gq_dq

I am flying on an AA Award ticket AKL-BNE-CNS on QF, all on the same ticket/locator. Due to a 10 minute later departure AKL-BNE, the 90 min connection in BNE which was originally booked legally (and apparently is also the Int'l-Dom minimum at BNE) is now 80 min. Obviously although I didn't realize it at the time, the system allowed it to be originally ticketed because the original connection I booked several months ago was 90 min! I checked again and the ticket with the new times still looks fine on aa.com and I also called QF and they said the ticket looked fine.

Then today, I actually realized that I should also check the min connecting time in BNE just to be safe. So I called QF a second time (I didn't have the record locator handy) so without looking at my reservation they said IN GENERAL a connection less than 90 min on the same ticket would be flagged at AKL and I may not be able to board in AKL itself, let alone get to BNE. There are no later flights BNE-CNS on QF (there is one on Jetstar but that may or may not be available for miles) and I cannot leave AKL earlier as I arrive into AKL around noon.

I have arrived internationally into BNE before and immigration/customs is usually quick, so even with needing to take the bus to the domestic terminal, 80 minutes will probably be OK -- but I don't want to be stuck in AKL itself if the system flags the connection and does not issue the original Boarding Pass. Actually it might be even earlier. My flight into AKL that morning is on Air Tahiti Nui, also on the same ticket, so the way it sounds I may even have a problem in Papeete for a through check-in?

My flights are not for several months later, so hopefully they change the times again to my benefit. But I was just wondering if anyone had experienced a situation where they had an involuntary schedule change and the system would not let them board due to the short connection.

Dave Noble

The minimum connecting time for Brisbane for an International Qantas flight to a Domestic Qantas flight is indeed 90 minutes

It will almost certainly be picked up by Qantas at some point and not be permitted. I would speak to Qantas now to see about getting rebooked on a valid connection

flyingnovice

Absolutely call QF again with your PNR. I had a similar problem a few months ago, returning to SYD via BNE on what was QF8 on the BNE-SYD leg. When QF decided to switch SYD-DFW-SYD to the A380, my domestic connection was obviously cancelled and the system re-booked me to QF509, departing at 0725, leaving me with a connection time of 35 mins.

When I called QF, the agent looked at the booking and said "clearly that's not right" then proceeded to manually re-book me onto a later flight. I don't know if QF would have picked this up at some point, but I wasn't going to risk it.

mikew99

I once had booked an AA award with flights on CX and AA. Due to a schedule change, the new flight times resulted in a connection at LAX less than the MCT by something like 2 minutes. I had to escalate it to get a supervisor's approval to accept the change, but the exception was granted, and I had no problems when checking in with CX.

On another occasion, UA.com inexplicably let me book a partner award itinerary with an invalid MCT. At check-in, SQ warned me that if I didn't make it, I would be on my own -- they wouldn't do anything to help me -- but they did let me check in.

Of course, these are just two personal experiences based on different airlines, connecting points, and circumstances. Because you're flying on an AA (award) booking, QF might not want to touch it now, but it's definitely worth a call to AA to see if they have any creative solutions.