Bulgaria returned to standard time on 25 October, with clocks moving from 04:00 back to 03:00. The extra hour changes the relationship between local clock time and UTC, which matters when comparing departures, arrivals and connections across borders.
Read each leg in its local time
Airline itineraries generally display departures and arrivals in the local time of the respective airport. A traveller should therefore compare the date and location as well as the numbers on the ticket. A change in the time difference between two countries can make a connection appear different without changing the actual journey duration.
Confirm the current booking
Before leaving, open the carrier’s current booking or app and check the flight number, departure date, terminal and local departure time. Do the same for any connecting service. A screenshot saved before an airline update may not show the latest information.
Devices and overnight journeys
Automatic time-zone settings can help, but a phone set manually may retain the old offset. For an overnight train, bus or flight, the carrier’s timetable and instructions remain the relevant reference. A repeated hour during the clock change is a reason to verify the booking rather than independently add or subtract an hour from it.
A practical seasonal check
This guide does not announce a cancellation, a network-wide delay or a new airport restriction. It explains a routine travel risk on the morning of the time change: mixing local times, time zones and an outdated device clock.
