METHODOLOGY
How LayoverScore\u2122 Works
One number per city. It answers a single question: is this stop worth your hours? We score 1,000 cities across four dimensions, then weight them to reflect how travelers actually use layover time.
Transit Time
The gap between landing and departure is not usable time. It is gate time minus transit time. We calculate door-to-downtown for each airport using real transit options: rail, express bus, or taxi with traffic. A 4-hour layover in PTY gives you roughly 90 minutes in the city. A 4-hour layover in JFK gives you less. Transit time is the single biggest variable in whether a layover is worth taking.
Visa Access
A city with a perfect discover score is worth zero if you cannot legally leave the airport. We check visa-free access, visa-on-arrival availability, and transit without visa (TWOV) programs for US passport holders. Visa-free means full points. Visa-on-arrival means partial. Visa required means a steep penalty, because arranging a transit visa days in advance defeats the point of a spontaneous stop.
Things to Do
We pull POI density from OpenStreetMap within a 3km radius of the most accessible neighborhood for that airport. Restaurants, museums, parks, markets, and cultural sites all count. We also factor in 24-hour availability, because many layovers run overnight. A city with a dense walkable core scores high. A city where everything is spread across a 45-minute drive scores lower.
Stress Score
This is the dimension most guides ignore. Stress measures re-entry friction: passport control wait times, immigration unpredictability, wayfinding quality, and the airport's track record for on-time departures. A high stress score means a good discover score is partly negated. Lagos has a high stress score. Changi has a very low one. Nairobi sits in the middle, which is why we recommend a minimum of 8 hours there.
Where the data comes from
Transit time data comes from IATA route schedules and published transit authority timetables. Visa access data pulls from government visa databases and is updated when policy changes. POI counts come from OpenStreetMap with quarterly refresh cycles. Airport performance data tracks on-time departure rates from the last 12 months of IATA statistics.
Scores are versioned. When the weighting model changes, all 1,000 city scores are recalculated at once so comparisons stay valid across the database.
Common questions
Can I see a city's full score?
Yes. Every scored city has a dedicated page at layover.ing/layover/[IATA]. You'll see the breakdown across all four dimensions, the recommended minimum layover time, and what to do if you have 4, 8, or 16 hours.
What does a score of 75 mean?
A score of 75 or above means the stop is worth making for most US travelers with a standard itinerary. Under 50 means the tradeoffs are real: slow transit, limited access, or high stress. Everything between 50 and 74 depends on how much time you have and your tolerance for friction.
How often are scores updated?
We update scores when significant variables change: a new airport rail connection opens, a visa policy shifts, or a major transit disruption creates sustained impact. Routine data refresh runs quarterly. Visa policy updates run within days of a confirmed change.
Is this only for US passport holders?
The current visa dimension defaults to US passport access. We're building multi-passport support. If you're traveling on another passport, the transit time, things to do, and stress dimensions are accurate. Check visa requirements directly before leaving the airport.
The score is a compass. It compresses research into a number so you can make a booking decision in 10 minutes instead of five tabs.
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