Airline Question - Minimum Layover Time

FormerHangie

FormerHangie

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FormerHangie
I'm trying to get my daughter home in early December. She's flying from SCE (State College, PA), and would be changing planes in either DTW, IAD, or PHL. I'm looking at one flight that has a layover time of an hour and 20 minutes. Considering the time of year and the likelihood of crummy weather, is that a long enough time to deal with most delays? I'd hate to see her stuck in the airport.
 
FormerHangie said:
Considering the time of year and the likelihood of crummy weather, is that a long enough time to deal with most delays?
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Deal with delays in what sense? For her to arrange another flight or for the airline to sort out any troubles on their end?
 
Ryanb said:
Deal with delays in what sense? For her to arrange another flight or for the airline to sort out any troubles on their end?
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Is that a long enough time for her to still make her flight given an average delay.
 
Yes. On an average day that’s fine. I personally try to have an hour minimum. Of course when the weather goes bad all you can do is roll with the punches. If she misses a connection there’s always another flight.
 
Looks like the choice is Delta (DTW), American (PHL) or United (IAD)?

My two cents ( I fly about 150k miles/year, mostly on Delta )

Overall, 1.5 hours should be plenty - usually weather affects both sides of your connection.

PHL is pretty easy for connections for the terminal, but weather can back it up more than the average airport. American would not be my first choice of airlines to fix stuff if you have a connection problem
IAD is OK except for the people movers (I haven't been there in a while so that might have changed) I don't fly United much, so can't speak to how the handle disruptions
DTW is a Delta hub, so it would be a hub to hub flight for the second leg. That means plenty of potential to pick up a same day or next day flight if a connection gets missed. Delta is OK on disruptions, but I have a jaded view as a Diamond Medallion, they take care of me first.

All things being equal, I'd chose DTW, assuming it's Delta. 1.5 hours is plenty for a connection.
 
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I would think 80 minutes is plenty. Places in the north are much more efficient for winter weather operations than those in the south. Chances are, she would be fine. It’s all a crapshoot either way, so worse case scenario is that she has to get rebooked on another flight and assuming she’s flying into ATL, than all three of those options would have multiple flights per day, especially DTW.
 
I sometimes make 34 minute connections in Atlanta, but it is sweat inducing. I usually consider 50 minutes a minimum at hub airports - except SLC is ridiculously easy for some reason. But typically I avoid the last flight of the day. Mechanical delays seem to he on the upswing.
 
Ken Ibold said:
But typically I avoid the last flight of the day. Mechanical delays seem to he on the upswing.
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Good point. Choosing the earliest flights of the day give you the best shot of being delay free.
 
That should be enough time. It is easier if she isn't checking luggage, simply because she doesn't need to worry that the luggage also made the flight, and arranging for the luggage at her destination.
 
IAD with United would be my choice. I’ve flown out of SCA several times on UAL and had no issues, however, I was going through ORD for my layover.


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Hang 4 said:
Looks like the choice is Delta (DTW), American (PHL) or United (IAD)?

My two cents ( I fly about 150k miles/year, mostly on Delta )

Overall, 1.5 hours should be plenty - usually weather affects both sides of your connection.

PHL is pretty easy for connections for the terminal, but weather can back it up more than the average airport. American would not be my first choice of airlines to fix stuff if you have a connection problem
IAD is OK except for the people movers (I haven't been there in a while so that might have changed) I don't fly United much, so can't speak to how the handle disruptions
DTW is a Delta hub, so it would be a hub to hub flight for the second leg. That means plenty of potential to pick up a same day or next day flight if a connection gets missed. Delta is OK on disruptions, but I have a jaded view as a Diamond Medallion, they take care of me first.

All things being equal, I'd chose DTW, assuming it's Delta. 1.5 hours is plenty for a connection.
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I asked her if she wanted to go on United on the day she wanted to come back or Delta on the following day, and she chose Delta. My wife and younger daughter flew up to visit her last weekend, they took United to IAD, and my wife said they were required to ride "something like a big Humvee" so I'm guessing that's the people mover. Looks like the DTW-ATL leg is on a 757, my personal favorite.

Ryanb said:
I would think 80 minutes is plenty. Places in the north are much more efficient for winter weather operations than those in the south. Chances are, she would be fine. It’s all a crapshoot either way, so worse case scenario is that she has to get rebooked on another flight and assuming she’s flying into ATL, than all three of those options would have multiple flights per day, especially DTW.
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Yes, she is flying into ATL.

SoonerAviator said:
IAD with United would be my choice. I’ve flown out of SCA several times on UAL and had no issues, however, I was going through ORD for my layover.

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My wife said that their United flight was fine. I like the idea of flying into IAD or PHL, if she gets to one of those airports and they can't get her to State College, if all else fails she could complete the final leg on a bus. From Detroit that's not really an option.
 
Being "retired" my flying is less than it used to be. However, with well over 1 million miles on UA I'm Premier Gold (at a minimum) for life, and as they status match my wife, so is she (my life, that is). In my situation I'd take the UA flight as I am always in at least E+ (often get the courtesy upgrade to 1st on domestic flights). I've never, over 40 years of riding the airlines, had adequate legroom on Delta. Never. Well there was one exception where they put my in 1st due to a delay, but that was once in over 40 years. Delta is to me the Lufthansa of American airlines. The only thing Lufthansa and legroom in coach have in common is that they both start with the letter L. Now, LH service is a whole different game and I will never complain about that.
 
Ghery said:
Being "retired" my flying is less than it used to be. However, with well over 1 million miles on UA I'm Premier Gold (at a minimum) for life, and as they status match my wife, so is she (my life, that is). In my situation I'd take the UA flight as I am always in at least E+ (often get the courtesy upgrade to 1st on domestic flights). I've never, over 40 years of riding the airlines, had adequate legroom on Delta. Never. Well there was one exception where they put my in 1st due to a delay, but that was once in over 40 years. Delta is to me the Lufthansa of American airlines. The only thing Lufthansa and legroom in coach have in common is that they both start with the letter L. Now, LH service is a whole different game and I will never complain about that.
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She's 5' 8", legroom isn't much of a concern to her.
 
Stay away from Dulles in December. That's when the mercenaries take over! (Die Hard)

Seriously, I'd go with DTW. Very little chance of a terminal change.
 
Well, if you have a 1 hour 20 min layover at PHL, you are almost guaranteed to end up with more than 1:20 between flights. In fact, you might even get to spend the night!

PHL is probably the worst airport to reliably fly through right now. I’d choose any airport in the country over flying through PHL.
 
There are minimum connection times, defined by airport (and sometimes whether a carrier switch is needed), but maximum is entirely at the discretion of the airline.
 
PHL has been plagued by a lot of weather that being said it doesn’t rain and snow everyday so why plan that way. PSU student.?
 
Try this: I went to the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at the California State University - Fullerton.

[Basically I went to Cal State]

Now then, why is Wharton a school and others are colleges?
 
Ravioli said:
Try this: I went to the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at the California State University - Fullerton.

[Basically I went to Cal State]

Now then, why is Wharton a school and others are colleges?
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It think it's a matter of breadth of studies. A university is a collection of colleges and schools, and a college has a greater breadth of studies than does a school.

For example, I graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences of Vanderbilt University. In our college, you could major in many different natural sciences, social sciences, and also humanities such as English or Philosophy. Vanderbilt also has a school of law and of medicine. Each of those schools only grant one degree, either a J. D. or an M. D. and in a very narrow range of subjects.
 
If you absolutely positively don't want to be inconvenienced with rebooking etc etc I personally give myself 2 - 3 hours in a hub (depending on the hub...). If everything goes smoothly - relax, enjoy the experience have the overpriced meal and drinks while you casually wait for your plane. JMHO.
 
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