Why the clock on the ticket lies a little
A 60-minute layover inside a single small terminal is comfortable. The same 60 minutes with a terminal change, a security re-screen, or an immigration line attached can be genuinely risky. The useful measure is not minutes but minutes-minus-obstacles.
A rough working scale
Under 75 minutes is tight and best reserved for same-terminal, no-recheck connections. 75 to 150 minutes is comfortable for most domestic-style connections. Above three hours starts to open up real options — a proper meal, a shower, even a short rest — rather than just getting from one gate to the next.
What changes the math
Switching terminals, clearing customs, rechecking bags, and unfamiliar airport layouts all eat into a layover faster than distance alone suggests. A short connection in a terminal you already know behaves nothing like the same connection in one you've never seen.
Questions people ask
Is a one-hour layover ever a bad idea?
It depends entirely on the terminal layout — within one terminal it is often fine, across terminals with a security recheck it gets risky fast.
What should I do first during a long layover?
Confirm your next gate and any terminal change before doing anything else, so the rest of the wait is genuinely free time rather than a countdown you forgot about.