Will you make the boat from the airport?
Your flight lands close to the boat time and you want to know how tight it really is.
This planner adds your travel time to your arrival time and compares it with the boat time you were given. It shows how many minutes you have to spare and whether the connection is comfortable, tight or short. It never invents a timetable.
For the thinking behind the buffers, read how the jetty connection planner sets its buffers. If your flight is the worry, see checking a flight against a boat cut-off.
How do I use the planner?
Have your flight or drive details and the boat time from the operator ready.
- Enter your arrival time: when the flight lands or the drive ends.
- Enter the minutes from arrival to the jetty, including bags, road and parking.
- Enter the buffer you want before boarding.
- Enter the boat departure time you were given, and the last boat if you know it.
- Press “Check my connection”.
Practical implication: be honest about the minutes to the jetty, because a short guess is the most common reason a connection fails.
How is the result worked out?
The tool adds the minutes to your arrival time to get the time you reach the jetty. It subtracts that from the boat time to get the spare minutes.
If the spare minutes are below your buffer, the result is “not enough buffer”. If they are within 30 minutes above your buffer, it is “tight”. Otherwise it is “comfortable”. If the boat leaves before you arrive, the tool says so plainly.
What does it not know?
It does not know boat times, delays, sea conditions or queue lengths. Some reports give a rough picture, such as speedboats from Kuala Besut running from about 07:00 to 08:00 until about 17:00 to 17:30,[1] but those are secondary reports and can change. The operator’s written time is the one to use.
See also how early to arrive at the jetty for the questions to ask.
A worked example (hypothetical)
These times are made up to show the sum. They are not a real timetable.
Say a flight lands at 10:30, the trip to the jetty takes 90 minutes, and you want a 45 minute buffer. You would reach the jetty at 12:00. If your operator gave you a 13:00 boat, you have 60 minutes to spare. That is above the 45 minute buffer but under 75, so the planner calls it tight.
A 14:00 boat leaves 120 minutes to spare, which reads as comfortable. A 12:30 boat leaves 30, which is not enough.
What should I do with the result?
If it is tight or short, ask the operator about a later boat or an overnight option. Our guide on what to do if you miss the last boat is worth reading before you travel.
A better fit if your boat time is already fixed. If it is not, the cost calculator or shortlist matcher is a better first step.
Common questions
Does the planner know the boat timetable?
No. You type the boat time your operator gave you. Boat times change with the season, tide, weather and operator, and a timetable we invented would be worse than none. Confirm the departure time in writing before you rely on this result.
What counts as comfortable?
We call a connection comfortable when you reach the jetty with your own buffer plus at least 30 minutes spare. Under that it is tight, and below your buffer it is not enough. This is our planning rule, and you can change the buffer to suit your group.
How long should my buffer be?
It depends on your group, bags, check-in and ticket counters. Families with toddlers or older parents often want more. Ask the operator when they want you at the jetty, and use that time plus extra for road delays.
What if the result says not enough?
Look at a later boat, an earlier arrival, or a night on the mainland. Ask the operator about the last boat and what happens if you miss it. A planner cannot promise a connection, so keep a backup in mind.
Sources
- FerryScanner (accessed 2026-10-16)