Short layovers for connecting flights

[sengsational]

Thanks, everybody. You have confirmed what I already knew: Short connections = potential for trouble.

It's strange that they put you in the position of deciding if their operations are up to the task of fulfilling the product they are selling you.

Presuming you go to their site, put in your criteria, and they offer you a solution, one would expect that they are not spewing fiction, or that would be a fraudulent business practice, for which they could be challenged.

There may be marketing reasons to offer the tight connections, though. If your search specifies no more than X hours, start to finish, if they don't include the tight connection, they might not get the business.

I think "flight aware" and other sites offer historical on-time performance by flight. You might check that, and if the originating flight is reliable, then maybe risk the shorter connection.

 

[brett]

I believe that there is more to this than time to connect.

Time of day, airline, airport, weather, etc are all variables in this.

And of course.....whether you have to go through security, etc during the transfer.

 

[NW-Bound]

We will be catching a non-stop flight to Florida, then board a Transatlantic cruise. This is a red-eye flight that lands at 8AM or so. The shuttle from the airport to the cruise terminal should be around 1 hour. The ship leaves at 5-6PM. So, there should be plenty of time, a whole day practically, to transfer from plane to ship.

We will be taking the flight one day earlier, then spend one night at a hotel near the port. Don't want to miss the ship! I already pay a lot for a mini-suite for 12 nights.

 

[SecondAttempt]

You can't book a longer connection then what they offer.

Actually you generally can if you use the advanced search feature on most major airline websites. I have done it frequently to have time for meetings, breakfast, overnight stays, etc.

 

[audreyh1]

Actually you generally can if you use the advanced search feature on most major airline websites. I have done it frequently to have time for meetings, breakfast, overnight stays, etc.

Or Google Flights. If you click on “More Flights” they start showing the longer connection options. I often do this.

 

[ivinsfan]

Actually you generally can if you use the advanced search feature on most major airline websites. I have done it frequently to have time for meetings, breakfast, overnight stays, etc.

We've flown into a few smaller lightly serviced airports and no sometimes you can't. Now if you're flying MSP -SLC that's a different story... often times you aren't using a major carrier to connect to your final destination.

 

[ivinsfan]

Last Saturday, my DD and her husband were heading to Jamaica from Houston for a week's vacation. Their connection time in Miami was 40 minutes and they missed it due to the incoming flight having a weather issue and circling the airport for 10 minutes. That delay cost them a night in Miami at a cheap hotel ($300/night) and loss of one day of a paid in advance vacation.

I'm sorry that happened to them, I've never flown into Miami but I've read enough about that airport ...I wouldn't book a 40 connect.

 

[Sue J]

The last time DH and I flew to Ft Myers on Southwest we had a plane change in Atlanta, I think. Our first flight was delayed enough that I knew the connection would be tight. I made sure I used the restroom before we landed. DH didn't want to bother.

The flight attendants did ask everyone to let 8 of us disembark first. We had to sprint two or three gates over to get to the next flight and they were waiting for us. We hurried to our seats and got settled. Poor DH had to pee so bad and had to wait until we took off and got to the height where they turned off the seat belt sign!

 

[NW-Bound]

My sister and her husband just came back from a 6-week trip to Asia. They came by for a visit. Said it was crowded in Japan tourist sites. Tourists overran the popular spots in Kyoto and Tokyo.

Said she was glad she booked a flight with a 6-hour connection instead of a 2-hour to get a lower airfare, but would not have made it with the 2-hour layover. I did not ask what airport this was.

 

[NW-Bound]

The last time DH and I flew to Ft Myers on Southwest we had a plane change in Atlanta, I think. Our first flight was delayed enough that I knew the connection would be tight. I made sure I used the restroom before we landed. DH didn't want to bother.

The flight attendants did ask everyone to let 8 of us disembark first. We had to sprint two or three gates over to get to the next flight and they were waiting for us. We hurried to our seats and got settled. Poor DH had to pee so bad and had to wait until we took off and got to the height where they turned off the seat belt sign!

One learns to empty the bladder every so often, even without the urge. We all have read about some flights where the plane was kept waiting for take-off on the tarmac for several hours. Passengers were kept seated and buckled up. Some threatened to wet their pants and the seat (and might have done so ).

 

[livingalmostlarge]

I wouldn't like it but if that's the only available and the airlines allows it...i thought they don't allow booking such short connections.

 

[SecondAttempt]

It's strange that they put you in the position of deciding if their operations are up to the task of fulfilling the product they are selling you.

It's kind of an unfortunate situation we find ourselves in as consumers. Airlines are not responsible for accommodating for delays related to safety including weather. This makes sense on the surface but they have found ways to make almost any delay a safety issue. I posted previously about a 9 hour delay on a transatlantic flight because the lavatory door lock would not work and this was a safety issue. Even the flight crew was observably ticked off about this.

 

[ivinsfan]

It's kind of an unfortunate situation we find ourselves in as consumers. Airlines are not responsible for accommodating for delays related to safety including weather. This makes sense on the surface but they have found ways to make almost any delay a safety issue. I posted previously about a 9 hour delay on a transatlantic flight because the lavatory door lock would not work and this was a safety issue. Even the flight crew was observably ticked off about this.

This isn't a good example, a lock is part of a "quote" working lavatory which is certainly on the safe operating certificate required by the government. They... meaning the airline weren't inventing anything.

 

[OldShooter]

... There may be marketing reasons to offer the tight connections, though. ...

A main driver is economic: An airplane only makes money when it is flying.

This isn't a good example, a lock is part of a "quote" working lavatory which is certainly on the safe operating certificate required by the government. ...

For every type that an airline operates there is a Minimum Equipment List ("MEL") negotiated with the FAA. When there is a discrepancy, the MEL determines whether an airplane can be dispatched or not. So, somehow, the MEL was probably involved in this situation.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

OK, you've convinced me to change my December travel plans. Originally 22k FF miles for DEN-DCA with a 40 minute layover @ ORD. 3 airports that might be dealing with a winter storm....What could possibly go wrong?

So I cancelled that, spent 27k FF miles, and booked DEN-IAD direct. As someone told me, the extra expense (FF miles in this case) is cheap insurance.

 

[ivinsfan]

OK, you've convinced me to change my December travel plans. Originally 22k FF miles for DEN-DCA with a 40 minute layover @ ORD. 3 airports that might be dealing with a winter storm....What could possibly go wrong?

So I cancelled that, spent 27k FF miles, and booked DEN-IAD direct. As someone told me, the extra expense (FF miles in this case) is cheap insurance.

You had me at ORD...just no!.. My northern tier airport ratings, are MSP, DTW...ORD (I'll just stay home)...

 

[Gremlin]

You had me at ORD...just no!.. My northern tier airport ratings, are MSP, DTW...ORD (I'll just stay home)...

Me too! There are some airports I go waaaay out of my way to avoid. ORD is one of them. When I can’t, I give myself ridiculous leeway. Case in point: I am flying from ORD direct to Rome. Originally I had a four hour layover leeway. The airline shuffled their schedule ( which I understand) which left me with two hours. I redid my arrival to Chicago for the day before. I’d rather overnight there than have a 2 hr. connection for an international flight fromChicago. I paid good money for business class tickets to Rome. I don’t want to be rerouted and lose the luxury of good seats. Of course, there is never a guarantee. But you can definitely increase your odds.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have not had good experiences at Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle. But when flying to Western Europe, it's hard to avoid these two airports, particularly as you try to go non-stop from the US west coast to maximize the flight portion that you fly premium economy.

When I become less stingy and spring for business-class, I will have more choices.

 

[SecondAttempt]

This isn't a good example, a lock is part of a "quote" working lavatory which is certainly on the safe operating certificate required by the government. They... meaning the airline weren't inventing anything.

I realize that. But would it really be unsafe if someone barged in on another passenger ? I suspect the issue is that flight attendants would guard the door and that would take away from their other duties. But seriously, delaying 500 people while you fly in a mechanic because you are too cheap to contract with mechanics at major European airports and then blame it on safety. That's really pathetic.

In the end I got a couple of extra days away from work so no personal loss but the state of flying is getting really annoying!

 

[SecondAttempt]

I frequently see passengers allowing others to deboard first for tight connections, and do this all the time myself. I think it helps, but there are so many factors that create the bottleneck to a speedy exit, not just the volume of people. The problem also lies with those that are slow to deboard, like the elderly or those with physical limitations or those that are just plain clueless.

I mostly travel for leisure these days and rarely have to worry about missed connections unless I had few options. But when I used to travel a lot for business I would get very annoyed with some people. I understood the elderly lady or single moms who needed help wrangling kids and bags. I tried to help them.

It was the businessmen in coach who blocked aisles and generally behaved like idiots that bothered me. And there were a lot of them.

 

[marko]

One learns to empty the bladder every so often, even without the urge. We all have read about some flights where the plane was kept waiting for take-off on the tarmac for several hours. Passengers were kept seated and buckled up. Some threatened to wet their pants and the seat (and might have done so ).

Personally, I "depend" on another strategy just to be safe. Really.

 

[braumeister]

I frequently see passengers allowing others to deboard first for tight connections, and do this all the time myself.

I had a super tight connection last year and I was amazed at how accommodating the other pax were when I told them. Not only did they give me unimpeded access to the exit door but many of them wished me good luck with a smile. I made my connecting flight with about one minute to spare before they closed the door, so it really was critical. Just goes to prove that most people are nice if you give them a chance.

 

[Koolau]

If it's actually "important" that your luggage arrive with you, I'd have a personal minimum of 2 hours. But the 45 minute "guideline" is fairly good - if the occasional wait for luggage is okay. My personal minimum for routine checked luggage is 1 hour, but I can even change days to get the 2 hour layover I want, so not a big issue to me. We now carry everything important in our carry on OR we mail it ahead of time. 2 hours or not, we've had luggage not show up and it eventually arrived at our hotel. Good luck and YMMV.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Assuming you are staying on the same airline, and both flights are on time: 30-45 mins is doable for DFW if you know your way around. Yes it's massive, but it's well managed - the shuttles are fast and routine from A-E and back. Still, an hour is better for someone not familiar with the setup.

As far as the bags, that's their worry, not yours. But always take 24 hours of "need" in your carry on, regardless of a layover.

Old airline saying:
"There are two kinds of baggage- Carry On, and Lost.

 

[a60dan]

These days delays are common.

I’ve had 2 hour layovers become a sprint to the next flight in the larger airports.

1.5-2 hours is my target layover.

Usually first flight out is on time and unlikely to be cancelled in our home airport.

Weather is the biggest wildcard. We learned the hard way- when the airlines waive change fees, they’re very likely to cancel one of your flights. Plan accordingly.