How close should you arrange air connections

[Laz]

Due to Comair's strike, I have to take ASA out of Fort Wayne to Atlanta. My plane is scheduled to land in Atlanta and 7:30 pm, and the connection leaves at 8:25. The actual on time arrival of the first flight has usually been about 7:55 pm.

The question is--is this enough time to make the connecting flight? Delta insists that it is. What do you experts think?

 

[maryisme]

While I can't call myself an expert , it has been my experience that the luggage will not make it on the same flight that you will be on. That is what happened to me when I had a connection of less than one hour.

Hopefully,you will get lucky.

Mary

 

[DisneyKidds]

You should probably be ok - but be prepared to move once you get off the plane in Atlanta. Atlanta is a very large airport. I believe ASA is on Concourse C. Likely you will have to change concourses for your flight to Orlando. Things are pretty well marked so it isn't hard to find the subway/tram that runs between concourses.

We have had a lot of connecting flights with approximately an hour in between and have rarely had a problem.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

The carriers load the bags in a certain order...hot bags which are the first ones taken off to get to their connecting flights first then the ones that have time for connections and then the cold bags that stay in that city of arrival. min connect time is showing at 45 min. you should be ok. what you can do ahead of time is check and see what gate you will be arriving into and then what gate you will be going out of. this will give you an idea of where you need to go.

 

[imgoingtodisney]

In 1996 we had to run like heck in Newark, NJ. My husband and I had our 4 yr old son (at the time). It was not a pretty sight. I swore never again. From now on we only fly direct from Mass to FL. If there is a Delta strike in Oct my 9yr son and I will be driving to FL with husband and MIL. (which wont be good either). They are driving down to MILs Fl winter home a few days before we are to fly.

 

[travelcoupons]

Last year, on Delta, I had a connection in Atlanta from MSP to Daytona Beach.

I had a little over an hour layover scheduled.
Flight out of MSP was 1 hr and 45 minutes late leaving. By the time I arrived at Atlanta, my connecting flight was to have already left 15 minutes earlier. I ran and checked the monitor and it said flight was delayed and was scheduled to leave in the next 10 minutes. I thought I had no chance of making it as I was 3 terminals away. I ran like a fool and made it to the gate...the plane was still there, but the door was closed to the plane. I told the gate agent, "I guess I missed my flight". She said nothing, turned around and walked out to the plane. After a few minutes, they opened up the door and let us board. Everyone's luggage had already been loaded, but they had a problem with the latch on the cargo door and were repairing it....and miraculously my luggage made it on the same plane!!!

I always like to have more than an hour, because of the above incident. But under normal circumstances, anything over 45 minutes is normally more than sufficiant.

 

[AllanJ]

If I have to change planes I often schedule two to three hours layover. Then I stand by at the connection point for an earlier flight if possible.

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[Uncle Mikey]

I'm with AlanJ. I prefer to have a couple of hours between connections. If it is on time then no problem. I find someplace to get some coffee and I always bring something to read. By the way, I found a site called the Airport Survival Guide. You can access it at home.digitalcity.com/airports. It will give you a list of airports throughout the country you can click on. They provide you with information on each one and also a link to the airports official website. I hope that might help you.

 

[BevS97]

Having just spent the night in Brussels, due to a missed connection, I think I will be giving myself more than an hour in future.

I had a 1 hour layover in brussels on thursday, and the flight was only 30 minutes late departing, but then we had to go in a holding pattern and we eventually landed 15 minutes after my onward flight departed. (8.15pm)

There were no more flights that evening, so I was stuck in Brussels for the night, with no suitcases (they were 'in transit' I think that's means lost! - It took them nearly 2 hours to decided they were 'in transit')

I eventually arrived at my destination (Nice, for a Bachelorette weekend), at 11.30 the following morning - since I was only in Nice for 3 nights this was quite a chunk out of my weekend away.

On the way back, by chance I had a 6 hour stop-over, that wasn;'t too much fun either, I think 2-3 hours is ideal.

Bev

 

[Beverly Lynn]

what you can do to assure yourself is check to see what gate/concourse your arrival flight is going into and what gate/concourse your connecting flight is going out of. this will give you an idea of where you will be in the airport.

there is no chance of you missing a "connection" on a direct flight. these are flights that stop along the way but make no change of planes. if you get off the plane while its on its stopover just make sure you don't go far from the waiting area.

Many people if not all prefer non-stop flights but its not always possible for some people to get them. too bad all flights can't be non stop huh? LOL