Northwest air

[bostonlass]

I've never flown Northwest Air before. We have flights connecting in Detroit with about a 45 minute layover. My question is....has anyone missed their connection flying Northwest before?

 

[hercamore]

We fly Northwest all the time with connections since we come from a small airport. Haven't missed a connection yet, but we usally have 90 min. layovers.

45 minutes is not a lot of layover time, but you can do it if you hustle to your next gate quickly. Most of the big NW jets start boarding 30 minutes before takeoff.

Where are you coming from?

herc.

 

[Pinnie]

The new terminal at DTW is beautiful and very easy to navigate. There are trams that will get you from one end of the terminal to the other in just 2 minutes.

NWA has improved a LOT over the years and I will admit that I have started flying them again!!!!


pin

 

[lsteadman]

I travel a lot for work and always request a direct flight when possible. However, when I do have to transfer planes I always make my connecting flights. A 45 min layover is not a lot; however, the weather is much better now. In the dead of Winter in Detroit, it could be another story....thank you Spring.

 

[mjatgoofy]

I fly Northwest about three times a month. They are outstanding. The Northwest terminal in Detroit is great and very easy to get around. You should have no trouble. The nice thing about going through Detroit is there is probably a connecting flight to Orlando almost every hour in the event you miss yours. You should be fine.

 

[lillykat]

Ok I will be very honest with you - I have missed a NUMBER of connections with NWA -

I am temporarily living in Lansing with DFH and our wedding and our families live in NY so I have been flying back and forth almost once every 4-8 weeks.

I fly with them because often they are the cheapest price to LGA - and they are by far the cheapest when I fly out of Lansing.

Ok - in the past two years I have flown with them a MINIMUM of 12 times - probably more -

I have had VERY few (as in say 3 flights) that the plane has left on time and there has been no mishaps.

Most often my flight leaves within 15-30 mins of the scheduled time

I have had 4 times where they had to switch planes because of mechanical problems causing me to miss my connection.

I have had 1 time a passenger in NY decide as we are about to take off that she couldn't fly so we left 1 hour late but I had 1 hour between my flights and it was the next gate so I just made it.

I have missed my connection about 4 times. They usually put me on the next flight which leave 1- 2 hours later - but it is still a hassel. I would try to see if you can switch your flight to get a MINIMUM of 1 hour - and try to sit towards the front of the plane so you get off quicker.

At lot of it has to do with what gate you come into and where you are leaving from since it is a 70 gate terminal.

People often say to me "Oh you are flying Northworst"

I look at it this way - you often get what you pay for - so these things don't surprise me - I would try to get more time between your flights if you can - I make sure when I fly them that if they put me on the next flight I will ok with that

 

[bostonlass]

My flight is coming from Boston and it must be the first one leaving since it's at 7:10am. I guess it all depends on what gate we arrive at and which gate the other flight leaves from. Does anyone know when the gate numbers are posted? I have a feeling that it's unknown until that day.

 

[nuthut]

Super airline with great personel. Tryit you will like it. I fly with them a least once a month...

 

[dpuck1998]

I fly NW from Detroit all the time!! The new terminal is fantastic. 45 mins is a short time but you can make it without a problem if your plane is on time. I've had mixed experiances with connections and most people I'm sure have had. I now drive to detroit (2 hours) instead of flying from the local (5 min) airport to avoid that issue. I guess the point is with any connections there is always a gamble!

 

[prncess674]

NWA has 7 daily non-stop flights from DTW to MCO. The new terminal is easy to navigate. It is one long terminal with an overhead tram. Even if you miss your flight there are plenty of other options to get you to MCO with little hassle. If you do happen to be delayed into DTW have the reservations number handy in your cell phone and call them to rebook you on the next available flight. Your fliight out of BOS is the first flight of the day which plays in your favor since you won't be waiting on it to arrive from another location so you probably won't be delayed out of BOS. 45 minutes isn't a huge amount of time but it is definitly doable. If you are just a few minutes late tell the gate agent as you deplaning from BOS and they can call down to the MCO flight and let them know you are coming.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Gee, why take a chance on "Northworst" when there are so many direct BOS-MCO flights? Plus Song and JetBlue have the personal entertainment units at every seat (well, Song will finish installing them by 3/31 at least). Is the $40 (or whatever) you save really worth 3+ hours extra travel time each way?

 

[MICKEY IS COOL]

Our Family Travels alot on NWA since Detroit is their hub, and we have had minor problems with them. The only problem connecting weve ever had was coming back from LA connecting in Minneapolis/St Paul International, their "capitol". I would never suggest connecting their. The airport is terribly long and we nearly missed our connecting flight to Detroit.

Also the new Edward H Macnamara terminal "NWA Terminal" is beautifull. If theirs anything in Detroit world class, its the Macnamara terminal

 

[Free4Life11]

I once had to go from one end of the Northwest terminal to the other end in Minneapolis. Let's just say I got a workout!!!! Missed my flight by the way. A burned out light bulb (rolleyes) caused a 45 minute delay, which made me miss my flight, lose my bags, etc.

Detroit is a beautiful airport...but I had no idea where to get on the tram!! I didn't have time to go looking. I ended up running a marathon. It seems like my Northwest connections are always miles apart! That's my only beef.

I think they have nice planes though, for the most part...as long as you're not on one of their "puddle jumpers" as my mom calls them! LMAO!

 

[zulaya]

FYI if you have one of those connections from one end of MSP to the other, there is now a train connecting both ends. I believe it takes 2 minutes.

 

[bostonlass]

pumpkinboy - When I booked my flight there were no reasonably priced ones left on Song or Jetblue. Trust me...I was looking! I'd much rather fly direct. Was even considering PanAm which flies direct from Manchester, NH, but they don't have too many flights and I was nervous about them. This was pretty cheap for the time that I booked so I'm very happy with the price.

Thanks everyone!! I'm gonna leave it up to the Big Guy and just have fun!! At least I don't have to be anywhere at a particular time.

 

[bostonlass]

I know that there are no meals served on our flights but does anyone know if they serve drinks at all? I'm desperately afraid of flying and I think I'll need a bloody mary or two.

 

[msr709]

I've never flown NW but have missed my connection flight. If the first plane is late there's nothing you can do. I try to get non-flights whenever possible. Most airlines serve alcoholic beverages at a price. Good luck and have a wonderful trip!