Flyer's "rights"

[leebee]

United has changed the departure time on the second flight of my trip home, so now instead of an hour to change planes, I have 32 minutes. I am not sure that I can make that connection. I know there are rules about airlines changing itineraries and passenger's rights to reschedule, but I can't remember them. Can anyone remind me, or point me in the right direction?

 

[sam_gordon]

United has changed the departure time on the second flight of my trip home, so now instead of an hour to change planes, I have 32 minutes. I am not sure that I can make that connection. I know there are rules about airlines changing itineraries and passenger's rights to reschedule, but I can't remember them. Can anyone remind me, or point me in the right direction?

I don't think there are "rights" regarding this. Most airlines have policies in place that if your schedule is changed (either departure or arrival times) by a certain amount of time (usually an hour), they'll allow you to change to another flight with no additional charge.

What I suggest doing is...
1) Look on United web site for other flights that will suit you better for the same day. It would be a good idea to have multiple options.
2) Call United and explain you are worried about the tight connection and ask if they'll switch you to one of the flights you found in step 1. Be polite but firm.

 

[leebee]

I wasn't sure if there was a flyer's bill of rights or not. Honestly, I think "rights" in this respect is silly and we overuse the concept, but this is a really tight connection. I was just looking to see if there was anything that covered this or not. I am going to call United later today and see if they would work with us willingly. As my great-grandma always said, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar (although why anyone wants to catch flies is beyond me, but you don't argue with an old New England nana!!).

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

When there has been a change to my originally booked tickets I have simply called and got the option to move to another flight free of charge

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Do some online checking before you call United. Have a new connection in mind.

I personally won't accept any connection that's less than an hour. I want some margin if the first segment is delayed. I like two-hour connections to be on the safe side (I use the time to have lunch), but that's not always an option.

Don't worry how the new connection prices out online. Even if it's more expensive than what you currently have, United should take care of you. And the connection does not have to be though the same connecting airport you currently have.

There are official Department of Transportation Fly-Rights, but you won't be invoking them in this case. As other here have written, you can rely on airline policy. http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm

 

[OKW Lover]

The way this normally works is that if an airline changes its flights by more than an hour they will allow you to pick different flights that will work better for you at no cost - if there are seats available. In those cases its usually best to research alternative flights yourself and then call the airline to make the switch.

In the OP's case, it doesn't appear that the change in flight times would be more than one hour, but it doesn't hurt to try.

 

[Lewisc]

Airlines have minimum connection times for a "legal" connection. The times vary by airport. You might check and see if 32 minutes is a "legal" connection. You might check your first flight and see if it's generally early. See if both flights leave from the same part of the terminal, preferably from gates near each other. All things being equal I'd like a tight connection, with the possibility of having to take a later flight, rather the certainty of wasting a couple of hours in the airport.

Make sure there are later flights to your destination. Are you flying during a holiday period, where later flights are likely to be overbooked? Can you get a seat near the front of the plane. Delays which cause your first flight to be delayed may also delay your connecting flight.

I'd probably give it a shot if: the gates are near each other, I can get seats near the front of the plane and there are later flights if I miss my connection. Assume you might not have time to use the bathroom or purchase food at your connecting airport.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The way this normally works is that if an airline changes its flights by more than an hour they will allow you to pick different flights that will work better for you at no cost - if there are seats available. ..........

Airlines all set their own policy as to when they will allow a free flight change due to their schedule change. It is not necessarily an hour.

OP, 30 minutes is plenty of time for a connection. You can call UA and ask, but it's possible they will not change your ticket.

 

[dis_guy]

Yeah, I've done 30 minute connections too. But thinking about it, that means that your flight arrives exactly when your next one begins boarding. To entertain this, I'd have to know the airport awfully well to start with. DEN? Sure. ORD or IAH, no thanks. As I get older, I like an hour or two before getting onto the next plane but that's just me. Do what's comfortable for you.

 

[seashoreCM]

The passenger has the right to book flights with connection times as short as the published minimum but the passenger also has the right to press for a free re-change if the airline changes the schedule making a connection shorter than what the passenger feels comfortable with even though the connection time still meets the published minimum and the time differences are less than the one hour or other threshold.

By "having the right" I mean that writing to higher up in the airline management if needed and desired is a viable as opposed to frivolous option here.

... OP, 30 minutes is plenty of time for a connection. ...

I beg to differ.

 

[Lizard Valley]

This happened to me once, travelling on Delta. A 1:15 connection (in Atlanta) became a 47 minute connection. It was a legal connection time, but one that I wasnt comfortable with. I'm a flight attendant, and I see what can happen to people with short connections.

In this case, I knew that even a reasonable 20 minute delay for de-icing at my departure airport, plus the time it takes to get off the plane (and wait for gate checked bags in some cases) would make the connection very stressful. I also knew that even though there were a couple more flights to Orlando that night, they'd likely be full by the time my travel date came around. They can't put you on a flight if there are no seats, and if the missed connection is due to weather delays, the airlines have no obligation to pay for hotels while you wait for a flight that does have seats.

I simply called the airline, told them that I was uncomfortable with the shorter connection time, and they offered to change me to the next flight, no extra charge.

It was a good call: a snow storm hit just as we were boarding, and we were delayed 25 minutes in the deicing bay. I still tried to make the earlier connection to see if I could get on. I got to the gate just as the plane was pushing back. I had a chat with the gate agent afterwards, who confirmed that the rest of the flights to Orlando were oversold for the next 3 days. I would have lost at least a full day (or more) at Disney, would have had to find and pay for my own hotel, plus the loss of non-refundable Disney hotel nights.

My advice: Better to be safe than sorry; request to be changed to the next connecting flight, then take the chance on being able to standby early.

 

[bumbershoot]

I wasn't sure if there was a flyer's bill of rights or not. Honestly, I think "rights" in this respect is silly and we overuse the concept, but this is a really tight connection. I was just looking to see if there was anything that covered this or not. I am going to call United later today and see if they would work with us willingly. As my great-grandma always said, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar (although why anyone wants to catch flies is beyond me, but you don't argue with an old New England nana!!).

How did it go, leebee?