Enough time for connection? (USA)

jackieblack

Marmaduke123 wrote: »

You need at least 3 hours at busy airports. We always check if there are plenty of additional flights to our final destination, after the one we are meant to connect with.

That is broadly what I thought, but the majority of flights I was looking at don't offer 3 hours and I wasn't sure whether that was just because those particular airports are not as busy so a shorter window would be fine

jackieblack

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

whenever I've missed a connection on a 'through' ticket, I've always been sent on teh next flight with available seating.
No fuss, no drama.

However :- good planning suggests that you check how many additional flights go to your destination per day if you miss your connection. If there are flights every half hour, happy days - if your connection is the last/only flight of the day, less happy days.

Thanks, that is pretty much what I thought

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

If you want to go really anoraky, look at alternative routings to offer up if it all goes wrong.
Several years ago, I was flying MAN-ORD-LAS and the MAN-ORD flight was delayed, so I missed the ORD-LAS flight. The next flight to ORD was 7 hours away.
I suggested that we got routed via DFW and went ORD-DFW-LAS and got to LAS several hours earlier.

Great tip Happy to be as anoraky as necessary

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

For this year, coming back to the UK, I've got a 49 min connection in LAX - would I have chosen a 49 min coneection ? hell, no. But it exceeds the LAX min connection time, so if my flights delayed, they'll put me on the next one :beer:

I know on the return trip you do't have all the immigration/baggage/customs hoo-ha, but 49 minutes still seems optimistic to me Although IMO much more than 49 mins at LAX might qualify as a form of torture :rotfl:

jackieblack

torbrex wrote: »

Don't trust the airline Jackie, allow at least an hour an a half to clear immigration, the airline will tell you that it is your fault you missed the connection and bill you for another flight.

Yes, that's what concerns me, Derek

PeacefulWaters

jackieblack wrote: »

Yes, that's what concerns me, Derek

In my very limited experience of AA and BA the just shove you onto the next flight with minimal fuss.

Murphy_The_Cat

jackieblack wrote: »

I know on the return trip you do't have all the immigration/baggage/customs hoo-ha, but 49 minutes still seems optimistic to me Although IMO much more than 49 mins at LAX might qualify as a form of torture :rotfl:

My flight times have been changed 3 times (so far). Originally I had a bit more time, the 2nd time I had a lot more time and this time its cutting it a touch, cough, ahem, fine.
If it goes to plan, it looks like I'm only about 6 gates away on the same terminal hub, so its doable.

blindman

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

In my very limited experience of AA and BA the just shove you onto the next flight with minimal fuss.

True
BUT
If that next flight is full or there is no next flight that day you miss a day of your hols .
On the outbound if there is an option to choose a later flight, Say 2hrs later, IMHO I would go for that.


Inbound is different as MTC has just said, you tend to be at the same terminal just a few gates away so 40\50 minutes should suffice as baggage is tagged all the way through.

richardw

With flights to the US, I generally dislike long flights going west and prefer to get a shorter flight to say Boston, NYC, Montreal or Toronto, stay there one night and then get a flight the next morning, arriving at the hotel at check in time which is after 2pm ish.

torbrex

jackieblack wrote: »

Yes, that's what concerns me, Derek

Different airlines have different guidelines but I have always played it safe and chosen to sit in the terminal rather than risk missing the connection.
I got caught out one time with the Icelandic ash cloud, they put me on the next available flight OK but it was not until the following morning, that meant a night in a motel, a phone call to the car hire company so that they wouldn't cancel my car and a lost night in a hotel at my destination.

I have had a few scares with connecting internal flights because of delays but I've yet to miss one of them. The closest was on the return from Alaska, we landed in Phoenix late and had to dash to the next wing of the terminal but there were about 20 of us for that connection so they held the plane for us :T

jackieblack

Thanks all
Lots to consider
Are there any particular airports that are well known to be a nightmare/best avoided?

richardw

The best US immigration I've encountered is when you arrive early in the day, arrived at EWR at 8am from S America, no queues at all, arrived at 11.30am JFK BA Terminal 7 only queues from our flight.

First flights of the day from LHR seem to be to NYC and Chicago from about 8.30am.