Understanding Direct, Nonstop and Connecting flights

We have increasingly found that many of our clients seem to confuse direct and nonstop flights and consequently, use the terms interchangeably.  Connecting flights seem to present a conundrum as well.  With the exciting news that Kenya Airways will be launching direct flights to the United States in March 2018, I will help you understand what direct, nonstop and connecting flights means as well as give you the best tips on which flights may work best for your individual travel.   

By definition, a direct flight should be a flight that takes you from point A, to be B without stopping.  But this is not always so.  A direct flight will make at least one stop on the way to your final stop. On this one top, the plane will pick up more passengers and drop off some passengers as well.  Just like a bus! The difference with direct flights is that the flight has only one flight number on it, which is where the confusion lies.  For example, if you are flying from Nairobi to Malindi on Air Kenya, your travel agent may send to you a booking that will look like this:

Date             From           To               Departure Time       Arrival Time
15-Dec       Wilson       Malindi                2.00pm                4.05pm
21-Dec        Malindi     Wilson                 4.25pm                5.35pm
AirKenya Fare inclusive of all taxes: Kshs. 23,890 

This flight booking shows a direct flight sequence from Nairobi to Malindi.  What your travel agent will not see is that this flight has a 30-minute stopover in Lamu.  The stop-over is only indicated once the final ticket – with one flight number - for the flight is issued to the passenger.   Due to this stop, a direct flight will add more time to your total travel time.
Here is another example.  If you are flying from Nairobi to Cape Town on Kenya Airways, a booking from your travel agent will look like this:

Date              From                   To                             Departure Time             Arrival Time
22-Dec        Nairobi               Cape Town          07.30am                             13.45pm
27-Dec        Cape Town       Nairobi                  14.35pm                              22.20pm
Kenya Airways Fare inclusive of all taxes: $ 1,089 

But what you will not see is that the flight will have a 50-minute stopover in Livingstone Zambia, on the way and on return.  The exciting thing about this particular flight Kenya Airways flight is that you can choose to holiday in two exotic destination (Victoria Falls and Cape town) with a much more affordable flight ticket!  For an individual, imagine just how much you would save on this particular flight while taking your holiday, but if traveling as a family, the savings would be pretty hefty! And this is how your holiday flight booking would look like if you were to holiday in these two exotic destinations:

Date              From                         To                            Departure  Time        Arrival Time
22-Dec        Nairobi                    Livingston           07.30am                         9.45am
24-Dec        Livingstone          Cape town          10.35am                          1.45pm
27-Dec        Cape Town            Nairobi                 14.35pm                          22.20pm
Fare inclusive of all taxes: $ 1,338 – Kenya Airways

Let us now define nonstop flights.  A nonstop flight is a flight that takes you to your destination with no stops in between.  For business travelers, these are the best flights simply because they are the fastest.  Because of this convenience, the fastest flights are usually much more expensive.  Direct flights usually cost much less than nonstop flights.  In a case where you find that the fare for a direct flight and a nonstop flight are the same, then you are would be hard pressed not to take the nonstop flight to save yourself a longer trip duration – unless you enjoy long plane journeys!

Whereas direct flights have one flight number, connecting flights will have different flight numbers to denote the different planes that you will need to take to reach your final destination. For example, the current flights to the United States from Nairobi involve a first flight to Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa or West Africa where you would get off the plane.  You would then need to board another plane with a different flight number for the onward flight to eventually connect to the united states.  Connecting flights are almost always the cheapest flights.  A longer trip duration and an adventurous spirit is all you need to find yourself a flight that will most certainly beat all the others.  But, connecting flights are not the best flights for business travelers who value their time. When checking in your luggage for connecting flights, the airline representative will ask you if you would want your luggage checked in through to your final destination.  You will also receive a boarding pass for both flights at check-in which ensures that all you have to do is find your boarding gate at the connecting airport.  Your bags will follow.  

Due to flight delays and or drastic weather changes, the journey with connecting flights is not always smooth.  We therefore take measures to ensure that you have a slightly longer layover to take care of any eventualities.  The longer layover ensures that you have adequate time to get from one terminal to another.  Often, connections mean landing from one terminal and then having to take a train, bus or long walk to board your flight at another terminal.  When booking your connecting flights, we will always avoid to tickets and instead, we will always ensure that you have a single ticket on one airline or an alliance.  If your departure flight is delayed, then flying with one airline or an alliance gives you an advantage in that, the staff will ensure that you get onto the next connecting flights at no extra charge to you.    

And when it comes to today’s airports, a traveler has a choice of a number special lounges that are filled with amenities to help you go through a long layover.  You will find airport lounges that offer massage, yoga, Wi-Fi and meals at affordable rates to passengers in transit.  If you are flying business class, access to the airline’s business lounge is free.  Connecting flights are also good for families traveling with small children.  The layover gives the family a break and allows the kids to play and stretch their legs because most airports now offer play areas for kids. 

 Connecting flights are not always bad.  There are some long Layovers on international flights that will allow you to spend a night in that country and the airline will usually cover the cost of your visa, hotel and perhaps a small tour of the stop over city. Turkish and Qatar airlines are the airlines with some of the best stop-over/in transit hotels. 

​Whenever possible, taking this connecting flight is one of the best ways to have a short break in between your business travels!


Wanjiru Catherine. 
The Author is the Founder and CEO of Saffara Ltd ​

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