Short connections between flights: any tips?
March 8, 2022 6:54 AM Subscribe
Are there any good ways to maximize my chances of successfully getting from Terminal F in Philadelphia to Terminal A in 45 minutes?
We are planning a trip that is a prize give-away, so someone else is paying the bill -- and making the flight reservations!
They want to book us into Philadelphia at 7:41 AM, with a flight leaving at 8:26 from Terminal A. Usually the first flight lands in Terminal F, so that's a heck of a run.
The second flight is going to the Caribbean, so it counts as international. (Does that affect the time the doors are closed?)
Two adults, no kids, a roll-aboard bag each.
Does this seem possible? And is there anything we can do to make it more likely (e.g., ask a flight attendant to let the crew at the departing gate know we are doing our best)?
(The last time I had a tight connection, all the way across the Detroit airport, I asked the agent at the gate to call ahead. She said, "Oh, honey, you have plenty of time!" and refused. I ran the whole way, and they had just closed the doors when I got there. I don't trust gate agents.)
We are planning a trip that is a prize give-away, so someone else is paying the bill -- and making the flight reservations!
They want to book us into Philadelphia at 7:41 AM, with a flight leaving at 8:26 from Terminal A. Usually the first flight lands in Terminal F, so that's a heck of a run.
The second flight is going to the Caribbean, so it counts as international. (Does that affect the time the doors are closed?)
Two adults, no kids, a roll-aboard bag each.
Does this seem possible? And is there anything we can do to make it more likely (e.g., ask a flight attendant to let the crew at the departing gate know we are doing our best)?
(The last time I had a tight connection, all the way across the Detroit airport, I asked the agent at the gate to call ahead. She said, "Oh, honey, you have plenty of time!" and refused. I ran the whole way, and they had just closed the doors when I got there. I don't trust gate agents.)
I think Philly was the airport I had a very memorable tight-layover timing in, with a similar running across the entire airport energy that got me boarding barely in time. And that was purely domestic flights! It made me vow to never have a tight layover timing ever again.
It might be possible, but have contingency plans in place if the gate closes in your face, is my advice. If at all possible to rearrange flights so your layover is longer, you should consider it.
posted by Drastic at 7:12 AM on March 8, 2022
It might be possible, but have contingency plans in place if the gate closes in your face, is my advice. If at all possible to rearrange flights so your layover is longer, you should consider it.
posted by Drastic at 7:12 AM on March 8, 2022
I've never flown through Terminal F, however it looks like there's a transfer shuttle between terminal F and A every 5 minutes, which may make this possible. It takes you to the top of Terminal A, so you'd have to spring down to your connecting flight, but it would be faster than trying to run the whole way.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:16 AM on March 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by DoubleLune at 7:16 AM on March 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
I assume you’re trying to push the person booking the flight to pick a better connection. In case you can’t, try to just change it yourself after the booking is issued, since changes are generally allowed for most tickets now.
posted by artificialard at 7:17 AM on March 8, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by artificialard at 7:17 AM on March 8, 2022 [5 favorites]
Possibly helpful, possibly not: my parents' home airport is Philadelphia. When they've had early flights to the Caribbean they stay at an airport hotel the night before.
I'm guessing there's no flight that gets you to Philly earlier than 7:41. I don't know if they can book a flight with an overnight connection but this is definitely an option. If you do that, there's a Marriott attached to the airport; I think there are other nearby hotels with shuttles.
Alternately, if they're trying to book you on American (this is a guess from the connection at PHL), does the timing work better if they book you through a different hub, say Charlotte or Miami?
posted by madcaptenor at 7:33 AM on March 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm guessing there's no flight that gets you to Philly earlier than 7:41. I don't know if they can book a flight with an overnight connection but this is definitely an option. If you do that, there's a Marriott attached to the airport; I think there are other nearby hotels with shuttles.
Alternately, if they're trying to book you on American (this is a guess from the connection at PHL), does the timing work better if they book you through a different hub, say Charlotte or Miami?
posted by madcaptenor at 7:33 AM on March 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
A few ideas to help save a few seconds/minutes here and there -
1. your plane coming in to Philly - get seats as close to the front as possible.
2. Let people around you and the flight attendants now you have an extremely tight connection and ask/beg them to let you deplane first.
3. You mentioned roller bags - do NOT gate check them, you will be wasting precious time waiting at the top of the runway for them to be brought up. If possible, get as small as possible roller bags so that you’re not required to gate check them.
4. Assess moving walkways before getting on one. If they are gummed up, you might be faster not using them.
5. I’ve had the faster of the group run ahead to the gate to get there on time and beg the gate people to hold on a few more minutes while the rest of the group catches up.
6. Have contingency plans - you’re not guaranteed that your plane coming into Philly will be landing on time - making that connection even tighter. Are there other flights that you’re aware of leaving Philly that day? If so, and it’s quite clear that you’re not going to make your connection when you land, just beeline for customer service, ticketing, or the gate of the next flight out and get on the next flight out.
7. Godspeed.
posted by Sassyfras at 7:37 AM on March 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
1. your plane coming in to Philly - get seats as close to the front as possible.
2. Let people around you and the flight attendants now you have an extremely tight connection and ask/beg them to let you deplane first.
3. You mentioned roller bags - do NOT gate check them, you will be wasting precious time waiting at the top of the runway for them to be brought up. If possible, get as small as possible roller bags so that you’re not required to gate check them.
4. Assess moving walkways before getting on one. If they are gummed up, you might be faster not using them.
5. I’ve had the faster of the group run ahead to the gate to get there on time and beg the gate people to hold on a few more minutes while the rest of the group catches up.
6. Have contingency plans - you’re not guaranteed that your plane coming into Philly will be landing on time - making that connection even tighter. Are there other flights that you’re aware of leaving Philly that day? If so, and it’s quite clear that you’re not going to make your connection when you land, just beeline for customer service, ticketing, or the gate of the next flight out and get on the next flight out.
7. Godspeed.
posted by Sassyfras at 7:37 AM on March 8, 2022 [8 favorites]
I would not attempt this unless:
1) the flights are on the same airline, booked at the same time, so if you miss the connection they'll re-seat you on another
2) the next flight is the same day
posted by aramaic at 8:37 AM on March 8, 2022 [4 favorites]
1) the flights are on the same airline, booked at the same time, so if you miss the connection they'll re-seat you on another
2) the next flight is the same day
posted by aramaic at 8:37 AM on March 8, 2022 [4 favorites]
More general advice, if you're wondering about connections, see what comes up when you google the specific flights together. For some destinations, there are very commonly used combinations of routes/layovers. If so, someone's probably already asked the question somewhere and gotten a fantastically detailed response.
I was once stressing out about an international flight with a 75 minute connection. Then I googled the flight numbers and found a half dozen frequent flyer forums where people had literally asked the exact same question, "I am taking Flight X from JFK to Dubai and Flight Y from Dubai to Mumbai, is this enough time to make the connection?" (Answer: Yes. This was in fact such a common transfer that the airline had an employee waiting at the gate in Dubai to guide everyone through the terminal to an expedited security lane and then usher us directly to the connecting flight.)
posted by yeahlikethat at 9:27 AM on March 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was once stressing out about an international flight with a 75 minute connection. Then I googled the flight numbers and found a half dozen frequent flyer forums where people had literally asked the exact same question, "I am taking Flight X from JFK to Dubai and Flight Y from Dubai to Mumbai, is this enough time to make the connection?" (Answer: Yes. This was in fact such a common transfer that the airline had an employee waiting at the gate in Dubai to guide everyone through the terminal to an expedited security lane and then usher us directly to the connecting flight.)
posted by yeahlikethat at 9:27 AM on March 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
I’ve had the faster of the group run ahead to the gate to get there on time and beg the gate people to hold on a few more minutes while the rest of the group catches up.
I did this once when my wife was pregnant. It was not fun, but it worked.
posted by madcaptenor at 9:54 AM on March 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
I did this once when my wife was pregnant. It was not fun, but it worked.
posted by madcaptenor at 9:54 AM on March 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
I have missed that connection (well, in reverse, but).
If you're arriving at F, it's likely that's you'll be on a small plane, in which case you may not be able to bring a roll-on on board; the overhead compartments aren't big enough. Duffel bags might be a better choice.
posted by Dashy at 6:48 PM on March 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
If you're arriving at F, it's likely that's you'll be on a small plane, in which case you may not be able to bring a roll-on on board; the overhead compartments aren't big enough. Duffel bags might be a better choice.
posted by Dashy at 6:48 PM on March 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Update: we rebooked to a later flight. Thanks for the guidance, everyone -- and happy landing to you all!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:44 AM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 7:44 AM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
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