Indirect flight 45 min connection time

[Barbie5]

We have indirect flights booked, however we had a letter to say our inbound flight had changed now instead of having 1 hour 15 mins connection time, its down to 45 mins, i know if you miss the flight they will put you on the next one however the flight is the only one to the UK.

I phoned the agent and she said we should make it, she said the flight i was originally booked on was no longer going, the only other flight they offered was going out in the morning with just over a 5 hour wait in New York so not sure what to do.

Thanks

Chris

 

[chmurf]

where is your layover ?
you mentionned New York, but is that EWR, JFK or LaGuardia ?

45 minutes is tight. And the airport you're connecting at might make a difference.
If you have to go to another terminal it might eat up all of your time.

Most travelers are not comfortable with a connection that's under 60 minutes.

Do not attempt this connection IF you travel with 2 separate carriers. For example if you have 2 separate tickets.
If you're on the same ticket/same carrier, if you miss your connection you'll be booked onto the next flight. If not it's your loss.

I have a 61 minutes layover in PHL in november and I consider it to be a bare minimum (I even think it's gonna be insufficient and I'm trying to get this changed)

You can attempt this itinerary if you manage to be seated at the front of the plane, to deplane as fast as possible.
If you have mobility problems or need to gate check a stroller, it probably won't be enough time (might as well put it as checked baggage)
But I also wouldn't want to check baggages at all, as if your plane is late, and even if you manage to run like hell and catch the next plane, your suitcases might not follow. To be on the safe side I would go with carry-on only

With kids it might be painful (depending on the airport, terminals and how much walking/running is involved)

Anyway, if the airline says it's a legal connection then it must be possible to get that flight.

Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud, it's because I face the same kind of question.

Also make sure that there is no fee linked to any flight change.
Changing to the 45mins flight connection was free because your initial flight was discontinued, but now if you have a non refundable/non exchangable ticket, it might be another story. Just ask your TA

45 minutes is real tight
but 5 hours in New-York is a nightmare ...

 

[GirlDreamer]

It could work as long as your first flight isn't delayed. I've traveled from the US with less layover time than that and made it fine. Don't remember which airport it was from though. But as you're traveling out of the states you don't need to get your bagage and check them in again, you just run from one flight to another.

 

[Helen B]

If the flights are with the same carrier you should be ok, unless there is a massive delay in your first flight.

My parents were once travelling back to Manchester from Phoenix, via Philadelphia and I was tracking the flights, as I was due to pick them up from the airport. Their flight from Phoenix was delayed due to storms in Philadelphia, and actually landed after the flight to Manchester should have taken off (I didn't actually know they'd made the connection until I picked them up.) As the flight was with the same airline, they held the flight in Philadelphia so that the passengers on the Phoenix flight made their connections. They got bumped up to first class so they got off the plane first, but also had to change terminal, there was a trolley waiting to transport them to the gate. I was impressed by the service they got, but the most amazing thing was that their luggage made it as well.

If you are not comfortable with a short layover, as I can imagine you don't want to be stuck in New York overnight, can they change you onto an earlier domestic flight so that you get a bit longer in case of any problems?

 

[Barbie5]

thank you for the replies,

the terminal is EWR and have been told by a few people that have done this route thate the gates are close by - its a united flight (well was continental).

I think i will take the chance we have seats close to the front think we are in row 25, worse can happen we would have an overnight stay in newyork 9wouldnt mind seeing a few sights.

Chris

 

[The Eighth Dwarf]

45 minutes is tight but if the flights in time you should be ok, EWR is Newark right ?
We flew with Continental / United for the last 2 years and our return connection was about 60 minutes but immigration is in Orlando so all you do is step off one plane and on to another, in fact last year we got off the Orlando flight only to get back on the same plane to take us to Belfast. So it worked quite well.
As long as the the 2 flights are in the same terminal then I don't think there's too much to worry about.

 

[2Tiggies]

We did this flight last year and our outbound from MCO was delayed severely due to bad weather. We ended up being put onto another flight but still got to EWR over an hour after out international flight should have departed. They actually held the flight for us (much to our dismay after spending a few hours planning our bonus extra night in a hotel )

Prior to doing this route I had read report on here of others having had similar experiences.

I don't know how anxious you get about flights and the prospect of missing one and I am sure this is significant; I really don't fret it at all as they will get us home and if it's not due to our own error, it shouldn't be at our own expense. As long as I can GET to MCO with no/minimal delays I am happy. I know not everyone shares this view however.

I wouldn't worry about it in any event. Their customer care was ouststanding from start to finish

 

[WiganTony]

Not sure of the date of your return flights, but have a look at this site for details of all flights between MCO and EWR.

For a random date in August this year, it is showing a number of flights operated under a United flight number, so depending on your travel dates, there may be alternative flights which avoid a 5 hour wait.

MCO - 6:00a EWR C 8:40a 2h 40m UA 1190 738 MTWTF*S
MCO - 8:00a EWR A 10:34a 2h 34m B6 0520 320 MTWTFSS
MCO - 8:00a EWR C 10:40a 2h 40m UA 1137 752 MTWTFS*
MCO - 9:45a EWR C 12:25p 2h 40m UA 0275 752 M**TF**
MCO - 10:20a EWR A 12:58p 2h 38m B6 0522 320 MTWTFSS
MCO - 10:50a EWR C 1:35p 2h 45m UA 1263 739 *TWTF**
MCO - 11:56a EWR C 2:41p 2h 45m UA 1260 738 MTWTF**
MCO - 1:45p EWR A 4:34p 2h 49m B6 0526 320 MTWTFSS
MCO - 3:15p EWR C 6:16p 3h 01m UA 0036 752 MTWTF*S
MCO - 5:03p EWR C 8:04p 3h 01m UA 0076 752 MTWTFSS

It may be that the flights shown as UA are operated by another carrier as a codeshare and are not appearing for your TA.

If something more suitable does come up, I would press the travel agent to get you rebooked at no additional charge - alternatively, it's always worth giving the airline's Customer Services department a call or e-mail to see if they can assist.