Flight Connection Question

[theostwalts]

For my upcoming DL trip, I have decided to fly into SNA which will involve one stop. I can fly American with connections in either Dallas or Phoenix or Delta with connections in either Atlanta or Salt Lake City. Flight times and prices are about the same. Any suggestions on which to choose?

Thanks

 

[Saimaeve]

Not Phoenix. I'm pretty sure I've been delayed out of every flight from here.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I would avoid Atlanta like the plague -- it's just too big. Someone once said, "Even the road to Hell goes through Atlanta."

SLC is a much smaller airport. I usually end up at the farthest gate possible, but at least you won't have to catch a subway to take you from point A to point B.

 

[ParkHopper1]

I fly through PHX regularly and have not had any problems there. I would second the tip to avoid ATL...HUGE airport and can be a complete cluster and hike between gates.

Depending when you fly, DAL can regularly be subject to thunderstorm delays in late summer.

Be sure to check Southwest Airlines as well into SNA. They do not show up on a lot of search engine sites.

 

[theostwalts]

Southwest would connect in Chicago. About the same times and fares with them as well. My flights will be departing on 4/30/16 and returning on 5/07/16, both on Saturdays.

 

[tkradtke]

Chicago is through Midway which is a manageable sized airport. The issue we've had with Midway is getting through security, but since you're connecting, you won't be dealing with that. We flew Southwest from Midway to SNA last June and will be doing it again next month.

 

[lorijohnhill]

I'd choose American through Phoenix. Dallas is huge and connecting flights can end up being in different terminals.

I've never had a good flight with Delta. Lots of mechanical difficulties leading to twelve hour delays.

This is just my opinion though. Different people have different experiences.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Different people have different experiences.

Nope...same.

I've never had a good flight with Delta. Lots of mechanical difficulties leading to twelve hour delays.

I have come to believe that DELTA actual stands for Don't Ever Leave The Airport!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

For ATL or DFW, it's good to plan on at least a 1.5 hour layover. That's not really a bad thing as both airports offer a lot of food venues to kill the time, but you want to allow enough time to get between gates and have some swag in case your originating flight had a delay. Plus having a meal between flights ensures you arrive in California ready for Disneyland, not ready to eat because you went 5+ hours without a meal.

The USDOT provides airline on-time data, based on airline and airport. It's helpful if you're concerned about a particular airport or airline.
http://www.transtats.bts.gov/ot_delay/ot_delaycause1.asp

 

[Laz]

I agree with the above poster on connection times. If your first flight arrives late, you could find yourself missing your connection in any airport. If you are traveling in the winter, winter storms will cause delays and cancellations in Chicago. I like to fly early in the morning. When planes begin to delay, it seems to have a domino effect. Plus, if problems do occur, there is more of a chance to catch another connecting flight.

 

[Pakey]

I've connected at all 4 of these airports on more than one occasion. My preference, by a long shot, is DFW. This is one of the easiest airports to maneuver. The skylink to change terminals is easier and faster than walking in a small airport. I'm very comfortable with a 60 minute layover at DFW. There are plenty of food choices if you have a longer layover--look at other terminals for their options since it's so easy to change. And this is a biggie: if my first leg is delayed or late arriving, there are more connection options out of DFW. If you miss your connection at SLC, you may be sitting there forever.

 

[kamik86]

For my upcoming DL trip, I have decided to fly into SNA which will involve one stop. I can fly American with connections in either Dallas or Phoenix or Delta with connections in either Atlanta or Salt Lake City. Flight times and prices are about the same. Any suggestions on which to choose?

Thanks

check the connection times. If none are longer then 1.5 hours go with whichever one gives you the longest connection. If you more then one is over 1.5 then you have at least narrowed it down to those ones.

 

[VandVsmama]

It depends on what time of year you are travelling. During snowy times of the year, I'd avoid flying through Salt Lake City. Dallas is mostly a safe bet in terms of weather, but the airport is so large...however, during thunderstorm season, you can have weather problems in Dallas.

Phoenix isn't too bad. I've flown out of Phoenix before on American. When Phoenix tends to get weather delays, it's during monsoon season, which is mostly during July & August and even then, it's not every day...and when the huge thunderstorms with massive lightning & crazy rainfall tends to happen in the late afternoon.

 

[courtneybeth]

For my upcoming DL trip, I have decided to fly into SNA which will involve one stop

Have you looked into LAX at all to prevent stops? SNA, while close to Disneyland, actually has problems with canceling flights if you leave too late because the neighbors are picky about noise.

You could book a shuttle from Lax via Shuttle2Lax.com. It's $20 for the first person and like $10 for the next passenger(s). May be faster time-wise, plus they'll drop you off directly at your hotel if you're staying off site.

I'm not a fan of SNA because I've been burned too many times flying in and out of that airport -- and it's MUCH more expensive!!! (I live 2 miles from this airport and I still glare whenever I drive past it )

 

[Nonsuch]

I've connected at all 4 of these airports on more than one occasion. My preference, by a long shot, is DFW. This is one of the easiest airports to maneuver. The skylink to change terminals is easier and faster than walking in a small airport. I'm very comfortable with a 60 minute layover at DFW. There are plenty of food choices if you have a longer layover--look at other terminals for their options since it's so easy to change. And this is a biggie: if my first leg is delayed or late arriving, there are more connection options out of DFW. If you miss your connection at SLC, you may be sitting there forever.

Very good point about connection options
I have had a flight cancelled out of DFW, but was able to find an alternate -- likely not possible at a smaller airport.

 

[cmpeter]

I almost always fly Delta and have never had mechanical problems...between my husband and I we fly about every other week.

We have had some terrible luck with SLC. And I avoid DFW like the plague...my flight always seems to change gates 4-5 times and then get delayed.

Just goes to show you that they are all a crap shoot.

 

[realrellim]

FWIW, I refuse to fly Delta, especially after a major delay for no reason whatsoever (not mechanical, plane was there, no weather delays at that or our destination) and then they failed to get our bags there. When we called, "customer service" snapped that they had a thousand bags sitting on the tarmac in Atlanta and they had no idea when we'd get our bags back. Nice, eh? A friend of mine has flown them several times for work and they've been late and lost her bags every single time. I'd agree that Dallas is your best bet.

We're flying into LAX rather than SNA because there are so many more options for flights and they're a lot cheaper. It opened up a lot of options.

 

[LizzyS]

I would avoid Atlanta like the plague -- it's just too big. Someone once said, "Even the road to Hell goes through Atlanta."

SLC is a much smaller airport. I usually end up at the farthest gate possible, but at least you won't have to catch a subway to take you from point A to point B.

I layover in Atlanta with Delta all the time (I just did yesterday, actually). Though a lot of people poo poo Hartsfield-Jackson because it is very busy, if you get a layover of AT LEAST an hour and a half, you will likely have no problem. I have had good luck flying through there many times on Delta, so don't be dissuaded if ATL seems like it would work for you. It's a large airport, yes, but it's easy to navigate.