Originally Posted by N808DE
35 minutes is a legal connection if on time. The OP had 10 minutes to connect which is not enough time. Personally, I would never book a 35 minute connection - legal or otherwise - because I know and accept that delays occur.
As for the TLV scenario...I imagine consideration was made because it was the only flight to TLV. In this case, there was another flight to TPA they could get on...albeit 7 hours later...
FYI, I did not book a 35-minute connection. I booked a 65-minute connection (on July 17, 2006). When a schedule change turned it into a 35-minute connection, I called Delta and asked to be rebooked. I was told that 30 minutes is a legal connection at JFK, and that rebooking would require a change fee. Knowing the FT rule, I called back to see if I could get another agent to rebook me. No dice.
I really don't understand the hurry to close the flight, other than to call it an on-time departure. As I stated, the flight did not push back until 1:45 p.m. There were no connections to make in TPA, and the same plane turned around and came back to JFK (arriving over 30 minutes early). So allowing us to board between 1:30 and 1:35, put our bags away, and seat ourselves would not have been a lengthy process. One of the GAs even stated that the flight went out very light.