May 26, 2018, 3:12 pm
Last edit by: LoganFlyer
Minimum Connection time for Delta-Delta connections in Seattle
Domestic-domestic: 30 minutes
Domestic-international: 30 minutes
International-domestic: 1 hour
Exceptions:
- Arriving from a Canadian airport with preclearance: 30 minutes
- ICN-SEA-MSP: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Any international to domestic connection* through SEA going to ATL, DEN, DTW, HNL, JFK, LAS, LAX, PDX, SFO, SJC, or SLC: 1 hour 10 minutes
International-international: 1 hour
Exceptions:
- Arriving from a Canadian airport with preclearance: 30 minutes
- Going to YVR or YYC: International to international MCT at SEA is 1 hour 10 minutes if you're connecting to one of those two airports
NOTE IF FLIGHT IS MARKETED AS A CODESHARE MCT CAN BE DIFFERENT.
Minimum Connection Transfer Time at Seattle (SEA): The Definitive Thread
Jul 6, 2011, 12:32 pm
#31
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Japan/Thailand
Programs: AS, UA
Posts: 1,201
You should be fine. Hawaiian gets into A and most DL flights leave from S (and a few from A, but not at night I've noticed). Also, the station for the train to the south satellite is easy to get to from A (near the security checkpoint) so 1 hour is easily enough time.
Jul 6, 2011, 12:50 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,947
Totally enough time - I would be comfortable with 40 minutes even with the absolute most unfavorable gate assignments in Seattle. You shouldn't even have to run. 
Jul 6, 2011, 2:09 pm
#33
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DTW/FNT
Programs: Delta (nee NW), Hilton Diamond. IHG (PT)
Posts: 4,823
I would guess it (at most!) might take 10 minutes to get off the plane, 10 to make it to gate A3 which is near where the 'train' to the S terminal leaves from, and 10 to make it the rest of the way..... and the second flight might just leave from the A.
One way (obvious) to tell which gate is likely to use it to check flight status.
Bob H
Jul 6, 2011, 3:28 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA 1K (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
Posts: 10,342
Overflow for DL (if the S satellite is full) is to move to A or B. I've flown DL out of the B concourse this year already, but never A.
I'm not sure the S satellite is full at night, though, because the international carriers are already gone by then so DL has a lot more gates to use.
As long as the OP is mobile and can move fast the connection time is totally fine.
-RM
I'm not sure the S satellite is full at night, though, because the international carriers are already gone by then so DL has a lot more gates to use.
As long as the OP is mobile and can move fast the connection time is totally fine.
-RM
Jul 6, 2011, 7:52 pm
#36
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,439
Jul 6, 2011, 8:45 pm
#37
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: JFK
Programs: Delta Skymiles, Hilton
Posts: 251
Thanks for the info. I was living in SEA and bought my tix to HNL months ago. Now living in BDL and need to create my own connections to/from the HA flights. I will be arriving day earlier for the SEA-HNL leg. On the return HNL-SEA, I need to continue on to BDL that night and there are few flight options that are late evening. The 11:15pm via DTW was the best option- only if the connecting time is ok.
Aug 23, 2011, 7:13 am
#39
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: WI
Programs: Delta Skymiles
Posts: 631
1 hr. connection in SEA at Christmas
Coming home from Asia I am considering a route that would be NRT-SEA-MSP. There is only 1 hour in SEA (customs/immigration) to make the MSP connection. Am I just asking for trouble or does this make sense? I save about $300 a ticket doing this routing but don't like big problems at the end of a trip either.
Aug 23, 2011, 7:50 am
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
There's a reason it's called Minimum Connect Time, not Generous Connect Time, Fail-Safe Connect Time, or Plenty of Time in Typical Seattle Winter Fog Connect Time. if you can live with the prospect of being told the next available flight is in 36 hours due to high holiday travel load factors, go ahead and save $300.
Aug 23, 2011, 8:17 am
#42
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Seattle
Programs: Delta Diamond, Hilton Gold
Posts: 84
It's likely that an hour in the SEA airport would be fine if not for the immigration/customs issue. The underground tram between main terminal and other satellite terminals is fast and arrives every 4 minutes, and the main terminal itself is relatively compact with respect to accessing various concourses... but I can't speak for the time you'll lose going through customs.
Happy travels!
Happy travels!
Aug 23, 2011, 8:34 am
#43
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: MA
Programs: DL DM/2MM Marriott Platinum, HH Diamond,
Posts: 8,906
I highly doubt that this is a legal connection. International to domestic are almost always at least 90 minutes, and at places like JFK, they are even longer.
Consider what needs to happen... disembark the plane, passport control, wait for your checked luggage, pass through the Customs agent with your luggage, hand checked luggage back to airline for transfer to the connecting flight, and pass through security to get to your domestic flight.
So my bet is that a one hour connection is less than the MCT International to Domestic at SEA.
Consider what needs to happen... disembark the plane, passport control, wait for your checked luggage, pass through the Customs agent with your luggage, hand checked luggage back to airline for transfer to the connecting flight, and pass through security to get to your domestic flight.
So my bet is that a one hour connection is less than the MCT International to Domestic at SEA.
Aug 23, 2011, 8:52 am
#44
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SEA
Posts: 12,485
I don't think this would work. Customs would probably take 45 minutes, at best, and could likely take longer if your flight - or other flights - are later and/or early.
You could safely make a very short domestic-to-domestic or domestic-to-international DL connection in SEA since most flights leave from the S gates.
You could safely make a very short domestic-to-domestic or domestic-to-international DL connection in SEA since most flights leave from the S gates.