Seeking opinions (flight and connection times)
Mar 3, 2021, 3:18 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: Delta Skymiles Platinum, American Gold
Posts: 89
Seeking opinions (flight and connection times)
Hello. I am seeking opinions for flights I regularly take.
About once a month I fly SRQ-PHL/CLT-SBY and return. Lately the options are to leave my house at 4:30 AM to catch a 6am flight to connect to an 11:00 am'ish arrival into SBY (no thanks!) or go to PHL or CLT later in the day for a 10:00 pm'ish arrival in SBY (risky and very late at night). I pay about $500 or so for these flights and the SRQ to PHL/CLT leg is in F.
Or I can fly on Delta, connecting in Atlanta, to PHL and for about $600 have sedan service drive me the 2'ish hours to my house up there at the Delaware shore (which is where I go from SBY; about a 30 minute drive away). Arrival times in PHL are a lot better than those offered on AA to SBY. There is no cost to fly on Delta because my business generates huge numbers of Delta Skymiles thanks to American Express usage so I can redeem or pay with miles anytime I want.
The total dollar price difference between the two options is irrelevant.
What would you all do? Fly super late into SBY on the ONE flight each out of PHL or CLT or fly into PHL on Delta but be driven 2 hours?
Prior to COVID I concluded that AA was the worst run airline in the country. They seem to be less bad now. I don't want to be stuck in PHL or CLT late at night if they cancel that one flight to SBY. However a two hour drive through Delaware to my house can suck if the weather is bad.
Thanks for your opinions.
About once a month I fly SRQ-PHL/CLT-SBY and return. Lately the options are to leave my house at 4:30 AM to catch a 6am flight to connect to an 11:00 am'ish arrival into SBY (no thanks!) or go to PHL or CLT later in the day for a 10:00 pm'ish arrival in SBY (risky and very late at night). I pay about $500 or so for these flights and the SRQ to PHL/CLT leg is in F.
Or I can fly on Delta, connecting in Atlanta, to PHL and for about $600 have sedan service drive me the 2'ish hours to my house up there at the Delaware shore (which is where I go from SBY; about a 30 minute drive away). Arrival times in PHL are a lot better than those offered on AA to SBY. There is no cost to fly on Delta because my business generates huge numbers of Delta Skymiles thanks to American Express usage so I can redeem or pay with miles anytime I want.
The total dollar price difference between the two options is irrelevant.
What would you all do? Fly super late into SBY on the ONE flight each out of PHL or CLT or fly into PHL on Delta but be driven 2 hours?
Prior to COVID I concluded that AA was the worst run airline in the country. They seem to be less bad now. I don't want to be stuck in PHL or CLT late at night if they cancel that one flight to SBY. However a two hour drive through Delaware to my house can suck if the weather is bad.
Thanks for your opinions.
Mar 3, 2021, 3:53 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,483
If you're that worried about AA cancelling the CLT/PHL-SBY flight (I'm not following this), then why not just book SRQ-PHL-SBY, and on the off chance it does get cancelled just get a car at that point.
Mar 3, 2021, 4:07 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Hello. I am seeking opinions for flights I regularly take.
About once a month I fly SRQ-PHL/CLT-SBY and return. Lately the options are to leave my house at 4:30 AM to catch a 6am flight to connect to an 11:00 am'ish arrival into SBY (no thanks!) or go to PHL or CLT later in the day for a 10:00 pm'ish arrival in SBY (risky and very late at night). I pay about $500 or so for these flights and the SRQ to PHL/CLT leg is in F.
Or I can fly on Delta, connecting in Atlanta, to PHL and for about $600 have sedan service drive me the 2'ish hours to my house up there at the Delaware shore (which is where I go from SBY; about a 30 minute drive away). Arrival times in PHL are a lot better than those offered on AA to SBY. There is no cost to fly on Delta because my business generates huge numbers of Delta Skymiles thanks to American Express usage so I can redeem or pay with miles anytime I want.
The total dollar price difference between the two options is irrelevant.
What would you all do? Fly super late into SBY on the ONE flight each out of PHL or CLT or fly into PHL on Delta but be driven 2 hours?
Prior to COVID I concluded that AA was the worst run airline in the country. They seem to be less bad now. I don't want to be stuck in PHL or CLT late at night if they cancel that one flight to SBY. However a two hour drive through Delaware to my house can suck if the weather is bad.
Thanks for your opinions.
About once a month I fly SRQ-PHL/CLT-SBY and return. Lately the options are to leave my house at 4:30 AM to catch a 6am flight to connect to an 11:00 am'ish arrival into SBY (no thanks!) or go to PHL or CLT later in the day for a 10:00 pm'ish arrival in SBY (risky and very late at night). I pay about $500 or so for these flights and the SRQ to PHL/CLT leg is in F.
Or I can fly on Delta, connecting in Atlanta, to PHL and for about $600 have sedan service drive me the 2'ish hours to my house up there at the Delaware shore (which is where I go from SBY; about a 30 minute drive away). Arrival times in PHL are a lot better than those offered on AA to SBY. There is no cost to fly on Delta because my business generates huge numbers of Delta Skymiles thanks to American Express usage so I can redeem or pay with miles anytime I want.
The total dollar price difference between the two options is irrelevant.
What would you all do? Fly super late into SBY on the ONE flight each out of PHL or CLT or fly into PHL on Delta but be driven 2 hours?
Prior to COVID I concluded that AA was the worst run airline in the country. They seem to be less bad now. I don't want to be stuck in PHL or CLT late at night if they cancel that one flight to SBY. However a two hour drive through Delaware to my house can suck if the weather is bad.
Thanks for your opinions.
There might be no cash cost to fly DL using your AMX points, but that is still a cost
If you fly DL, couldn't you get stuck in Atlanta, giving you no path to drive home that night?
At least the connection in PHL gives you that 2 hour drive option.
Additionally, if you fly DL, you not only risk a misconnect in ATL, but you ALWAYS have that drive from PHL
On AA, you only have that 2 hour drive when you misconnect
Mar 4, 2021, 8:41 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,037
If you do this once per month, you probably have more knowledge on this than anyone else.
There might be no cash cost to fly DL using your AMX points, but that is still a cost
If you fly DL, couldn't you get stuck in Atlanta, giving you no path to drive home that night?
At least the connection in PHL gives you that 2 hour drive option.
Additionally, if you fly DL, you not only risk a misconnect in ATL, but you ALWAYS have that drive from PHL
On AA, you only have that 2 hour drive when you misconnect
There might be no cash cost to fly DL using your AMX points, but that is still a cost
If you fly DL, couldn't you get stuck in Atlanta, giving you no path to drive home that night?
At least the connection in PHL gives you that 2 hour drive option.
Additionally, if you fly DL, you not only risk a misconnect in ATL, but you ALWAYS have that drive from PHL
On AA, you only have that 2 hour drive when you misconnect
I know it's probably an hour drive away, but could you fly out of TPA? On many days there's an 11:00 departure from TPA, connecting at PHL, arriving SBY at 16:55. The connection is about 2 hours, so low risk.
Mar 4, 2021, 10:25 am
#5
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
Programs: AA LT PLT 3MM, Hilton/Marriott/SPG/Club Carlson GLD, IHG PLT
Posts: 4,608
The two airports you are going to have limited service, you don't have many options, however, if for whatever reason I get stuck or misconnect, I rather do it in PHL where I can still do ground transfer and arrive at destination same day.
) Otherwise I'm all for the AA option given the rationale from the other FT members above.