How do I check whether I need to change terminals during an airport connection?

Check each flight separately. Note the airport, flight number, operating airline, and any arrival or departure terminal shown in your itinerary or boarding information. Compare the first flight’s arrival terminal with the next flight’s departure terminal. If either is missing, treat it as unconfirmed rather than assuming both flights use the same place.

Then consult the airport’s official website or map for connection directions between the terminals shown. Make sure the directions apply to your connection. A connection may involve changing terminals or additional airport procedures, so follow airport signs and allow extra time. [S1]

For a partner-operated flight, American Airlines directs travelers to the operating airline for current departure times, gates, and delays. [S1] Flight details can change, so a terminal listing you checked earlier may not settle where to go on travel day.

Have the airport name, connection date, flight numbers, operating airlines, and any confirmed arrival and departure terminals ready. If a terminal has not been provided, say so. Check that the airport directions address your kind of connection; do not infer the route from terminal names alone.

For example, suppose a placeholder itinerary says:

1. Flight [AB123] arrives at [Terminal A].
2. Flight [CD456] departs from [Terminal B].
3. The airport’s official connection page gives directions for transfers between those terminals.

This example shows what to verify; it does not establish a route at any real airport. If the directions do not answer your question, ask the airport or airline: “For [date], arriving on [flight] at [terminal, if confirmed] and departing on [flight] from [terminal, if confirmed], which official transfer directions should I follow?”

Recheck flight information with the airline operating each flight. For a partner-operated flight, American Airlines directs travelers to that airline for current departure times, gates, and delays. [S1] If you are checking an American Airlines trip, its app provides flight updates and airport maps; American says its mobile boarding pass reflects gate-information changes. This does not guarantee terminal or transfer details for every airport, airline, or itinerary. [S2]

At the airport, follow current signs and staff instructions rather than an old screenshot. If updated information leaves the route unclear, ask airport staff or the airline where to go next. The flight-information tools described here do not identify the right transfer route for an unspecified airport and itinerary.

Keep track of what is confirmed and what is not. Save the airport’s relevant official directions and contact the airport or operating airlines with your connection date and both flight numbers. Ask how to confirm the current terminals and which directions apply to connecting passengers. Allow for the possibility of a transfer, but do not treat a guessed route or transfer time as an official estimate.

You could keep a note like this: “Connection at [airport] on [date]. Flight one: [number], operated by [airline], arrival terminal [confirmed / not confirmed]. Flight two: [number], operated by [airline], departure terminal [confirmed / not confirmed]. Official directions checked: [page or map name]. Still need to confirm: [question].” Update it when you get reliable new information.