Originally Posted by
Aliquot
Of course 45 minutes is possible. UA doesn't sell connections that people won't make most of the time. There is nothing particularly time consuming about a UA-UA DI connection in SFO.
Of course the shorter the connection the higher the probability that a delay will blow it. There are more 30 minute delays than 2 hour delays. It just comes down to your personal calculation considering the consequences of missing the connection (need to be somewhere at a certain time, other options to get to your destination...) and the extra cost in total travel time and $/points for other options.
’most of the time’ is being generous. UA sets the MCT based on what they are willing to take responsibility for should the connection be blown. It has nothing to do with whether a specific passenger will make it (even if on time). Presumably, yes, they want to make sure folks can do it ‘most of the time’, but that doesn’t always happen. There are plenty of flights that have quite low OTP but they will still sell it as it is scheduled to be within the MCT. Soemone in this forum had a saying about ‘sensible connection time’, which is quite different than the minimum time which an airline will sell you a ticket for.
personally, I judge the connection bar based on specific factors like how likely is inbound to be delayed (is there a good chance of weather delays at that time of day/year, is the airport subject to airspace restriction (ahem…EWR)), and what alternatives are there if you miss it. Connecting via SFO when you are connecting to LAX, with flights basically hourly throughout the day, is a much different scenario than connecting from a once-a-day TCON to a once-a-day international flight (well, twice to SIN, but you get the point).
Persoanlly, wouldn’t chance a 45-minute connection in SFO to SIN, and that’s even with knowing the airport layout quite well (which is another factor for connection time Im willing to do). Unless you have a lot of time built in. Another factor for me is the importance of being there on time. If I’m going for my best friends wedding, not going to book the flight where I will have to rush from airport to venue - I’m going to give myself plenty of leeway in case of a long delay or cancelation. Is it a month long vacation where missing a day or two isn’t a big deal? Then I’m probably ok booking it closer to when I actually want to be there.