Lima said it’s important to do your homework before you fly, and know what your options are if something goes wrong. ![]() It’s just not realistic to get off a plane, go across the airport and get on another plane” in so little time, she said. “I don’t care if you’re a marathon runner. Laurel Brunvoll, owner and president of the boutique luxury travel agency Unforgettable Trips, agreed that 90 minutes is a good floor on connection times, even if an airline sends you an itinerary with as little as 40 minutes between flights. Here's why your trip probably won't be affected. “There are a lot of moving pieces that you have to think about when you’re looking at connections.”Ĭruising Altitude: What to know about getting bumped from a flight when airlines overbookĭon't panic: Southwest Airlines pilots vote to strike. “Let’s take into account: how fast do you walk, how much are you willing to hustle? How long was your original flight? … Do you need a wheelchair? … What if you’re a family and you traveled with a baby and you need your stroller?” Lima said. Travel advisers say there’s a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries. “I don’t want to be responsible for that.” What is a good connection time? “I literally have a waiver that clients have to sign if they want that because the chances of you missing your connection are so high,” Lima said. She explained that “legal” in this case means “in line with the airline’s policies,” but she said that’s often not enough time, especially if your first flight gets delayed or even winds up taking longer to taxi to the gate than expected. “On average, 35 minutes is what they consider a legal connection,” said Loulu Lima founder of the Texas-based travel agency Book Here Give Here. Carriers’ reservation systems will not build an itinerary that violates its minimum connection times.”īut many travel advisers say those guidelines result in itineraries that don’t always work for passengers. “Factors such as deplaning duration of an inbound flight and average time needed to board the connecting flight are considered as well. ![]() “Carriers have internal rules that are specific to each airport depending on terminal layout, concourses for inbound and connecting flights, and whether itinerary is domestic to international, international to domestic, international to international or domestic to domestic,” the organization said in a statement to USA TODAY. How are minimum connection times determined?Īccording to Airlines for America, the trade association that represents most carriers in the U.S., airlines consider factors including airport layout, average boarding time and flight duration when considering their own minimum connection policies. Airlines are free to set their own guidelines and sell connecting flight itineraries with whatever time between flights they feel is reasonable. there’s no overarching rule about minimum connection times. Tell us your story: Mobility device lost or damaged by an airline? USA TODAY wants to hear about it. And what travel professionals say you should consider when booking tickets. Here’s how airlines – yes airlines and not regulators – decide what the minimum amount of time you need between flights is. Travel professionals advise against being lured in with the promise of a quick door-to-door trip time, because it leaves little wiggle room if something goes wrong. ![]() And sure, there’s an element of personal choice in that, but experts say part of the problem could be that many airlines even allow you to book tickets with such short connections in the first place. All travelers, at one point or another, have run a marathon through the airport, cursing themselves for booking such a tight connection (or whatever delay put them in that situation), and sweating as they slalom their way through Auntie Anne’s and Hudson News lines with a roller bag in tow.
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