Originally Posted by
justhere
It is absolutely your prerogative to fly whomever you choose. Just know the same thing happens on most (all?) airlines. I don't fly as much as many around here and I've had it happen on NW, DL, UA, US. It's a chance you take when booking a 35 min connection vs. a 3 hour connection. I routinely book the shortest connection because 99% of the time I make it and the 1% I don't I lose less time than booking the 3 hour connection each time.
I'm not implying this is your fault. It's not anyone's fault really. It just one of those things that happens when you travel.
Every time you walk out that door, you should do it with the understanding that "stuff happens" and sooner or later, it will happen to you. Once you show up at the airport, it's out of your hands, and while we all would like to think the airlines will do whatever it takes to get us to our destination on time, the reality is, that just doesn't always happen. So it really is in the traveler's best interest to understand all the places that the wheels can come off, and do their best to insulate themselves.
Originally Posted by
airgator
As a former Platinum and current Silver on DL I can tell you that the situation would not have been handled differently. As noted above, 35 minutes in CLT is longer than 45 in ATL.
In a case-by-case comparison, you will find one-off's where AA/DL/Whoever held a flight to accomodate late arrivals but you will find one-off's where US did the same, and you'll find cases where all those other carriers left without their late arrivals. It depends on so many factors and I don't think any carrier is "better" than the other in this department.
On a separate note, there are times when the minimum connection time is TOO generous for my tastes; when connecting through PHL coming in from Europe, I consistently get re-ticketed after clearing customs, and catch an earlier flight to DCA. We have frequent service but the MCT on International flights is always longer than it takes me to clear customs/immigration and re-clear security. It's always appreciated and wonderful that I can get home 90 minutes early by hopping on an earlier flight but it always means I lose any upgrade (if I had one--- most times, that flight is a CRJ), usually can't get a seat together with my companion so we have to ride apart, and my checked bags have about a 75% chance of not showing up. I choose to get home early anyway-- home is home, after all-- but I never grumble that the bags didn't make the connection; US will send them with a courier and there's nothing in them that I can't live without for a few hours. But I know this risk and I consistently choose to take it. Would be nice if the MCT was shorter and I didn't have to re-ticket but with immigration queues being a big question mark, I can absolutely see why this long a cushion is needed.