Tight SW connection

[JoanneDisFan]

Just booked for free dining this fall and looking at airline tickets. SW has a flight that I'm interested in, but it has a 25 min connection in Houston. I was planning on doing early bird checkin, but would this even help since they would be boarding while we landed. Anyone deal with this before. And to make it more fun DS will have to have a window seat for the car seat.

My other option is to fly through midway which gives me a 1hr layover.

 

[mrg013]

I've never dealt with that short of a connection, but that would definitely make me nervous. 25 minutes is a very short connection, and any delay at all would make you miss it. You'll need everything to be perfectly on time with the first flight to have a chance of making it. Even an hour can be a tight connection, but it's better.

Even if you pay for EBCI, I definitely wouldn't count on being able to benefit from it at that point. Boarding will likely (but not necessarily) have already begun once you land, and you'll need to remember that the 25 minute connection includes the time it takes to get off the plane in HOU, get to the next gate, and board. Your chances of making the flight at all aren't overly great, so the chances of making it for EBCI boarding are even slimmer.

I would be a bit less leery of it if you didn't have specific needs, such as a window seat for your 2-year-old. If it was a bunch of adults who are able to run from gate to gate and take whichever seat they can get, it may be a different story.

I think you also need to consider what time of day you're flying and where you're flying from. If it's the first flight in the morning, you're less likely to have delays and more likely to be able to make it. If your city's airport is smaller or generally not prone to delays, it may also be more feasible. You'll also want to consider how large Southwest's operations are in Houston and how far apart the gates would be in the worst case scenario.

Although airlines won't hold a plane for someone who is late getting to the airport, they will sometimes hold a plane for a couple minutes if they know a group is coming in off of a connecting flight. There's no guarantee of this, however, so I think I'd book the flight connecting through Midway just to be a bit safer (as long as the prices, times, etc. are equally good).

 

[JoanneDisFan]

It's a price difference of just less than $100/person to fly through midway. Both offer decent flight times, not to early or late.

Called SW and got a person who couldn't tell me anything. Went so far as to say a steward/ess wouldn't move people. But I know they legally have to provide a seat if we pay for it, and car seats can not block the path of access.

Guess I will wait and see if the price drops.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You need to chose a different flight. If you are dealing with a car seat and a small child, it's going to be very tough to manage all that and make a 25 minute connection. Not to mention there might be some very angry PAX if they have to move to make a window seat available for you, and you may hold up the whole departing flight.

Did you consider flying an airline with assigned seats? You might even find a nonstop flight.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I was looking at some SW flights with tight connections for a DL trip, from here on the east coast. I had to eliminate those with under an hour, for sure.

I travel with my adult special needs son, and we gate check his large Convaid chair. And we have to site together, he is autistic and has Down Syndrome, not really verbal either. If I can find one with no plane change, I am ok of course.

If you find flights with a longer connection, I like Midway for layovers. Nice airport to grab a bite between flights. (Potbellies!)

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Although they would need to accomodate the car seat, there is nothing that says they have to accomodate you next to it. Although it would be common sense to make sure a parent is next to the car seat, it's not a requirement as far as I am aware.

 

[Lewisc]

I'm going to slightly disagree with the PP. Airlines have minimum times for a "legal" connection. The times vary by airport. Southwest isn't going to let you book a flight you have no chance of making.

My guess is your flight to HOU historically lands early. Try to check and see if that's the case. Check and see how close the gates are.

You need to pay for EBCI and sit as close to the front of the plane as you can. You need to use the bathroom on the plane so you can go directly to the gate. You may want to send someone ahead, depending on how long it takes to disconnect the car seat. I'd ask the GA in LIT if he can let HOU know you have a tight connection and need a window seat. The FA might save a window seat or will get someone to move, if necessary. Pretty good shot the middle passenger will move if necessary. The rest of your family may get scattered.

My thoughts. Booking the connecting flight through MDW will add 2 hours to the trip and will get them to MCO around around 5 vs 11:45. Taking the next flight to MCO from HOU, if they miss their connection, will get them to MCO around the same time as if they booked the flight which connected in Chicago.

Southwest has 2 flights leaving for MCO from HOU at 8:30a. A N/S flight and a direct flight with a stop in New Orleans. One flight could be delayed.

Are you the kind of family that can hustle? I'd be tempted to give it a shot.

 

[TXMemaw]

I fly SW a lot and connect through Houston for most of my flights going east. They do seem to have more and more of those really short connections. Like the PP's have said, if everything is on time, you'll be getting off your first flight when the second one is already starting to board. Houston is not as bad to change flights in as the Phoenix airport but it is large enough that it can be a bit of a walk from one gate to the other. We have done it and it can be nerve wreaking if your first flight has any type of delay. If you do decide to go ahead and book it, try to sit as close to the front as possible like the PP said. As far as the EBCI - it won't be any help if they are already into the B's although you can board as soon as you get to the gate if your boarding number has already been let in. I had Business Select on a flight that changed in Dallas two years ago. We were late arriving and they had already moved us to the next flight but since we all ran there, they decided to go ahead and let us board (which was a mess since they had to then change each of us back one at a time, we weren't a group just the "mob" running from one flight to make another connection). I went from A1 to one of the last people to board an almost completely full flight! DH and I were no where near each other but it was a short flight so no biggie. We are usually just two adults but with small children I don't think I would even consider it, but that's just me. You know best if you'll be stressed out or not by delays and would have to weigh that against the cost and time savings. Enjoy your trip whatever you decide to do!

 

[Allison]

That is too short for me. What if your first flight is late by even 15 minutes?

 

[anonymousegirl]

The minimum connection time in Houston is 20 minutes for a domestic to domestic flight. I think that's crazy. I would not take any flight without at least 35 minutes there.

 

[ibob52]

May 2013 ... I had a 55 minute connection time (layover) between flights ...

1st leg ... Arrival was 15 minutes late and

Due to SWA start of Boarding @ 30 minutes before schedule Departure (2nd leg)

I had 5 minutes to get to gate ... not enough time to actually stretch my legs ...

EBCI only works ... if you are at gate on time ... YMMV

 

[seashoreCM]

If you are a frequent business traveler and don't want to plan an extended wait at the connection point each and every time, then these 20 to 25 minute connection times make sense.

Meanwhile if you are on vacation and don't like the hustle and bustle, please save yourself the anxiety and book a longer connection, like at least 1-1/2 hours.

I dare say that if the airline juggles the schedule and causes your already booked connection time to become too short for your comfort, it must allow you to reselect flights at no charge.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I dare say that if the airline juggles the schedule and causes your already booked connection time to become too short for your comfort, it must allow you to reselect flights at no charge.

Huh? Too short for a legal connection, sure, for your comfort, absolutely not. If you want 1 hour connection and book as such, but due to changes in arrival and/or departure times drops it to 30 minutes and a legal connection is 25 minutes there is no requirement that they allow you to reselect your flights if you don't like it without a change fee (if applicable per airline requirements).