Do Airlines Have Loaner Outerwear for Walking to Outdoor Planes in Cold Weather?
I am flying early next year from California to Florida connecting in a cold midwest city. I know both of my flights are mainline flights, and will presumably use jetways at the connecting airport.
However, that made the question occur to me - what happens when someone is travelling between two relatively warm weather airports, and has to connect to a commuter plane in some insanely cold place like MSP where one has to walk outside to the plane? Does the airline provide outerwear?
I'm sure someone will chime in and say "if you're connecting in a cold place, you should bring proper clothing." However, whether that is true or not, I would bet most people flying from California (or Arizona or Las Vegas) to Florida in the winter don't bring outerwear suited to the Midwest. Not to mention that many people don't even own that kind of clothing.
I've been on many tarmacs and have never heard of or seen such a thing. I think the pax would just have to dress themselves for the day, and if not appropriate for MSP, just suck it up for the few minutes they have to be outside.
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I don't worry about short connections. At most, you might have to endure a minute or two out in the cold, and it isn't worth carrying (or the airline providing) a coat just for a minute or two of use.
(Of course, this attitude bit me once on a flight to Southeast Asia. On the return, I had a 10-hour layover in Japan during wintertime. Although I could have spent the entire time in the airport, I chose to buy a jacket at one of the airport shops, merely so that I could leave and explore the area.)
I have been provided clothes in such situations when flying on some flights but none of them were commercially scheduled regular passenger flights operated by a common carrier. When doing outdoor connections in cold parts of the US or Canada, freezing for a bit is a regular part of the picture if not having your own appropriate winter outerwear. Even getting an umbrella when flying common carriers is rare.
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If you're connecting in a cold place, you should bring proper clothing. (Sorry, it had to be said... )
No, I've never seen such a thing. Basically, you just hightail it from the airport door to your plane as quickly as possible. You get a bit chilly in the process.
Although I get that you were talking about a purely hypothetical situation, if I had to bet I'd say this scenario is most likely to happen at SLC. (Hub airport, RJ-to-RJ, warm-cold-warm, with the boarding happening outside.) Maybe DEN too, although bigger RJ's get jetways there.
If you're connecting in a cold place, you should bring proper clothing. (Sorry, it had to be said... )
No, I've never seen such a thing. Basically, you just hightail it from the airport door to your plane as quickly as possible. You get a bit chilly in the process.
Although I get that you were talking about a purely hypothetical situation, if I had to bet I'd say this scenario is most likely to happen at SLC. (Hub airport, RJ-to-RJ, warm-cold-warm, with the boarding happening outside.) Maybe DEN too, although bigger RJ's get jetways there.
I have had this outdoor exposure at JFK and ORD too. At MSP and DTW almost never anymore. None of them provide outdoor wear as much as they provide outdoor exposure.
__________________
Like TSA, DL SkyMiles management treats airline customers as if they are the enemy or sheep to be fleeced and it shows.
I am flying early next year from California to Florida connecting in a cold midwest city. I know both of my flights are mainline flights, and will presumably use jetways at the connecting airport.
However, that made the question occur to me - what happens when someone is travelling between two relatively warm weather airports, and has to connect to a commuter plane in some insanely cold place like MSP where one has to walk outside to the plane? Does the airline provide outerwear?
I'm sure someone will chime in and say "if you're connecting in a cold place, you should bring proper clothing." However, whether that is true or not, I would bet most people flying from California (or Arizona or Las Vegas) to Florida in the winter don't bring outerwear suited to the Midwest. Not to mention that many people don't even own that kind of clothing.
You are outside for a few minutes at most. Not something to worry about. Bring a sweater or light coat if you must.
Personally, I like laughing at the silly passengers who come back from some warm tropical vacation and have to stand outside while it is snowing waiting for their ride.
Oh wait, that was me and my friends last month. When we left it was in the low 60s and when we returned there was a foot of snow on the ground and still snowing. Worse it was midnight. That said the airline did not mind that the girls borrowed a couple of blankets to make long skirts while the guys put on two t-shirts over our one long sleeved shirt. But hey at least we were wearing pants. And we knew about the "secret" spot where we could wait inside and duck outside to check for our ride once in a while. We survived.
All that aside I always travel with a long sleeved shirt and my spouse with a sweater - some flights can be cold.
But if you're connecting in hub city XYZ during the winter, there's always a chance your connection will be canceled, it's the last flight of the day, and you're spending the night at a hotel 3 miles from XYZ International Airport, requiring you to wait for a shuttle bus outside the arrivals hall in 20 degree weather.
(Sorry, it had to be said... 
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