Phoenix Airport?

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've never flown into this airport.

The Robotics Club teacher booked us a trip from ATL - Phoenix, then on to SNA.

We have one hour to switch planes in Phoenix to SNA.

I really wish he'd have talked to me before booking this. I normally leave an hour and a half minimum between flights. He didn't even confirm my name and has my nickname booked for my ticket instead of my legal name.

He has never chaperoned a group before and I don't think he realized what a pain it's going to be to get 8 people off one plane and to the other in such a short amount of time.
I'm thinking we might need a Plan B since flights out of Atlanta can run late.

We are doing carryon only which we are forced to since I doubt any checked luggage would make it onto the plane to SNA in an hour.

We are flying US Airways which I believe goes into Terminal 4 and switching to another US Airways plane. Will we make the flight to SNA?

 

[coaches24]

I dont think you will have an issue. I dont fly alot but I have been to Phx AP a few times (I used to live in Phoenix a long time ago). Ive had much shorter times between switching flights and not had an issue. Once in Salt Lake I literally had to run from one terminal to the next but I made it. It was schuled to be a 30 minute change and I ended up with maybe 10 minutes.

An hour to me seems safe, but like I said I dont fly much if possible.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Not to worry...I fly through PHX almost weekly, usually on Southwest or US Air and have made flights with less than a 30 min layover. Last flight was delayed, we arrived at our connecting departure time...they held the flight and made our bags!

For a group of 8, if there is a delay, they will hold the connector if you are running a bit late on arrival.

 

[cyclenut]

There are actually several flights from Phoenix to either SNA or Long Beach. If something goes wrong, you'll have options. That said, one hour should be sufficient time, even for your checked bags.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Since you don't have to switch terminals, I wouldn't worry about it. As a
PP has said, there's several flights a day between PHX and SNA.

 

[jlmarr]

My DW hates US Airways and the Phoenix airport for precisely this reason - that she had to change planes in PHX and despite both flights being US Airways she had to traipse from one end of the airport to the other. This was not long after US Airways had acquired another airline so I think that was a factor, and might not be a problem for the OP. But I'd advise being aware of the gate situation before landing so you can get on your track shoes if need be.

 

[cagirl4life]

At PHX US is primarily at gate C anymore so it shouldn't be any issue to get to your gate in the hour. Also as others have said there are many flights out to SNA from PHX because Phoenix is a hub for US airways so if something should happen to your flight taking off on time from Atlanta. Even if your flight is in a different gate letter all A, B, C, and D are connected in a U shape so you will not have to re-enter security. My grandma and great-aunt had less than a hour between flights and we picked them up, went to the bathroom, and grabbed food all while still making our flight on the other side of C. So it really is possible.

 

[nannyz]

I'd be a lot more concerned about the name difference than the short layover. If I were you, I would call the airline and get it fixed.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

We flew into Phoenix and changed planes to get to SNA in October. Even with a long trip to the bathroom with a toddler, we made it to the plane, and so did our checked baggage. I honestly don't think it would have been possible for our two gates to have been further apart then ours were. You should be totally fine!

Just tell those kiddos to make sure they get everything they got out on the flight back in their carryons before they land and to get ready to MOVE. If they get to the connecting gate with time to spare, they can pee then. Otherwise, the flight to SNA is short (45 minutes) and they can hold it until they get there, or pee on the plane. I'm a mean chaperone when I fly with kids.

 

[2disneyland]

I'd be a lot more concerned about the name difference than the short layover. If I were you, I would call the airline and get it fixed.

Absolutely I'd worry about this more because it WILL be a showstopper. My husband flies weekly and has for the last year or more and while I'm usually the one to make his reservations he had the office secretary make his reservations once and she misspelled his name (added a single letter that did not belong). It was a nightmare. And mind you, because of his frequent flying he is an A1Preferred with Southwest, and some of the TSA folks knew him on sight he travels so often....but they were not allowed to do anything. Thankfully he always arrives the 2 hours early despite his A-1Preferred card getting his "fly by" the security (meaning that he gets into a separate line and is taken ahead of those waiting regular line). He ended up having to go to the counter, cancel the flight scheduled with the wrong name and then immediately rebook that same flight with his name spelled right. Then he breezed through security and went on (and has since asked me to never be unavailable to book him a flight, lol).

Your ID and your ticket need to be exactly the same. Exactly.

As for a 1 hour layover to change flights in Phoenix, that I would not worry about. The airlines have refined things so well that they truly do know what they're doing. As I said my DH flies constantly and he has had to change planes with 30 minutes and done it without problem. Not always time for bathroom or food, so plan accordingly (use the plane restroom before landing or after boarding, and as far as food...it's less than an hour to SNA so wait and get something off airport, you'll save 50%, lol. Bring along a protein bar or small snack if you are concerned you'll be hungry. )


Now...the only times he's had problem with the short layovers have been in the winter when the weather messes up everything....but you are not going to have that landing in Phoenix. Even the summer monsoon season rarely delays flights landing or taking off in Phoenix. And even if that eventually happens, there multiple flights from PHX to SNA every day....so long as yours is not late in the evening so it has the potential of being the last flight and you missed it.....well, they'll find you another flight when the miss is because of delays by the airlines.

But...you definitely should contact the airlines and arrange to get your name corrected on the ticket (and if there are others this guy is booking for, be sure to tell them to check that their ID and their ticket match). That's a BIGGIE. TSA folks just don't have any sense of humor nor the ability to make "exceptions" even when they KNOW it's still the same person. It's sad but it's probably the best policy in the end, because once you start making exceptions you have to rely on some poorly paid TSA person making judgment calls, and frankly that doesn't sit well with me, lol.

 

[Huff]

US Airways uses concourses A and B which are both split into two smaller gate areas so its possible you'll have to walk from one concourse to another. Checking US Airways flights from ATL to SNA through PHX last few days shows arrival and departing gates have been in different areas. However, the walk between A/A or B/B isn't far and A to B has a moving sidewalk that gets you across the terminal quickly. 45-60 minutes would be easy but if plane is 30 minutes late you'll have to hurry.

Don't forget that most flights are shorter than advertised. The time given is usually padded for taxi or gate delays.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'd be a lot more concerned about the name difference than the short layover. If I were you, I would call the airline and get it fixed.

I'm concerned about this too. As soon as I found out he'd done that, I called the airline and was told they can't change the ticket.

They told me to get my boarding pass and then go to the desk to see if they could fix it.

I called a 2nd time to see if I got a different answer from a different person and nope, same answer.

I was also told that Connie vs. Constance should be fine going through security. But I know that the airline folks and the TSA are different animals so the airline folks don't know exactly what the TSA security people will do.

I always get to my flights 2 hours in advance so I should have time to deal with whatever happens. Hopefully I won't have to pay for another ticket - I'll be pretty ticked if I do since it'll cost me an arm and a leg and I'll have no choice since the chaperone rules are 4 kids to one chaperone.

I just wish the person who'd booked the flight took 2 minutes to call me or even talk to the other teacher who was originally going to be the one booking the flights and had my correct info.

It's good to know we should be able to make our flight into SNA and that there are options if we don't make it due to delay in Atlanta.