what's the minimum time between flight?

[tony64]

What is the minimum time you think we can get away with between connecting flights, allowing for the time it will take to clear immigration?

We are looking at Newark if that makes a difference.

 

[2Tiggies]

Hi Tony

We are going via Newark next year and have a 90 minute connection time outbound and I opted for 2 1/2 hours coming back. I understand that the airlines may not offer connection times that fall below the required minimum and I think 90 minutes is the least time they will offer you.

 

[skelfbsfb]

To be on the safe side I would say 3 hours, however I have never done connecting flights before, but will be next year and this is the stop over time I have given myself.

 

[ford family]

We've hubbed through Atlanta and Newark.
We aim for a minimum of two hours going in, one hour coming home.
Immigration, collecting luggage, Customs, dropping off luggage and then Security before onwards to the next gate on the way in. Esta has speeded up the immigration process but the new security regime may slow it down.
On the way home, nothing. Get off one flight and head for the next. Luggage makes its own way to the next flight, no formalities just duty free shopping!

ford family

 

[lin85prest]

We had 90 min at Newark this year and even being in the slowest immigration line we still made it quite comfortably, we are doing the same next year, hope to be in a shorter/quicker line.

 

[2Tiggies]

We had 90 min at Newark this year and even being in the slowest immigration line we still made it quite comfortably, we are doing the same next year, hope to be in a shorter/quicker line.

I worried about the connection coming back and did 2 hours 30 min on the return. I wish I had taken the later flight out of Orlando now! Too late to change it.

 

[wayneg]

We accept anything over 90 mins outbound & 60 mins on the return journey. Only airport I have been thru where 90 mins would be a struggle is Atlanta, every other we have done in uder 60 mins.

 

[Miffy2003]

Hi Tony

We've done Newark five or six times. On the way out I would definitely allow 90 mins. My personal preference is for two hours though which usually gives us time to stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat before the final leg

If you miss the connection, there are usually other flights down to MCO within the next few hours

On the way back we've done it with a 30 minute connection - you literally stroll off one plane, walk a bit, and get on another. No messing around

Only snag is if you miss the onward connection, you could be stuck for a whole day (depending on how many flights there are back to the UK for your final destination). There was only one per day when we used to fly into Bristol via Newark. That would have been annoying.

HTH

Karen

 

[2Tiggies]

Only snag is if you miss the onward connection, you could be stuck for a whole day (depending on how many flights there are back to the UK for your final destination). There was only one per day when we used to fly into Bristol via Newark. That would have been annoying.

HTH

Karen

It was on that basis that I opted for the earlier flight from MCO to Newark. I would much rather spend that hour by the pool but I would be worrying about making the connection, not relaxing. For our arrival there are, as you say, so many flights to MCO that missing the connection is not that big a deal. But the earlier flight leaves you more likely to get to your resort early

 

[lin85prest]

It was on that basis that I opted for the earlier flight from MCO to Newark. I would much rather spend that hour by the pool but I would be worrying about making the connection, not relaxing. For our arrival there are, as you say, so many flights to MCO that missing the connection is not that big a deal. But the earlier flight leaves you more likely to get to your resort early <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

__________________

Are u on the Edinburgh flight? My DS booked for the next one to MCO as it was only an hour later, but like you I want to get there as quickly as possible.

 

[2Tiggies]

__________________

Are u on the Edinburgh flight? My DS booked for the next one to MCO as it was only an hour later, but like you I want to get there as quickly as possible.

Yes, that is the Edinburgh flight. The Glasgow one leaves earlier than the Edinburgh one, but it's still the same first avaiable connection (i.e. just a longer connection time at EWR) and also the GLA one leaves earlier so we would have to leave early afternoon. Not happening

 

[disneyholic family]

as everyone said - it depends on the airport and on the airline connection...

when i fly through newark, i switch between two airlines that are in two different terminals....my most recent flight through was in August, connecting to Houston, rather than Orlando....
in that case, i had 4.5 hours between connections, so i ran from terminal to terminal with all of my luggage in an attempt to get on the earlier flight to houston (90 minute gap)......
since i was actually trying to make the earlier flight in that case, i didn't reload my luggage at the customs drop off, but instead dragged it all through all the elevators up up down down with all my luggage in tow.....what a major pain in the derriere....in the end, i couldn't get the earlier flight so it was all for naught....the 6 am flight was fully booked and i ended up on my original 9 AM flight....
in any case, things were pretty fast there in terms of changing planes....although i'm not the fan of newark i used to be....but it's a LOT better than switching through Kennedy, which has to be the absolute worst connecting airport in the US....though i'm a long way from having done all of them....

my best experience was at the airport in detroit...only one terminal to deal with....and pretty user friendly....

worst was Kennedy - second worst was probably chicago o'hare.......

i haven't been through atlanta, so can't compare..

houston was a nightmare for airport security.....longest line i've ever seen and i've seen a lot...

in general, the airport security in the US takes more and more time with each passing day...although when i left Orlando in July, i by happenstance found a really fast security line that was separate from where everyone else was...
it was a line supposedly for people traveling without children (that was how it was described to me by the person standing in front of me in line)...
we zipped through, while the regular line (with all the families) seemed to take a lot longer...

 

[Kath2003]

Each airport has a minimum "legal" connection time. An airline cannot (or will not) sell you a flight connection time of less than this. However, they are still largely unrealistic for the most part. I would say 90 minutes as the bare minimum; personally I like 2+ hours.

I had 90 minutes at Chicago O'Hare and wouldn't have made the connected flight but it happened to be delayed.

Booked a 2-hour connection in Miami for our last trip and that internal flight wound up being cancelled a couple of months before we went. We wound up with a 4.5 hour connection time which was fine - we got some "real" food, watched some TV and leisurely strolled our way through immigration.

I don't know anything about connecting with baggage as we fly hand-luggage only.

 

[disneyholic family]

Each airport has a minimum "legal" connection time. An airline cannot (or will not) sell you a flight connection time of less than this. However, they are still largely unrealistic for the most part. I would say 90 minutes as the bare minimum; personally I like 2+ hours.

I had 90 minutes at Chicago O'Hare and wouldn't have made the connected flight but it happened to be delayed.

Booked a 2-hour connection in Miami for our last trip and that internal flight wound up being cancelled a couple of months before we went. We wound up with a 4.5 hour connection time which was fine - we got some "real" food, watched some TV and leisurely strolled our way through immigration.

I don't know anything about connecting with baggage as we fly hand-luggage only.

the baggage adds some time on the way in as you have to take it through customs and then drop it right off again for your next flight...then when you get to orlando you arrive as a domestic passenger...

going back you just check your bags all the way from orlando to your final destination and they arrive with you (hopefully)...
supposedly, less connecting time raises the risk of delayed baggage when you get home, but i had a 12 hour connection on my flight in October and 2 of my 3 suitcases still only arrived the next day

 

[T16GEM]

We were delayed in January because of an evacuation of Newark and our flight got into Newark from BHX at about 7pm by the time we had cleared immigration we had missed the last connection and ended up spending the night in the airport sleeping on the floor, this was not a fun start to our holiday I can assure you.

Coming back our flight from MCO was also delayed and we got into EWR with a 3 minute gap until they were closing the gate, it was a real Home Alone run through the airport - typically we had landed at the exact opposite end of the airport to where our connection was, we literally sprinted and made it with 30 seconds to spare before they closed the plane doors! This was with Continental, and honestly we sprinted through the airport and it was the most stressful 10 minutes of my life - especially knowing that there wasn't another Birmingham connection for 48 hours!! We'd have been stuck there until the Wednesday evening and that was if we got a standby!

Our original outbound connection time was 3 hours, we've found the 90 minutes to be too short, coming back we opt for the shortest connection as there are no bags to check etc so you've only got to get yourself to the gate, where as going out you have to recheck your bags and this can also take some time.

I guess I'm saying that no connection is fool proof, things happen that are out of our (and the airlines) control so it's best to go with what you feel comfortable with - I wouldn't do the 90 minutes again because of the kids, it's a pain trying to co-ordinate bags, kids, car seats, buggies, husbands etc, but you've got none of these so you will prob be ok with a 90 min slot.

Another thing that my FIL (who works on the planes) always says is if you think you are going to be cutting it fine for your connection then call a hostess and tell them and they can usually arrange for you to get off first or have a buggy waiting to take you through the gates.

HTH
Gems

 

[tony64]

Thanks guys we were looking at 2 1/2 so that's sounds like it should be very comfortable.