Nashville BNA 32min dom connection - crazy or doable?
 

Hi all,

I've got a complex itinerary coming up and there's a 32min connection ORD-BNA-MIA.

That seems unusually tight to me. Would it be crazy to book it? I'm not sure if BNA's legal connection is just half an hour, as for a large airport that seems unusual to provide 12mins to connect.

Will be at front of plane, hand bags only. There are alternatives, but ones that mean departing earlier - which I'm trying to avoid.

Thanks for advice!

Shouldn't be an issue. You'll likely be located right next to connecting gate. BNA isnt a HUB, thus you're just connecting between a few gates. AA seems to be the oddball offering these non-hub connections. They actually work great.

Also, a quick recent historical search on FlightAware shows ORD-BNA often arrives early and BNA-MIA departs on time or late.

GO FOR IT!

The OP has said he/she has a complex itinerary. If there are additional multiple flights I'd consider a longer connection just because the knock on effects would be a pain to deal with in the event of a misconnect. However, if that's the entire trip ORD/BNA/MIA than yes this would be doable.

This connection is within MCT. The question is whether it is within Sensible Connection Time (SCT). If OP misconnects, it will fall to AA to rebook. But, there are only three BNA-MIA daily frequencies and thus a misconnect may mean a long wait or a very inconvenient reroute. Thus, if this is part of a complex itinerary, particularly involving separate ticets on other carriers or OP's commitments at MIA are fixed, this connection may have serious consequences.

Only OP can evaluate what it means if he is delayed into MIA by 1/2 day or more.

A 32 minute connection in BNA should be perfectly fine in most circumstances, particularly with carry-on only. The downside is you won't have time to visit the Admirals Club :-)

​​​​​ so I wouldn't worry about a connection like this if you're only going to Miami. Of course, as others have noted, any travel day has the potential for delays from weather or maintenance. And you've hinted there could be more significant issues if you get in late to Miami which has a number of destinations served once a day.

Nashville BNA 32min dom connection - crazy or doable?

Both!

You've got 22 minutes, not 12, if that makes you feel better ;)

As the destination is to London out of Miami, I suspect AA would either rebook BNA-LHR direct on the BA service in the instance of missed connection, or overnight stop in a hotel and onward to MIA-LHR a day late (on an earlier service, arriving Tuesday morning, so no missed working day). So no major cause for concern, really, plus it sounds like it's an easy connection route anyway. Here's hoping, as it's now booked. :D

INV-LHR-BOS-LGA-ORD-BNA-MIA-LHR... Would have flown ORD-MIA direct, but it was triple the price! $1100 for all that as opposed to $3,650 seemed the better deal!

In that case there's more risk. If you're late due to mechanical problems AA would look at putting you on BA. If it's weather you're going to have a hard time other than being put on standby for the next AA flight to LHR, which would likely mean an overnight in MIA. I've noticed AA will have a cheaper (Main Cabin) fare but it often involves a tight connection. How long is your layover in MIA? I think the greater risk here is the MIA portion, if it's the same day. BNA doesn't get too impacted unless there's extreme weather.

Wouldn't the AA/BA joint venture work in OP's favor here even if there's a weather issue?

This is a trans-A business and domestic First ticket all the way through. :)

MIA connection time is 145mins. Can't see any suggestion of terminal change (AA dom to BA int) so hopefully that's a bonus.

I'm TSA Pre, Global Entry and sort-of Concierge Key equivalent (when it shows on AA systems) so any issues I'm sure they'll be around to help.

Given what appears to be the OP's OW status that should work in his favor for re-routes. There might be a JV but the average flyer would have been told we're put you on standby for the next AA flight. His biggest risk is that the BNA/MIA flight is a turn from MIA and given MIA weather from now through October that would be the worry that his inbound from MIA would be late. A 1:45 is a good cushion though. To the OP if you have any issues head either to the AC at BNA or the AC at MIA. Do not deal with the GA.