Can we run fast enough to make connection?

[cdntowdw]

Our return flight from MCO to BUF has a plane change in Charlotte. We get in at 6:37 p.m. (if on time) and leave at 7:10 p.m. Will we be able to make it to our second leg plane on time, and do you think our luggage will as well? Will they hold the departing flight for us if our incoming flight is late? There will be myself, DH and DS's 6 & 9. We will try to have as little carryon as possible. The 7:10 flight is the last one out of Charlotte bound for Buffalo that day. I'm more than a little concerned about this short lay-over but wanted to opt for as late a flight as possible to stay for more of the Disney Magic. Do we need to practice our sprinting

 

[hercamore]

boy I don't think that's enough time. If your flight from orlando is even l0 min. late. that's that. No, they don't hold the next flight for you. I will never fly in the evening out of Orlando because tstorms always seem to delay flights.

 

[GoldenOldie]

Last flights out of the night are always tricky at any time of the year, twice as much so going to Buffalo!

I have found in my personal experience that the airline involved (I'm guessing USAir since you're connecting in Charlotte) knows exactly how many passengers are connecting to each flight, where those flights are coming from, and whether any of them will be late and by how much. I have seen them hold planes at the gate for 15 minutes past scheduled departure on a last flight out to allow a late arriving flight to deplane and make their connection. In practice they may have even held some longer but I can't verify that.

My impression of USAir in CLT is pretty good overall. I like it much better than connecting in PIT.

 

[travelcoupons]

Charlotte is a pretty compact airport, but that isn't much time. Seems like it takes at least 10 minutes or more to de-plane. There is always the possibity that your CLT-BUF plane could be delayed getting into Charlotte (like my flight was) and you will easily make the connection....you just never know.

 

[CarolA]

your luggage probably has a better shot of making the plane than you do. It does not have to wait for the people in front of you to take all thier worldly possesions out of the overhead!

 

[Beverly Lynn]

what is your date of travel? more than likely yur arrival is pretty close to your departure. each airport has a minimum connecting time allowed for all connecting flights. if there is a delay on your plane out of mco then the agent there should reroute you from orlando to buffalo.....to avoid a misconnect in clt.

 

[cdntowdw]

Thanks for the info everyone. The USAir agent on the phone told me that this was a "legal" connection and could be done. We'll just keep our fingers crossed. If we don't make it home til Sunday, it won't matter.

Beverly - our return flights from MCO to CLT, CLT to BUF are on Saturday Nov. 17/01. The USAir schedule shows an earlier flight to CLT from MCO at 4:30 I believe. If we are at the airport early and there is room, maybe we can get switched to this flight to make sure we are there on time? Don't know if they would do something like this though without a fee.

 

[Disnydad]

Hey, as long as it's "legal". Have a nice trip and good luck.

 

[ducklite]

It's a legal connection. It's over 30 minutes. Charlotte isn't that big of an airport, and in all honesty it really only takes five minutes to get from the far end of terminal B to the far end of terminal C. When you check in at MCO the will check you in the entire way through, so once you find your connecting gate you should be able to simply get on the plane. Remember, often the flights arrive early. Because the equipment and crew is probably finishing the day in BUF, they *might* hold the plane for you, but of course there is absolutely no guarantee of that.

If you get to the airport for the earlier flight and there are available seats, they will give them to you with no additional charge. It's a win/win situation, you are less likely to be stranded in CLT and they now have open seats on the later flight that they could possibly sell. They generally will give you standby tickets for the earlier flight, and not confirm you until after all confirmed pax are boarded. And it's likely you will not all be seated together. If you want to be assured of that, you'll have to change your flights now, and pay the penalty.

Keep in mind that delays caused by weather or air traffic do not entitle you to a room for the night, or any other compensation, so if youa re stranded in CLT for the night, you'll probably have to pay for your own room and other associated expenses. (Only being involuntarily denied boarding entitles you to compensation)

My best advise is to not carry on too much stuff, try to get seats as close to the front of the plane as possible, and if the flight is running late, let a FA know that you have a tight connection, they'll often assist you in getting off the plane first. Also, they can usually tell you what gate your flight is landing at and what gate your connection takes off from. You can look in the back of the US Airways magazine and there is a layout of CLT with the gates shown, so you can get an idea of where you are going.

Anne

 

[cdntowdw]

Thanks ducklite for the info. I went to a lot of trouble to arrange our seats together with two small children on our return flight, so I guess we'll just go as scheduled and hope for the best. We'll travel light and check our gate locations before getting off the plane and ask for assistance if the plane is busy. I might even check out the phone numbers and shuttles to airport hotels, in the sad event that we don't make our connection. Thanks everyone for your advice.

 

[Debby7]

We have often sat on Us Airways planes after boarding and been told we are waiting for everyone to make their connection. Our experience is that if it is the last flight of the night, they really try to get all the connections taken care of if possible. We also have noticed that our evening flights out of any airport are always running behind. Be sure you are not planning on a bathroom stop in between flights, use the one on the plane. Good Luck !