LoveToTravel524

We flew from SFO to Italy on KLM via AMS last year and it worked very well.

We are traveling SFO-BCN / MAD-SFO this fall.
Outbound via AMS we will go with the almost 5 hour layover AMS (not falling for the schedule offer of only 1hr connection).

The return MAD-SFO has me agonizing. The choice is:

Dept MAD 6am via AMS, arr SFO 11:40a
conx time in AMS is only 1hr15min which is scary

or

Dept MAD 11:35am via JFK arr SFO either 6:55p (1hr25min conx)
or 8:20p (2hr55min conx)

The first option is suffer and stress at the front end with leaving hotel by 3am (at least) and worrying about the tight connection in AMS. But we get home mid-day to drive home and pickup pup at kennel

Second option, more reasonable departure time, would probably book longer layover JFK so 8:20p into SFO, have rather nasty one hour drive home (through the mountains), lucky to be home by 11pm.

Just curious what you would do? Thanks!

GeminisTwin

No contest for me: the 8:20 pm arrival through JFK (I just did this route last Tuesday).

Yes it's two long flights (MAD-JFK-SFO), but you'll have flat beds on both (assuming Delta metal). I got more sleep JFK-SFO than I did MAD-JFK. I wouldn't want that 3 am wake up in MAD or the 1:15 in AMS personally (and I think 1:25 at JFK is too tight as well).

jdrtravel

You will hate yourself at 3AM for booking that flight if you do it. It will also take away the night before, because you will feel pressure to be in bed very early.

18sas

Come on, it's Madrid. Just stay up all night.

LoveToTravel524

Actually last year we took a 6:15am out of Bologna to AMS so it was a 3am get-up and we had a 1hr 40min conx to SFO that was no problem. At least there was no traffic getting to the airport!

GeminisTwin, unfortunately we are economy class so probably not much sleeping for us and then the most dangerous part of the whole trip is our drive home at night after being up forever!

Indeed husband doesn't want to go to bed early in one of his favorite cities (Madrid) but then again if we missed the short conx in AMS it is not all bad spending a night there!

Xandrios

If you would miss the 9:50 flight at AMS there probably would be alternative flights out that same morning. It would take a little longer, but you would still arrive at a reasonable hour.

Eg:
10:50 AMS-MSP-SFO 16:15
11:40 AMS-LHR-SFO 16:55

Which would not be great; but as an alternative in case of a misconnect it may suit you. You'd still be home way before the late flight out of MAD.

And of course, chances are you won't need it at all. They wouldn't be selling the connection at AMS if chances for a misconnect are that high.

LoveToTravel524

Great point about alternate connections later from AMS, Xandrios. I guess I always assume they would hold the AMS/SFO departure to accommodate all those feeder flights with short connections. I think we are definitely leaning that way. Really liked KLM last year.

GeminisTwin

Sorry, I'm reading too many threads at once.

LA2CDG

If I were you, I would grab a 2 PM ish flight to AMS and spend the last night there. You can stay by the airport and go into the city for drinks and dinner. AMS has great airport connections.

LA2CDG

baccarat_king

1 hour connections (from USA) are fine. Especially since the vast majority of the eastbound flights arrive 10-25 minutes early.

Do not be scared. If your flights are on time, you should have more than enough time for your connection.

Remember, everything ex-AMS (Delta and KLM metal) is upgradeable day of departure if there are seats :
OLCI offers
Kiosk offers
KLM upgrade (co-pay if applicable) + miles
GUCs (if you have them)