We recommend at least 2½ hours for a comfortable connection at Jose Marti International. The minimum connection time is 75 minutes for domestic flights and 105 minutes for international flights. Transit between terminals takes up to 40 minutes.

Domestic-to-Domestic: 75 min. Domestic-to-International: 120 min. International-to-Domestic: 120 min. International-to-International: 105 min. These are the shortest layovers airlines will sell at Jose Marti International.

Havana's Jose Marti International is built for origin-and-destination traffic, not connections — there is no sterile international transit area, so virtually every passenger must clear Cuban immigration and customs before reaching any onward flight. Add in physically separate terminal buildings that require a taxi or shuttle ride between them, and connecting here is slow, manual, and unpredictable rather than a streamlined hub experience. Terminals 1, 2, and 3 sit several kilometers apart on the airport property and are not linked by any airside walkway or people mover, so transferring passengers must exit, find a taxi or the infrequent shuttle bus, and re-enter through landside processing at the next terminal. Because Cuba has no dedicated international-to-international transit corridor, even passengers staying within Terminal 3 must pass through immigration and customs before rechecking in for their next flight.

Still far below what's needed to clear customs and reach another terminal. See full 30 min guide →

Too tight given HAV's lack of airside transit and the need for full entry processing. See full 45 min guide →

Below the domestic-domestic minimum connecting time due to mandatory processing steps. See full 1 hr guide →

Workable only for domestic-to-domestic transfers within the same terminal with no delays. See full 1¼ hr guide →

Feasible for a same-terminal international-to-international connection if immigration lines are short. See full 1½ hr guide →

Sufficient for most single-terminal transfers, but cross-terminal connections remain risky. See full 2 hr guide →

Comfortable for clearing immigration, collecting bags, and taking a taxi between terminals if needed. See full 2½ hr guide →

Ample buffer for HAV's manual processes and inter-terminal ground transport. See full 3 hr guide →

Very safe margin, accounting for slow immigration lines, taxi availability, and recheck-in at any terminal. See full 4 hr guide →