flight questions

[babygirlamg]

I have never done anything except Non Stop flights...This time im going to be going presidents day weeked so i know i the tickets are more , so im going to take the cheapest even if that means we have to make a stop or change planes...but my question is how does that work....When you get off at the stop do you have to go get your luggage and then go through secuirty all over again...

 

[delilah]

I have never done anything except Non Stop flights...This time im going to be going presidents day weeked so i know i the tickets are more , so im going to take the cheapest even if that means we have to make a stop or change planes...but my question is how does that work....When you get off at the stop do you have to go get your luggage and then go through secuirty all over again...

No, you don't need to get your checked luggage, and, generally, you don't need to go through security again. I am not sure which specific airports that you are flying through, but I have changed planes in Pittsburg, Atlanta, Dallas-Ft Worth, Denver, Minneapolis, Detroit. Of course, you have to move your carry on luggage, which sometimes can be a challenge at the larger airports (we barely made our connection at DFW). Earlier this spring, I changed a flight because I thought the connection time was too short, and lucky for me, because the connecting flight was scheduled to leave before my first flight actually landed, even though there was scheduled to be 30 minutes between flights.

 

[epsmith921]

If you have a stop with no plane change, you will just stay on the plane or I think sometimes they'll let you roam the gate area for a few depending on how long the stop is.

If you are changing planes, it most likely means a gate change at a minimum. So you take your stuff, get off the plane, and go over to the new gate that your connecting flight leaves from. This could be the next gate over or even in a different terminal depending on the airport.

If you have a plane change, many times the flight attendants will announce the gates for each destination they know they have people connecting to. Keep your tickets handy, and you can always stop and ask the flight attendants either on your plane or at the gate.

It's not usually that terrible, though it's not fun to run through the airport.

Like the previous poster said, you are still security cleared, so you will be on, and remain on the airplane side of security.

 

[rwdavis2]

IMHO, I would never book a connecting flight with less than a 1 hour layover. If that first flight is late you will be hustling to get the the second one.

 

[acpalmer]

Like the previous poster said, you are still security cleared, so you will be on, and remain on the airplane side of security.

This will depend on the airport. I think most are this way, but there are some that are not. We had to connect through San Francisco (SFO) a few months ago and had to leave and re-enter the secured parts of the airport in order to get to our next gate. It was a pain and I swore I would never, ever connect through that airport again.

That said, MIL connected through SFO a different time and did not have to exit and go through security again, so it isn't always that way.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

IMHO, I would never book a connecting flight with less than a 1 hour layover. If that first flight is late you will be hustling to get the the second one.

Yes my dad thought I was nuts for wanting a hour or more but I am glade someone outside my family agrees with me

 

[karly05]

When you know your connecting airport, look up their website - that should give you an idea of the layout of gates and terminals. You won't know your exact gates until the day you fly, but watch your flights for a few days and you might get a good idea. I flew AirTran through Atlanta this year (first time for both) and studying the Atlanta airport site ahead of time was a big help.

The first thing I always do when I get off the plane at my connecting airport is find the nearest display screen of arrivals/departures and look for my flight.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

FYI, don't assume non-stop flights are always more expensive than flights with stops; they aren't.

 

[pigletto]

FYI, don't assume non-stop flights are always more expensive than flights with stops; they aren't.

I was just going to say the same thing. At least with Southwest and Jetblue I always notice there is a non-stop that is cheaper than every other option. I would just look the day they open. Those non-stops get more expensive as they fill up but are usually (not always) reasonable when they are first released.