Tell Me About AA And CLT Airport...

[kristenrice]

We have two trips planned this year (October and December) and for once, we are not tied to SWA. I am looking at some flights that connect through CLT on American and they have connection times of 30-40 minutes. That seems impossible when I look at the images of the airport on Google maps! That place is HUGE! On top of that, the "performance" of the first flight shows an on-time percentage of 30-60% which is not encouraging. The other option would be to take a flight with a 2.5-2.75 hour layover, which seems excessive. Does American really have itineraries that go out regularly with 30-40 minute connections and still make the connecting flight? I see several flights through ORD, DCA and CLT with connection times of 30 and 40 minutes. Are these itineraries for real?? I would be terrified of missing my connection, but as long as there is still another flight that day, I would not be too upset, as long as they get me there. Do they compensate you at all if you miss the connection due to THEIR delay? I know, they always SAY it's "weather"...

The flights I am looking at are in the timeframe and price point that I am comfortable with, but there are other options with Delta and United that have layovers that are around 1 hour which is a little more comfortable. The flight times and prices are not as appealing so this is going to be a tough decision. I am not at all familiar with the Charlotte airport. United and Delta fly through O'Hare and Detroit which are airports that I have used in the past. On the way home, we would not be "stuck" if we missed a connection at either of those airports because they are both about 2.5 hours from our house and we could just drive home if needed.

(Oh, and it is just 2 adults flying...planning to book fares that include seats near the front of the plane, in front of the wings/exits)

 

[PrincesCJM]

During my last connection thought CLT, we can into terminal E on a CRJ and had to run to terminal A or B. Our original flights had been canceled so I took what I could to get us to our destination the same day. We ran only to find out that our flight wasn't actually boarding yet, despite the app telling us that it was.

 

[David in Manassas]

During my last connection thought CLT, we can into terminal E on a CRJ and had to run to terminal A or B. Our original flights had been canceled so I took what I could to get us to our destination the same day. We ran only to find out that our flight wasn't actually boarding yet, despite the app telling us that it was.

Because we live in one of the smaller South Carolina cities we typically have to fly to Charlotte to connect. Please please please reconsider such a short connection. One little blip and you will miss your flight. Remember they stop boarding and shut the door at a certain time not the listed departure time. I have an upcoming trip with 50 minute connection time and I'm sweating it but we are sitting at the front of the plane so should be one of the first people out.

 

[sam_gordon]

35-40 minutes is the minimum "LEGAL" connection time at CLT. I doubt I would book that as a first choice however.

Yes, you can get "lucky" and not have to travel far between gates, but I probably wouldn't take the chance unless:
* I'm the only one travelling
* It's the last flight of the day
* It's a HUGE cost savings.

 

[Mle8308]

Charlotte is a huge airport, and the last time I flew through there it was under construction. Hopefully that is done! I would not want a 30-40 minute connection there. You might get lucky and the gates are close. But again, it is a huge airport and their hub, so you could have a long trek to get to the next gate. There normally is no compensation, as you chose to do the connection. They will work with you to get you on another flight, as long as they aren't full. And, they may hold the plane for a few minutes, I've been on a flight where they have done that (it was literally 5 minutes and the people applauded when the passenger got on), however I think it would depend on if the gate is needed for the next flight arriving.

 

[bgirl29]

We have a similar situation for an end of April trip. Had the choice between 35 min and 2 hours. Sadly chose the 2 hours because my daughter has lived in Charlotte for ten years now and we have had plenty of delays getting into and out of CLT.

 

[kristenrice]

Thanks for the confirmation. There are (3) flights on the date that we are travelling that have a 30 minute connection time in CLT and the "best" on-time performer is at 60%, with "on-time" being defined as arriving within 14 minutes of the scheduled time. That is not reassuring at all. I would not even think about booking any of those flights, even though the times and prices are ideal. I would stick to the 2-3 hour layovers or a layover at an airport that is driving distance from home.

 

[EACarlson]

I've done both the 35 minute layover and the 2.5 hour layover, and even an 8 hour layover at CLT. I've never missed a 35 minute connection, but I have missed a 90 minute connection when AA decided to take a very slow routing due to possible weather. AA put me up in a hotel that night and got me to my destination the next morning. I would prefer a 35 minute connection at ORD rather than CLT for AA. But that's just because all of AA at ORD is in the same terminal, I've hiked multiple miles at CLT between an RJ gate and my mainline or international gate.