Risks of short layovers and connecting flights?
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Anonymous
I don't think I would risk this. Isn't the next european flight the next evening? Like 24 hours later? |
Anonymous
| there are actually five Atlanta-Paris flights a day, including on Air France, who is partnered with Delta. |
Anonymous
Yup, except OP didn't say the destination. One of those situations where without details there is very little that can be said definitively. |
Anonymous
I've had multiple times where I had to move fast to make my connection, and the bags didn't make it. |
Anonymous
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We had a short early morning layover in Madrid. Couple hours late taking off so we missed connection.
Couldn't get rebooked until late night flight. Spent day in Madrid, which was cool, except it was hot. About 110. Made it to Lisbon and our Airbnb about 1am. That's my anecdotal story. |
Anonymous
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Recently had this in Chicago with United - they actually changed my itinerary for something I had booked six months out.
I landed in Chicago and my next flight to DC started boarding 5 minutes after we landed. And I had to transfer to the other terminal in the middle of the tarmac using the underground walkway. Sure I made the flight by hustling and getting on my flight with about 8 minutes to spare before they ended boarding. But no way would I have made it with my two young kids. Or if I was elderly. Or if I had a disability. I really question whether these extremely short layovers are ADA compliant., |
Anonymous
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We did this last summer when flying to Spain with small children. Results: outbound flight was late departing the US and we missed our connection in Madrid. They put us on the next flight 3h later. Not bad as we had time to grab food and get to our gate. Return flight we BARELY made our connecting flight back to the US after booking it through the Madrid airport, customs, train etc. with the small kids in tow. As in we arrived at the gate 5 min before departure. Super stressful and everyone was starved and thirsty. Don’t recommend.
This year paid a little more for a nonstop flight it was a much better experience, to say the least. |
Anonymous
If you had a disability, they would have driven you on one of those golf cart that tries to run the rest of us over. |
Anonymous
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Just did this yesterday on Air France, with a scheduled 1 hour 45 minute layover at CDG. The risk is that the first flight leaves late. And that, at a big airport, your next flight might be at some godforsaken gate that takes a bus to get to. (Both of which happened).
My flight from Switzerland was delayed on the tarmac and landed 30 minutes late. Then there was a delay to park, and then it took some time to disembark. Then I had to switch to a non-Schengen terminal, which involves going through passport control. The line was long and the machine I was assigned was messed up and was basically only working for every other person so it caused another bottleneck. Then my flight to the U.S. was assigned a gate that required a bus to get to, and there was a huge line for that. I got on the third bus to arrive (they were coming about 5 minutes apart). By the time I managed to get to my gate, it was about 10 minutes before it closed. And of course I learned there and then that the flight was delayed an hour, so I had both the unpleasant stress of that experience plus a delay. It’s luck of the draw, though. I had the same layover on the way there and zero hiccups, so it was plenty of time. |
Anonymous
NP. I always let the people with tight connections go ahead of me. But maybe I should rethink that. |
Anonymous
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It REALLY depends on the airport the flight is connecting through and if it is through the same airline.
IF it is a European airline, they have a greater financial obligation and incentive to ensure you get there on time with consumer protections or they will help cover additional costs (in theory). I've flown through Iceland with extremely short layovers and I've had no issues but big airlines, I'd avoid super short layovers if possible.....heathrow, CDG....ect. |
Anonymous
Sometimes it’s not their fault- like the airline changes the itinerary at the last minute. |
Anonymous
I've traveled for decades with connections everywhere in Europe and the US. 100% above. Would only do this with Icelandair (haven't flown Play). They know where their passengers are and wait. Made extremely tight connections there. Everyone else does not care, and they will leave you behind. 2 hours is bare minimum, 2.5hrs better, 3 hrs if you want to breathe and perhaps shop for food etc. for the next flight. If terminal changes in very large airports are in play, where you have to wait for the train/bus and encounter multiple security checkpoints, I've had 2.5 h-connections become very tight with on-time airplanes. |
Anonymous
Why rethink that? I have no problem letting people with tight connections go in front of me, whether that's inside the airplane or at security checkpoints. People have become ridiculously self-centered to the point of not being able to apply common sense or basic human decency to any situation anymore. |
Anonymous
In theory, yes. However, in very large airports I caution against counting on this. They have persons that can only go from A to B and not the whole way you have to go to catch your next plane. I was once abandoned with a broken leg at CDG... the person that was supposed to "take over" never showed up. |