LMYRMQ622003250

I need some advice from experts. My relatives are flying Singapore - Tokyo - Toronto - Houston now. The connection in Toronto is from AC 002 to AC 595. All bags were checked through Minneapolis from Singapore by Singapore Airlines, boarding cards issues according for all flights. However, right now, it seems that AC 002 is departing Tokyo 2 hours late and is now scheduled to arrive Toronto at 7 pm local time. That leaves only 55 minutes for connections at Toronto. Is 55 minutes enough for connection? What would happen if it is missed - Air Canada going to responsible for accomodation? How about baggages?

I am a little bit worried since my relatives do not know English very well and may be unable to communicate with airlines staffs or immigration officers clearly upon arrival.

pitz

AC and YYZ is well equipped with people equipped to speak a plethora of Asian languages. Interaction Customs-wise will mostly be with US CBSA unless they miss the flight and have to do a full clearance into Canada.

55 minutes could be tight for an Int'l to USA connection, but do-able. They can make up time airborne as well.

If no onwards flight is available, AC will put them in a hotel and provide meal vouchers.

If they're not physically aboard on the YYZ-IAH flight, their bags should be offloaded. But this may or may not take place. Hopefully they heeded standard travel advice not to pack any critical supplies or medications in their checked baggage.

LMYRMQ622003250

I assume AC would have someone meeting the flight upon arriving Toronto and assist passengers in the case if connection is missed. Do they have to call or look for AC staffs themselves in that case?

IluvSQ

Are your sure the bags are checked through to Minneapolis if they are flying to Houston? Or was that just a typo on your part?

Repooc17

Was there any reason to fly all the way to Toronto and back track to Houston with three separate segments in total? There are plenty of one-stop option between SIN and IAH with direct connections from airports such as NRT and SFO. When options are presented for fewer stops should be the priority for most flyers to reduce the odds of potential bad outcome such as having an unscheduled overnight due to delays and cancellations.

5mm

I don't understand this either, but a lot of pax will add hours to their trip to save a few $ or to chase status. Just read a few of FT threads and you willsee this craziness here a lot.

RangerNS

​​​​​​
OPs family is already aloft and has problems today. Now is not the time to, however politely, question their booking skills. OP did not ask for that kind of help

OP: absent a significant failure, Houston will be no problem for your people. Maybe a hotel stay, and maybe some rerouting via United and Chicago, but Toronto has many multilingual staff and you are talking ywo big cities 1500mi apart, and it isn't a holiday weekend; lots of options.

Bags are a different story.

FlyerTalker70

Would the travellers need to get an ETA for their INTL->INTL connection at YYZ? I thought that was required for non-Canada/US citizens regardless of reason for being in Canada!

N.B. from my experience Tokyo is silky smooth for connections, even if they've got only a couple minutes process involves going through transfer screening then being dumped back into the departure area (at least that's the case at NRT, last I checked HND is a domestic airport).

-James

Often1

First, do not worry. YYZ is a major international hub airport and deals with misconnecting passengers headed to and from all over the world every day. In addition, YYZ-IAH is a route between two major cities.

Second, 55 minutes is likely to be insufficient for a YYZ connection to a US destination because the passengers must clear US CBP at YYZ rather than at IAH. But, departure delays do not equate to arrival delays. Thus, there is a good chance that the parents misconnect and they should simply be prepared for it. You have not told us what languages your parents do speak, but if they speak any major language, they will find someone who does. It is helpful if they know enough to simply say, "I only speak ***" in English or French so that they can be directed to someone who does speak their language, but that is not essential. It is also helpful if they call you on their mobile and you interact with AC on their behalf.

Third, as international connecting passengers, their hotel and meals should be handled by the late-delivering carrier. Their bags may or may not be returned to them at YYZ, but if the bags are sent on to IAH, the bags will be at IAH when they arrive. Hopefully they have all essentially in their carry-on.

I am not sure what your reference to MSP is and hope that is an error.

For the benefit of others because this is a public board and many people use it to plan other trips:
1. Make sure that those who do not speak local enroute languages have a card in the local language which contains their full name, travel details, the languages spoken, any specific medical needs, and a mobile number for a friend/relative willing to interface with the carrier if that becomes necessary.
2. Make sure that anyone traveling a long and complex route packs their carry-on luggage appropriately. There is little reason why one would need access to checked luggage for a good while and certainly an overnight delay should not cause any issues, particularly for someone not equipped to do local shopping..
3. Consider the passenger when booking a ticket. Schemes which one might book for oneself may not be appropriate for those who are less sophisticated or may encounter other issues.

jc94

If the pax are airborne I think we can assume they have met the requirements to transit Canada based upon being allowed to board. Be that an eTA or other appropriate visa/passport. Plus, the likely issue is listed as being at YYZ, not NRT

Only thing I can really to the above is to pull up and have ready a list of all future onward flights with AC / other *A partners that day.

LMYRMQ622003250

Yes, the bags were checked to Houston instead. Minneapolis used to be the destination for the trip until 2 months ago, my mind still stuck in old time.

LMYRMQ622003250

I just checked the flight that it is now scheduled to arrive into Toronto at 7.32 pm, can I safely assume that my relatives are going to miss the connection flight to Houston? They can only read some English in writing but only speaks Mandarin and Taiwanese. Do you think I should call Air Canada and inform them about the possible missed connection? My relatives have eTA and able to enter Canada if needed.

This was a last minute booking shortly before Christmas, the ticket they are traveling on right now costs only half of (or less if on Singapore Airlines) other 1-stop options. Moreover, they prefer 2-stop en route due to shorter flight duration each. All 1 stop options, other than the super expensive Singapore Airlines one, involving at least a 15+ hours flight that they try to avoid for medical reasons per doctor's advice.

YYC009

Don't forget there is always the possibility the YYZ-IAH could be delayed...

Often1

As this is a connection and thus all on one connection, AC is well aware that your parents are inbound and will almost certainly misconnect.

Before calling AC, pull up your parents' PNR online and see whether AC has already rebooked them. It is fine to call AC and ask, but it is very risky for more than one person to be working on a ticket at once. If someone at AC is doing so and you then start a separate process,the risk of unticketed reservations arises and that is a mess, particularly for travelers who really need to keep this simple.

If not already in the PNR, you might also ask AC to include a note listing the specific languages which your parents speak as well as your mobile number.

As there are no later flights to IAH, your parents are almost certainly overnighting at YYZ. Once they have a hotel voucher, you might consider calling the property directly and providing your mobile number so that you can facilitate communications.

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

Or to avoid US carriers?