TA

(see my post #64 in this thread for an update on what finally happened to the flights and plans I mention below)

Hi all -- this a general question (since most of my flights are intl, and I don't deal with tight domestic-domestic connections too often), but also specifically for a connection I have to make in about a week's time:

EWR-DEN 17:12dep - 19:38arr
DEN-BUR 20:20dep - 21:43arr

With any slight weather/traffic delay in Newark (at the afternoon evil hour no less, which I'm used to by now, and it seems historically prudent to plan for), this will end up being quite a hairy connection at DEN. I've written down other options to LAX, Ontario, and even SNA as backup if I arrive at DEN and the BUR flight is gone, but am wondering if they would hold the Burbank flight for late connecting pax? It's the last flight of the day, and I don't think the plane is continuing anywhere else (it seems to turn around the next morning).

Of course, I won't check any bags to begin with, so that may help in case.

ps. what margin of time do they use to cancel passengers' onward connections and rebook them to alternates? The unpleasant scenario I have in mind is when you make it to the connection city with 15 minutes to the next departure, and you can make it to the gate, but the computer has rerouted you and given your seat away because it thinks you couldn't have made it..

eap

It is very unlikely that they would hold the flight unless there were a very large number of passengers making the connection. That said, I have always found my late connecting flights to California from DEN to be late, so my "close" connections have never actually been. :-)

You are absolutely doing the right thing by A) researching alternate airports and B) not checking bags. If you do miss the flight, I'd immediately pick up the phone and call United while walking over to the gate of the next flight [ if it is departing immediately ] or the customer service desks.

jhayes_1780

IIRC, 10 minutes before the door closes for standbys (althought, there are not always standbys.

MBS MillionMiler

Back in the day, they'd hold a plane for a 1K or the like for a FEW MINUTES, but nowadays...Ha! I've arrived at a gate after RUNNING through the terminal, arriving anywhere from 9 to 11 (yes, 11--1 minute ahead of the cutoff) to find out they'd given away my seat to someone else, or simply said, "You're too late". They used to proactively check the missing PAX to see if they're on a tight connection or something, but I rarely see that anymore. They are so concerned about getting that flight out precisely on time that one or two people missing that doesn't compare to getting the flight out on time, or, in my case sometimes, ahead of schedule...About the only exception is an international flight where I've heard "We're holding the plane for a few late arriving passengers", or the rare occasional domestic flight where there's like 20 people.

DenverBrian

Some quick thoughts from someone who bases out of DEN:

--You currently have a one-hour connection. This will be peachy in regular ops. Even if you're delayed leaving EWR by perhaps 45 minutes or even an hour...the plane can and will go faster. They'll make up some time in the air. With 1:45 - 2:00 of potential "slack," you've probably done all you can do.

--For near-city connections, you'll have options to LAX (8:42 PM), SNA (9:15 PM), and ONT (9:00 PM) (TED -rar!). I've had to choose an alternate SoCal city before during irregular ops; with no checked bags, any good GA should be able to do this for you if needed.

--All connections will be in concourse B and there's a 95% chance all connections will be on the west side, gates 15-36. UA seems to like to have west coast departures on the west side. Ah, symmetry.

--If traveling midweek, options will be better than Friday.

UnitedSkies

If you happen to push back on time at EWR, but are told to anticipate rolling ATC delays, be proactive and call Reservations so they can protect you on one of the other LA-area flights once it appears possible that you might misconnect. I wouldn't necessarily wait to do that after you land in DEN.

EsquireFlyer

But if you've already pushed back...those Airfones cost a fortune!

TA

thanks for the advice, all. I guess that's the nice thing about so many LA area options. I'm going to Pasadena, so Burbank is by choice, but any of the others are still preferable to not getting there at all that night...

It's looks like I can stand up to a 1.5 hour delay with the options to ONT, LAX, or even SNA (!). That would be a long drive...

I guess there's more leeway to hold flights when it's an intl flight waiting for domestic arriving passengers, since they have much longer flight time to make up delays, and usually that's passengers' final destination. I remember I've been on SYD flights where they waited an hour on the ground because the flight time was so shortened by winds that they would've arrived before morning curfew anyway!

TA

Do I incorrectly recall or want to believe that there was once a program where calls to UA reservations were free? Or maybe that's to skymall...

Wouldn't that be an innovative way/benefit to use to address passengers' onward connection concerns? But I can see how it could rapidly go wrong with 100 pax calling at the same time...

rjque

There's also a 9:30 flight to LAX on Frontier. That might work if the United options are full or you arrive too late for United. It saves time if you get a paper ticket printed out and endorsed by the agent in EWR when you know that you are going to misconnect.

aerokitty

Long ago, I do recall that they would hold planes. No anymore. The GAs are under pain of death to get the planes out on time. In recent memory, I am 0 for X on planes being held for tight connections. Only time I lucked out is when the next plane was late for some other reason, AND they had officially changed the departure time (so the 10 min rule didn't apply).

That said, I do witness GAs talking about missing passengers and paging them, mostly in INTL flights. I don't think they would hold the plane, but they do try and find them in case they are fumbling about the terminal area...

SEA1K4EVR

Airfone service has been shut off for months...Verizon discontinued it. The phones are still there but they are dead.

Tom Beyersdorf

The basic answer is: like everyelse on UA the practice is consistently inconsistent

FlyingOnceMore

If they won't hold the last IAD-LHR for 15 minutes so as not to have to deal with 36 (mix of F,C and Y) passengers off a late IND-IAD........

You should have seen the CS reps face as she was about to go home and we all descended on her desk on mass off a mobile lounge over at the C gates.

cordelli

They probably won't hold the flight.

But look on the bright side, the second leg left 40 minutes late yesterday, so you may have some built in time.