Connecting at TPE
 

I'll be flying UA871 from SFO to TPE on Christmas. Flight is scheduled to get into TPE at 7:50 p.m., but I've been tracking this flight on FlightAware over the past few weeks and the flight has been getting in at 6:15 p.m. (sometimes earlier), even when the flight gets out of SFO late.

I have a connecting flight on EVA (operated by UNI Air) from TPE to SGN at 7:30 p.m. and figured I'd take my chances and hope that my flight gets in early. However, I checked FlightAware again today and it looks like all the SFO-TPE flights are going the polar route (or something close to it) starting today, which adds roughly 40-50 minutes of extra flight time. If this is the case, I'll probably miss my connecting flight.

1. Has anyone taken UA871 around this time of year? Does it take longer than usual because of the new routing?
2. If I miss my connecting flight, what are the chances EVA will re-book me on Vanilla Air? (They are the only flight from TPE to SGN that evening after BR2381)
3. In the very very slim chance that my flight does get in reasonably early, how fast can I get through transit security at TPE at that time in the evening?

I might be misreading this, but you might want to check that the switch from daylight savings time to standard time isn't the culprit more than a polar route. I don't know anything about the odds of getting onto Vanilla air though, or the security lines for TPE.

If it's two separate tickets, but both on BR, you might see if they will through check your bag and issue the boarding pass all the way to SGN, saving you some time. Booking agents won't allow this b/c of minimum connection time, but you might get a gate agent that doesn't have to worry about, or see, minimum connection time and can help you.

OMG. IT PROBABLY IS DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!

UGH.

First segment is on UA and second segment is on BR (or B7).

Now I'll have to figure out how to keep the return half of my RT ticket from TPE-SGN without paying a penalty (RT prices out cheaper than two one ways). I can either play dumb when I get to TPE and hope they'll keep my return portion or work it out with the ticketing office and pay a penalty.

Thanks for the help, Maverick!

Welcome to Flyertalk. Looks like you have a lot to learn. A lot!

It is just beyond many Flyertalkers' imagination here that you'd book a 1930 departure on a separate round trip ticket to a 1950 arrival. Not only you forgot about the time change in comparing arrival times and ignoring schedule changes, it's a basic knowledge for transpacific flyers that westbound flights take longer as we go into winter due to increasing headwinds. Even if you begin comparing today, first day of standard time, a SFO-TPE flight will most likely take longer in late December than now.

Also, another basic knowledge a traveler should have is that a round-trip ticket cannot be used out of sequence. Once you no-show for a segment, the rest of the ticket's reservations are canceled, and the ticket may well become worthless.

If any of your tickets are booked in the US or elsewhere with a 24-hour cancel/refund window, you may want to exercise that.

Thank you for not being too heavy handed, HkCaGu. I'm here to learn and appreciate knowledge and kindness.

OP seems to have a few statuses and maybe isn't a beginner, despite being new to FT. Sounds like an educated gamble was made, with intent to speed things up on the holiday to me. Might lose this bet, though. :)

It seems like, if you do miss this flight, you'll be at the airport within a normal range for those people who just show up late due to traffic or bad planning etc., i.e. within an hour or so of when you need to. I haven't missed a flight in quite a few years (knock on wood), but I would think that is soon enough after you could go to the counter, explain or play dumb, and rebook with a fee on the next flight and keep your return flight? The last time I was late, at JFK, I just got put on the later flight with the same airline. I don't remember what the rebooking fee was back then, or if there was one.

But maybe HkCaGu and others know more, and maybe nowadays they cancel everything the minute the door closes on the plane and you're not there yet.