time explained

Minimum connection time (MCT) is not a universal rule but an airport-specific, industry-approved measure published by airport…

Leaving the airport on a layover

Trip Planning

Leaving the airport on a layover

Leaving the airport on layovers exposes a sharp divide: simple gate changes and international arrivals that involve border…

Airport or off-airport car rental

Trip Planning

Airport or off-airport car rental

While aviation has been transformed by passengers increasingly looking to off-airport solutions for ground transportation…

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