Flight With Connection - Your Opinion?

[AKL_Megs]

DF and I are planning our June WDW trip, and we found some really cheap roundtrip airfare through Southwest, AirTran and Spirit - the only issue is that all of the flights have connections. It's not the connection itself that is the issue, but rather the real possibility of our luggage getting lost. Anyone I know who has had a flight with a connection has had their bag lost, and would "NEVER recommend it".

So what are some of your experiences with connections?

 

[LiteBrite]

Well, if you live somewhere that's not near a hub airport, like me, then you never fly anywhere without connections. I've had them many times, and only had my luggage lost twice. If you're really worried about it, then bring a carryon with enough stuff for a day or two, and even if your luggage doesn't make your destination the same time you do, most likely it will get there before you run out of clean clothes.

Of course, you'll have to deal with the carryon restrictions for liquids, but you can bring small amounts. If you're unfamiliar with those regulations, check them out on your airline's website, or the FAA's.

 

[rie'smom]

We take connecting flights all the time. Last week we landed in Philly and they were already boarding the flight to New Orleans. Our luggage made it just fine. These are the types of layovers we have frequently(the 5 minute or less kind) and we've never had one piece of luggage not make it to our destination.

 

[Chuck S]

There is of course, always the chance of luggage getting lost. But almost all flights from San Antonio require connections, and I have never had any luggage lost at all. We did have our bags catch a "later flight" once, after we had a delay, and we made the connection, but our luggage didn't. This was on our flight home.

The airlines checked their computer and assured us the bags were on the next flight..and they were...in the meantime, we went out to dinner, and the airline reimbursed us $20 of our meal, since we had our own car and picked up our luggage from the arriving flight so the airline didn't have to deliver the luggage to our home, as we live 45 miles from the airport.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Most of the time it is common to have connecting flights because it is way cheaper. Our flights in May we have a direct into Orlando but then on the way home we have a connecting flight into Atlanta and then to Pittsburgh and our tix were 140, had we had 2 direct flights we would have been paying almost 300 bucks and since we like staying at deluxe hotels we decided to have at least 1 connecting flight. As far as bags getting lost, we have never had that issue, sometimes they do not make it on the flight (if the connection is a short one), but they can be easily tracked and have special tags put on them if they dont make if on ur flight and are normally to your hotel or home 3 to 4 hrs later, the only problem you could have is if you were the last flight into Orlando for the night then that could be an issue (we are pros at the the whole late bags thing) but we have never had bags that we have never gotten back again, perhaps that is what you meant? We carry on important things with us that we would need if our bags wouldn't arrive right away (medicine, glasses, change of clothes, etc.) but if you do ME your luggage won't arrive until 3+ hrs after your flight so its basically the same as if your bags wouldn't make your connecting flight, but we have never actually "lost" our bags! I hope this helps your worries.

 

[Amlee]

There are very few places I can fly without a connection. Orlando is one of them! The most I have had is 3 connections coming home from Fiji. My luggage made it fine. You can have luggage problems with a direct flight.

I do try to fly with as few of connections as I can get. That isn't always the case.

 

[AKL_Megs]

We carry on important things with us that we would need if our bags wouldn't arrive right away (medicine, glasses, change of clothes, etc.) but if you do ME your luggage won't arrive until 3+ hrs after your flight so its basically the same as if your bags wouldn't make your connecting flight, but we have never actually "lost" our bags! I hope this helps your worries.

This eases my worries a bit. I'm not worried about losing the bags "forever", just having to worry about them until I have them again in the event that they DO get lost. But from what I have heard before, they usually get them back to you within 24-hours, and deliver them to you at your hotel, at home, etc. It's all just such a hassle!

 

[Amlee]

Just remember on any flight to always have your important items and a change of clothes with you in your carry on. When I cruise, I also include a dinner outfit for that night. I have cruised with early seating and not got my luggage in time for dinner.

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

I have flight connections with every single flight back and forth between school and home...I have done 20 + since my freshman year (I am now a senior) and NEVER lost mu luggage....even with flights landing and taking off within 15 minutes of each other.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

This eases my worries a bit. I'm not worried about losing the bags "forever", just having to worry about them until I have them again in the event that they DO get lost. But from what I have heard before, they usually get them back to you within 24-hours, and deliver them to you at your hotel, at home, etc. It's all just such a hassle!

It does suck, we have had trips (our first trip to disney for that matter) where my brother and i had stuck our new stuffed animals in our check bags because they were too big to carry and our bags didn't make it and we cried and cried because we thought mickey kept our toys because we were bad lol. My advice would be to put on ID tags that you can clearly identify and make sure you know what your luggage looks like (brand, color, what exactly is in it) and try and book morning/afternoon flights so that way if your bags do get left by accident then you can get them by the nite. We once had bags that got left in Pittsburgh when we were going to Vail, CO and they ended up going from Pgh to our connection in chicago to denver to a small airport near Vail to vail but we got them eventually! No worries tho!!

 

[Cool-Beans]

I hate connecting, but the luggage thing isn't the reason. Of all the many flights I've flown, I only had my luggage go missing once. And I got it the next day, plus money for the inconvenience.

Plus, now they passed a law that the luggage has to stay with the traveler, so the chance of it going to Colorado while you go to Key West are very, very small. (How could they send my bags to Colorado when I was going to Key West, I still don't know. )

Good luck! And have a great trip!

 

[Amlee]

Also, put your information INSIDE your luggage. As tags can get torn off. Also make a picture of your luggage (both inside and out) before you get to the airport. Keep this in your carry on.

My luggage got pulled for security inspection and was off the conveyor(sp) belt. After all the luggage was picked up, I finally went to security and asked. Mine was in the back, but because my tag had been pulled off, I couldn't just get my luggage. I had my pictures in my backpack. Once they saw that it was my luggage they agreed to open it and get the personal information out of it and compare.

Your personal information should include the normal stuff, like your name, address and phone number. But also the location of the hotel of where you are going to be staying with contact information of the hotel.

 

[rie'smom]

I want to add that we always carry a change of clothes,pjs,meds,and toiletries in our carry ons in case our luggage doesn't make it with us.

 

[Evil Genius]

We have never lost a bag when we had a connection, but I just hate non-stop flights. We got caught a couple of times where we were only suppose to have a 45 minute lay over and it ended up to be 3+ hours.

 

[pozey]

Like someone else previously mentioned, there are very few places that we fly that we don't have to connect. And we've never had a lost piece of luggage.