Originally Posted by
Ivan Denisovich
My parents are flying through LAX. Over-analyzing the travel plans of people I care about is one of my love languages, so I have two questions about LAX AA MCT.
1. Is 43 minutes legal for an AA domestic-domestic Mainline (Terminal 4) to American Eagle (Eagle's Nest) flight? I can't decipher
ExpertFlyer Voice MCT results for that particular situation. Some folks upthread are saying 40 minutes AA-AA, but I think it might get more complicated if a regional carrier or transfer to the Eagle's Nest is involved.
You don't say where your parents are flying in from or out to. ExpertFlower shows the MCT varies based on flight numbers. I know the Eagle flights are high numbers. Assuming their Eagle flight is in the range 2950 - 6349, the legal MCT seems to be 35 minutes:
Code:
AA-AA DD .35 FLT 1 - 2949 - FLT 2950 - 6349
2. Assuming 43 minutes is legal, is a Terminal 4 to Eagle's Nest connection doable? I know conditions vary and sometimes you just catch or just miss the bus, so give me a probabilistic answer. If you tried to make a 43 minute Terminal 4 to Eagle's Nest connection how many times out of 100 do you think you could make it?
For myself, pre-pandemic, I'd say 80-90% of the time I could make it. I'm always at the front of the incoming plane, I can move very quickly through a terminal, I know exactly where I'm going, etc. But I wouldn't book such a tight connection, because I want to board early, be able to put my bag in the bin, and I don't want to be stressed.
That said, your parents aren't me, and this isn't pre-pandemic times. Your parents might not be sitting at the front of the plane, probably don't move as fast as I do, and may not know LAX like the back of their hand. It might take them 15-20 minutes just to get off their inbound flight, then another 3-4 to figure out where they have to go, then another 10-15 minutes to get to the bus gate. This year there have been multiple reports of exceptionally long wait times for the bus, with some people I know missing their Eagle flights as a result. Once they get to the Eagle's Nest, it could take them another 2-3 minutes to figure out where they need to go, and then 4-6 minutes to get there.
My advice is to suggest they book a longer connection.