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Why a two-hour layover is sometimes fine and sometimes reckless, and the one distinction that decides whether a missed connection is the airline's problem or yours.
A connection is where a cheap fare earns its discount. Sometimes that is a fair trade. Sometimes it is a fare that only works if nothing goes wrong, which is not a plan.
There is a real difference between a single booking with a connection and two separate tickets that happen to be on the same day.
On one booking, the airline is responsible for getting you to your final destination. Miss the second leg because the first was late, and rebooking you is their problem — usually at no cost to you.
On two separate tickets, the second airline owes you nothing. Your first flight being delayed is, as far as they are concerned, you failing to turn up. You bought a new ticket at the counter price.
Self-connecting is sometimes worth it for the saving. Just know that is what you are doing, and leave far more time than a single booking would need.
Airports publish a minimum connection time, and treat it as exactly what it is called — a minimum, calculated for everything running normally.
Add time for anything that makes your connection harder than walking between two adjacent gates:
Time of day. The last connection of the day is a gamble with no fallback — if you miss it, the next option is tomorrow. An earlier connection on the same route means the airline has somewhere to put you.
Fewer stops beats fewer minutes. One connection with three hours is usually calmer than two connections with ninety minutes each. Every extra stop is another chance for the sequence to break.
Where you connect. A hub that handles the weather it gets is different from one that shuts when it snows. If you are connecting somewhere in its difficult season, more slack is cheap insurance.
If the first leg is delayed and the connection looks tight, tell the crew before you land. On a single booking they can often flag you to the ground team, and being rebooked while still in the air is considerably better than joining a queue of two hundred people who all just found out.
Keep one change of clothes and any medication in your cabin bag. If your connection breaks, your checked bag may not arrive when you do.
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