.....especially when traveling with a family. Experienced frequent travelers can run to the gate, but this doesn't work with kids.

No matter how hard I try, there is either people that will NOT let anyone with tight connections exit first inspite of the FA's plea, a group of people walking 5 abreast thinking no one needs to get to their next flight, or two people with luggage plugging up the moving sidewalk so you can't pass. To me, having kids in tow would make no difference.

There are some DL connections in SLC that you are stuck with tight connections. Delta fare rules will not allow thru fares on flights where it is over 4 hrs between domestic fare connections. If you want to fly Delta then you are stuck with 30-40 min connections.

It really sucks as the OP found out.

Before the government started publishing on-time stats, DL used to routinely hold the last flights of the evening for late connections (sometimes 30-45 minutes).

I would strongly suggest buying travel insurance. I've used Travel Guard in the past, and they've paid out with pretty little fuss.

With the gold policy (when you book it soon enough) you'll get $500/person for a missed connection that delays you at least 3 hours, plus $150/person/day for the trip delay.

Assuming two adults and three kids, the policy would cost about $200, and in the case of your delay, it would have paid out $3250 (5 * ($500 + $150)). So if you're going to cut it close, at least buy some sort of insurance to compensate if you miss a connection.

Let's be accurate with what we state. Their are many examples of airlines holding flights for late-arriving passengers, I have been on several myself. One should never expect it, and should never plan for it, but it does happen.

Not true; I've seen it happen and been on a flight where we waited for late connecting passengers.

DId you search for other airlines to be rerouted on.

Ive done it plenty of times on various carriers. Main reason is either it was by far the cheapest fare, or it would have required flying up and down and all around on the other routings

I wouldnt pin it on the OP so fast, sure things can and do happen all the time especially when you dont want it to. But its the carriers that publish the routings and layovers, if 36 mins is cutting it wat too short then the carrier ought not to sell such a routing, and if they sell it then they better step up when somethng hits the fan

That said thats why to an extent Im no longer loyal to any 1 carrier. If AA had a fare that close to DLs (or anyone else for that matter) and had better routing then AA would win the trip, of cause if there would be checked bags that had to be paid for that has to be taken into acct.

If the OP was on an award tkt then you have alot less say unless you dont mind blowing a heck of alot more pesos to get there

I recently did a coupl'a SLC connections around 35~ish minutes, and still had time to go to the SkyClub for a quickie snack and a coffee, so, ya' just never know!

:)

[QUOTE=tomslk;25012794]They decided to put me on a flight the next day to ATL and then to OKC.

What would you all recommend? QUOTE]

At the point when you posted this, I would have recommended calling them up and asking for a better itinerary, if available. Unfortunately, that's all water under the bridge now.

I would recommend firing the person who wrote this awful misleading headline,.

The first I can't do much about except for a few rows ahead of me (telling people in the aisle to move and not let those seated block traffic). The latter two are much less of a problem once you learn to say "Excuse Me!" in a tone of voice that says "I'm coming through. If you'd prefer to have me walk past you might choose to step aside."

Unfortunately, you need more of a connection time if ten minutes is make or break. Can you give us the details of the flights, including what their times were and the cause for the delay?

Thanks,
Mike

Spending 1993-2008 flying about the Southwest, with a few "national" trips annually, along with a half dozen European vacations, late in life I became an even more "hardened" traveler, inured to the pitfalls and perils of air travel.

1. Never, that's NEVER count on a short connection working as planned. That way, when the inevitable "Late at the gate" occurs, you won't be disillusioned.

2. When a connection is missed or a flight cancelled, don't expect the ticketing airline to jump thru hoops to put you aboard another carrier. They may, but it costs real money, credits and debits requiring eventual settling up, and airlines are like Silas Marner when it comes to money.

3. Enobled, distinguished, premium travelers,folks with lots of legs and miles, may get treated better and are less likely than you to get scr*wed, but it can happen (and in a lifetime of traveling, will).


4. More important than laptops and other extra stuff in your carry on are: toilet kit (For UKians, read "Sponge Bag"), clean shirt, shorts and socks, medications and a couple of candy or granola bars, the necessities for being left without luggage in some transient hotel (or worse on the cold deck in Goose Bay). Pilots, especially the ex-Navy sort, refer to custom as "RON bag" (RON = Remain Over Night).

4A. Count on the restaurant, airport or hotel, being closed when you need it (or only offering "Baluts"** or other unfamiliar cuisine, often intensely aromatic).

**Balut: Slowly decomposing preserved fertilized duck egg during the consumption of which the feathery embryo becomes all too apparent.

As an ancient aviator and shipmate once told me: "Air travel requires one to carefully select travel apparel, based upon the maxim that you may need to sleep wearing it."