Just one data point, but last time I tried this exact combo, the incoming AA flight was 40 minutes late, and I missed my connection.

Why can't you check your bags through? I know they're separate tickets, but AA will check your bags through with other OW airlines if you present both tickets at the counter.

In order to get to baggage claim you have to go thru immigration. To get to B, I'm pretty sure you have to go thru security screening (I know A to C involves screening).

Need to check tha with AA
 

I had not thought they would be able to do that, since it will be 2 separate tickets. One bought on AA, and one bought on AB. But if they would do that, then I will be golden! Worth a call to the EP desk to find out for sure

Yes, you have to go thru Immigration. I don´t think you have to go thru security from C to B. But from baggage claim (same for A, B and C) there is no way back without going thru security.

I think it should work well. With checked bags I would try it.

My wife are flying from LAX – DUS on Airberlin business class. We have checked bags. At DUS we will be taking a separately booked flight on Airfrance from DUS – CDG. I have approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes between flights. I’ve read this thread and based on that, it seems my steps are as follows

1) Exit the Airberlin flight and go through passport control
2) Claim my bags at the baggage claim area
3) Proceed upstairs to departures
4) Go to the Airfrance desk and check in my bags (it seems to be terminal b)
5) Go through security
6) Proceed to the gate for my AF flight

Does this sound about right?

Any tips to quicken the process?

thanks

Hi all -

I browsed the thread and I think I'll be ok, but any opinions on this one?

Arrive Lufthansa 409 from EWR at 10:40 AM
Depart Eurowings 1796 to OTP at 11:35 AM.

That's 55 minutes, seems probably OK, but I 'm not that familiar with DUS. Anyone?

Yup, that sounds about right. Maybe, just maybe the staff at LAX will be able to check your bags all the way to CDG. I would definitely ask the nicely about that.

You should be fine, unless the flight from EWR is delayed. DUS is really not that hard to navigate and it's not huge either.

I think you are potentially setting yourself up for an expensive lesson in booking separate tickets.

DUS is an easy airport to navigate and connect at, and 1h20 is certainly feasible in many cases. However:

- you are on an international flight which can be early or late, often by a greater margin than shorter hops,
- you are arriving at a busy time and will be in a slower passport queue,
- you will have to wait for luggage, and
- you need to be checked in for your AF flight ca 40 mins before departure

You will be aware that if you miss your AF flight, the return segment of that will automatically be cancelled and you will have no recourse, you'll have to buy a new return ticket. There is no chance that LAX will through-check a bag across different tickets and alliances.

Let me put it a different way. I assume your 1h20 is the time between scheduled arrival (wheels down) and departure of the next flight. Assuming wheels-down is on time, you can expect, in a perfect world:

- 10 minutes to gate,
- 5 minutes to disembark,
- 10 minutes to wait and go through immigration,
- 15 minutes to wait for bags, and
- 5 minutes to get up to the AF desks

You've just blown 45 minutes of your 80 minutes, leaving you 35 minutes from check-in to the next flight. My guess is on these times you're 50/50 from being allowed to check in. I wouldn't risk this, book a letter AF flight.

Thanks for your input.

I'm always trying to guess which flights are more prone to lateness than others, but the available data is a little hard to interpret. For example, this site indicates that LH 409 is late frequently, but only by a small amount. This one has limited, but more encouraging data. I wonder how useful these sites are in determining the likely on-time arrival of a flight. :cool:

Those sites are nice but of no real help to you. Exogenous events always happen, and are you willing to bet on whether a load of bags need to be offloaded at the last minute in EWR, etc? Probably not.

Are you on one ticket? If not, forget it, you'll never make it. If you do miss your flight, and you are on one ticket, you'll be put on the next one (not sure how often OTP is served from DUS.) I don't know MCT off by heart at DUS, but it would surprise me if 45min was legal for intl-eu.

Yea I think you are probably right about those sites :)

I am on a single ticket, yes, and there are other flights but only 1 nonstop from DUS to OTP. In this particular case, I could handle an early morning next day arrival is it all falls apart but it would be a little painful.

This flight shows up on United, Google Flights, and Kayak so I just assumed it was legal. How does everyone do this lookup and find out what flights are legal? Like many people around here, I always love learning how to understand and decipher the whole world of air travel :)

If you have a ticketed flight, then it'll probably be legal. If you don't make your flight to OTP then you'll be put on the next flight, which may be a connection or a direct flight the next day. Hotels and the like should be covered under EC/261's duty of care provisions. Not ideal, but at least you will either get there late or stay in a hotel.

Are this separate tickets and have you checked luggage? If one ticket, than it is the airline fault if you miss it. If on separate tickets and with the need to re-check luggage, that would not work, if hand luggage, it should be doable, but I would not risk it.

My friend, who is Russian citizen, is flying to San Francisco and has to spend 21 hours in Dusseldorf...it is kinda cruel but there is no other choice at this point because it was the cheapest flight that she could afford. I heard from some people that Dusseldorf international transit zone is closing around 9pm....so what the people sitting in this zone should do then? Does anybody know the answer please?