Looking for opinions on connecting cities...

[Pooh93]

We are flying from St. Louis to Vancouver in May 2016 for a Disney Alaska Cruise. Which cities would you stay away from for a connecting flight? Chicago O'Hare, Phoenix, LAX etc?

How much is a good length of time for a layover?

 

[rwdavis2]

None of them are great choices for a layover. Especially if you have to change terminals. Given the size of these airports and the possibility of your first flight being late I would give it 90 minutes to 2 hours for the layover.

Have you gone to the airports' web sites to see where your airline's terminal(s) is located?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I don't consider PHX to be a large airport.

OP, you might look at Alaska Airlines. They have flights with one stop, at SEA, and are really working at being a good airline

 

[rwdavis2]

I don't consider PHX to be a large airport.

OP, you might look at Alaska Airlines. They have flights with one stop, at SEA, and are really working at being a good airline

I'm sure you're correct but I had to connect via different terminal by bus which I did not make.

 

[Pooh93]

Thanks for the information. United airlines has a layover in Chicago of 1 hr 55 minutes and does not indicate a change in terminals. I looked at Alaska airlines, but leaving from St. Louis the flight times are not good for arriving in Vancouver. It would take us about 12 hours to get there. I checked with Dreams Unlimited travel for airfare help via DCL, but she says we would not get our ticket information until 30-45 days out from the cruise an it would be "subject to availability". So does that mean at that point they could tell us there are no seats? And what if the plane is delayed, would DCL get us to the next port?

Keep the suggestions coming!!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Book directly through the airlines; do not buy tickets from a consolidator.

ORD in April should be okay; not the risk of weather delays you have in winter (snow) or summer (thunderstorms).

 

[Pooh93]

We would be flying 5/22, but I am thinking if we leave very early in the day, we have a better chance making it before things get messed up.

Has anyone flown through Toronto to Vancouver?

 

[DebbieB]

I've connected through PHX many times (USAirways), no problems. Very rare to have weather problems.

 

[nacho113]

We would be flying 5/22, but I am thinking if we leave very early in the day, we have a better chance making it before things get messed up.

Has anyone flown through Toronto to Vancouver?

Thru Toronto to Vancouver is kind of taking the long way around (distance wise, this leg is almost like flying LAS to MCO from one side of the country to the other - a 5+ hour flight)
Layover in Denver would be my preferred route (most direct). SFO would maybe be my 2nd choice, but it can get fogged in during April/May. With Chicago and Toronto you are heading east first (to go west) and Houston is really taking the long way around.

Whichever airport you choose, make sure you have 1.5-2 hours connection time. You will be changing from the domestic gates to the international gates. In ORD this means a good solid 20 minute walk and another trip through security. On our recent United flight back home from MCO we arrived in Terminal 1 Concourse C and had to make our way to Terminal 2 Concourse F. We only had a 50 minute layover, by the time we deplaned, walked (rapidly on the moving walkways) all the way across to the other terminal and passed through security again (with TSA pre-check), our connecting flight was already boarding group 3. We boarded in group 4 and 10 minutes later we pulled away from the gate. That was just a little tight for my liking but we did make it. A few minute delay on our arrival time or if we had not had TSA Pre-check, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have made the connection

 

[Pooh93]

Thanks for the information on changing to international gates. The United flight I am looking at has a 1 hour and 55 minute layover in Chicago. It is a 6:00 am flight out of St. Louis.

If I am looking at the O'Hare map and terminal information correctly, United uses the same terminal for domestic and international flights, so that would be helpful.