tjl

Why do airports and airlines have unrealistic minimum connection times? An example in another thread is AMS specifying a 50 minute minimum connection time, but that is considered unrealistic for non-Schengen to Schengen connections.

Seems that unrealistic minimum connection times just cause misconnects, which result in annoyed passengers who bad-mouth the airline to others and airline extra work to handle rebooking, rerouting baggage, etc..

rattlehead190777

I agree, some of the connections these days are stupid. Recently I flew PDX-AMS-MUC, my connection time in AMS was 25 minutes - that's 25 minutes to get from one end of a terminal to another and clear Customs - assuming that the flight arrives on time in AMS.

Even here in the US it seems stupid. I often fly PDX-MSP-LGA and some of the connection times are 15-20 mins both outbound and inbound, it doesn't make sense.

I think the worst one I had recently was JFK-DTW-ORD - I arrived in Detroit at one end of the terminal and had to go to the complete opposite end of the airport, where the CRJ's are, with a 15 minutes connection - put it this way, I learnt how fast I can run on that trip !!!

There doesn't seem to be a method to the madness - missed connections mean problems all round so why let people book flights like this if it's not a realistic connection time ?

cordelli

Many of the minimum connection times come from simpler days, when a plane arrived and you could zip right over to the next flight. Planes were on time way more, boarding was easier, and all that stuff.

As they started expanding airports, it was no longer a few minute walk from one end of the terminal to the other, you started to have to go out and back through security for example, and they never updated the connection times.

I can't possibly believe 15 minutes is a legal connection time at any airport. Even if the two gates are right next to each other, there's virtually no chance your luggage will make it.

Saying all that, travelers need to take some responsibility for it too. If you know you have to change planes and you know you have 20 minutes to do so, you need to rearrange your flight times or airports or whatever to something more reasonable.

UA_Eagle

I agree--the MCTs listed are ridiculous, especially for large airports. My rule of thumb is to allow at the very minimum a hour for domestic-to-domestic connections. For international-to-domestic connections, I'd allow about 2 hours.

planemechanic

It's funny that when airlines provide extra time in their schedules to account for delays and connections they are often accused of padding their schedules, not for trying to help the average passenger.

Loren Pechtel

I have that trouble coming home (international) through SFO.

The system uses a minimum connection time that makes no sense at all considering that you have to recover your bags and recheck them. I've had to yell and get a ticket changed when a travel agent gave me a connection through there that wouldn't have worked even if you removed every official involved.

Christopher

I remember years ago having to argue with a travel agent (this was back in the days when we all used travel agents) about a connection at Los Angeles airport: Sydney—Los Angeles—Washington DC. The agent wanted to give me an onward flight with a slightly >1 hour connection time, which just wasn't going to work: I was travelling on a non-US passport with an elderly relative who couldn't walk fast. All the agent would say was, "The guide from the airline says it will be all right." I don't think she thought I was being serious, and it was only when I stood up and said, "Let's forget it then," and started to walk out that she miraculously found that there was, after all, another possible flight.

Could it be that such people are so used to people complaining about long stop-overs and long check-in times that they try to minimise these things at all costs?

Delta767

Maybe airlines don't even think that you can make that connection...

I've been on many flights where we had to wait for connecting pax and their bags. I wonder if the airlines don't mind waiting another 10 minutes for you to show up? Or booking you on the next flight...

gleff

Unless you forced your own illegal connection, I don't think you had a 25 minute connection for this itinerary.

There are no 15-20 minute legal connections at MSP.

Perhaps you mean you have 15-20 minutes to get to the gate prior to boarding?

Again I'm quite certain you did not have a 15 minute connection in DTW. Online DL-DL 30 minute connection maybe, but not 15

And if you think these are crazy, why are you booking them?

Athena53

Many reservation systems show the total travel time and it may be that the airlines want their combinations to show up as the shortest number of total hours so people who don't know better will choose them. I ignore that and zero in on departure time and layover time. I agree with UA_Eagle's minimum times, except that I prefer to have 2 hours even in the US as a safety valve. I'm about to book my son from DSM-CLT over Thanksgiving and you can bet I'll give him long connections.

If the booking system won't give me the combination/connection I want, I'll book it as a multi-destination trip (e.g., MCI to ORD, then ORD to whatever) so I have more flexibility.

B747-437B

Contrary to popular perception, MCTs are not a number pulled out of a hat. There is a huge amount of work that goes into determining MCTs, all the way down to people walking between gates hundreds of times with stopwatches at various times of day.

The key thing to remember however is that an MCT is based upon exactly what you see on paper. If your MCT is 30 minutes, that assumes you have 30 minutes to get from one gate to the next. Under laboratory conditions, this must be doable at least 99% of the time.

What the MCT does not account for is any other delays that may exist such as waiting for the jetbridge to be positioned, waiting for your valet check bags, abnormally long lines at a security/immigration checkpoint (the MCT calculation usually uses a formula of {[average wait time + average processing time] + 10%} for any queues), bathroom breaks, visits to concession stands, stopping to check email, etc...

I have never seen a passenger involuntarily misconnect on a legal MCT connection that did not otherwise involve a system failure/variation somewhere in the process chain.

tjl

In other words, the MCT is the best case scenario of no flight delays (including being 14 minutes late while being listed as "on time"), no delays getting off the plane, no delays at immigration/customs/security (if applicable), gates are near each other, etc..

Unfortunately, system failure / variation somewhere in the process chain is quite common these days.

Cha-cha-cha

Exactly. The MCT algorithm ought to ad 15 minutes late tolerance at the front end, and then build in further padding depending on how often that flight is late at that airport. This means the MCT would have to be more dynamic, changing frequently as lateness rates change, but that ought not to be beyond the means of current technology.

And I've read before in travel guides and magazines that, yes, airlines give short MCTs so their flights will float to the top of the lists arranged by total flight times; yet another reflection of how little the airlines' concern for you extends beyond the point where you hand them your money.

Athena53

I'd also make it vary seasonally (lengthen it in ATL and DFW during summer storm season and in ORD and DTW during the winter months) and even by departure time, since you have a much better chance getting into ORD or ATL in time to catch your connection if you're scheduled to arrive at 9 AM instead of 7 PM. Since the airlines have overbooking (i.e., how many excess seats to sell on a particular flight in anticipation of no-shows) down to a science with similar variables, they ought to be able to do it with MCTs.

Loren Pechtel

I have been given tickets that would misconnect for sure. I saw the problem and yelled right away and finally got them to change it.

No system failures, no delays on our part, no customs inspection, I got to the general gate area right about the time it would have pulled back. I missed the recheck deadline by a mile.