Things to Consider Before Booking a Connecting Flight
If you’ve booked a connecting flight to save some money, airlines such as United and American usually give you just 30 minutes to get off the plane, pick up your carry-on baggage, change terminals if necessary, and find the right gate. ; this is a particularly narrow window, but possible in smaller airports. That risk can backfire, however, and according to USA Today , a 30-minute connection was not enough for one unlucky passenger whose flight was recently delayed by 25 minutes.
“I got to Reagan and found that I had to change the terminal on the bus to establish a connection,” he told USA Today . “I rushed to the bus, begged the driver, who was in no hurry to get under way, finally got to the terminal and rushed to the exit. When I got there, I found that the door was closed and I was denied boarding even though the plane was still there. ” He eventually made it to his destination, although it took another flight and another eight hours.
Booking a route with a close relationship is a gamble. And while airlines can give you a minimum of 30 minutes to fly, you should always consider arrival and departure times when booking a direct flight route.
Take enough time to establish a connection
Before booking a connection, you should consider how much time you have to fly. You may prefer a comfortable one-hour connection instead of a six-hour one; conversely, you may also prefer a one hour waiting time blanket over 30 minutes of connection, especially if you need to change terminals or pick up your checked baggage when you claim your baggage.
USA Today recommends a minimum of 60 minutes when connecting in major cities and a minimum of 90 minutes if you’ve checked in your baggage. Allow at least two hours for international flights that may require lines at immigration, customs and security.
You should also research the terminals of your connecting flights in advance so that you can easily reach the boarding gate; to connect to or from an international flight, you may need to switch terminals.
“They’re reusing the same flight numbers for routes so you can see where those gates / terminals are over the next few days to get an idea,” wrote u / jadeoracle in a recent Reddit thread . “… Besides, I would also check and see if you missed your flight, what are the next possible flights you can get on? [If] armed with this information, you will be able to rebook faster. Or, if it’s a weird case of having only one flight a day, you will know what to plan for. ”
If you miss your flight, you don’t want to wait another day for your next flight opportunity, so consider an airport that might have more flights.
Explore the amenities of your airport
Then, for your sanity, search the internet for your airport and terminal to see what amenities you can take advantage of, such as restaurants or bars. If the connection in three hours or longer, it may be useful for the study of available airline airport of your living with and offers a one-day rate, so you can take advantage of their privileges like free Wi – Fi and refreshments. (If you have a joint airline credit card, chances are you already have lounge access at the airport.)
Also, you should consider whether your connection can allow you to leave the airport on time to investigate if the day trip sounds attractive. In this case, you must consider the traffic and safety of re-entering the airport stopping. You are likely to encounter more traffic at large hotspots like JFK or LAX than at smaller airports.
Please note the estimated departure and arrival times.
Be sure to check if there are any delays in your suggested route; if any of the flights on your route are delayed, you may skip the connection altogether.
You can use Google Flights to predict these delays, which uses historical data (and an algorithm) to estimate. For example, a one hour and 10 minute connecting route from JFK to Honolulu with a transfer at LAX airport suggests that the first leg of the journey is often delayed by more than 30 minutes, which could jeopardize your ability to connect.
When you are docked , you can also use FlightAware to find possible delays on your inbound flight; search by airline and flight number or by origin and destination to get a better estimate of how much time you might need to spend at the airport. When checking in for a flight or purchasing a flight, you can also sign up to receive updated travel alerts from your airline.
Some airports, such as Chicago O’Hare, are also notorious for delays; You should search the internet to see if delays are common at both departure and landing airports. The FAA website provides updated information on flight delays at several major US airports.
Finally, it is obvious that you should consider cost when choosing a connection over a direct flight; You may find that a connecting flight is more expensive than a direct one in some cases. For this reason, you should not immediately filter the results for indirect flights as they may seem like a cheaper option. Do a little research and find all the available flight options to find your ideal itinerary. You can even book your own connecting flights , although this can be tricky.