Trying to beat min. connection time - Should I?
 

Flight is to due to arrive from mainland into HNL at 5:50pm on NWA. Would like to purchase HA ticket with a departure to KOA at 6:25pm. Next flight would be 7:45pm. I know that if the plane arrives on time I can walk from NWA gate to the interisland terminal in plenty of time. My concern is if my flight is late coming in would HA protect us on the next flight even though I violated the min. connection time?

This would not be until 2/17/07. I also wanted to purchase tickets now before the lower fare class fills up. If NWA changes their schedule from now until then that would cause me to misconnect would HA still charge me for needed later departure?

A thread for the Hawaii-based Airlines forum, so I'll move this thread there.

--slippahs, Hawaii forum co-moderator

It is possible that your first flight will be on time, and that you will be able to walk to your connecting gate in time to catch the interisland flight, although it would be pretty tight. Note that if the doors open at 5:50, it may well be 6:00 before you get out of the jetway, depending on where you are seated. If your NW flight is late, this gets worse.

What seems pretty unlikely, however, is for your baggage to make it onto a 6:35 HA flight. If you make it and your bags don't, you can wait in KOA for the bags to come in on a later flight or hope that they are delivered to you, probably the next day.

It seems like it would be less stressful to book the later flight.

There must be a full moon; I completely agree with gemac. :D

I would never book that kind of connection. Why start your trip with a very good likelihood of that kind of stress?

gemac is on the money here. :)

Through looking at NW's timetable, by default you must be coming in on NW803 (MSP-LAX-HNL). The LAX-HNL is blocked at 5 hours and 20 minutes for now, unless that changes between now and departure. If the winds-aloft forecast are showing strong headwinds that day, you WILL NOT make it here within the 5:20 block ontime. Headwinds seem to be near their strongest around the winter time. This is something I would look out for.

I concur with the other posters; book the later one.

Have you looked at booking NW to KOA instead of to HNL?
I think you may be able to get an all-in price that's less than NW to HNL & HA to KOA on separate tickets.

With respect to your original question - I'd agree with the other responses you've gotten. There's also a fair chance that NW or HA may make schedule changes between now & Feb --- if you've got a tkt from NW through to KOA, you've got better protection if schedules change.

Thanks everyone. You have made my husband happy. Even though we will be sitting up front I would be a tightly wound puppy driving the hubby nuts worring we wouldn't make it. I will book the later flight and have a couple in the WC instead. :)

NW will not check bags to another flight if the MCT is not met... there are set tables in each GDS and it will come up as a "voluntary separation" - so if you make it and your bags don't, the airline will not deliver them (or if they do, they can't bill NW for it).

Make it the PC instead. They've got a much better variety of snacks and beers, as well as cocktails... Unless you need help from the terrific WC staff, there's no need to go there. It's rather dull.

As an aside. This must be the first time the Hawaii-based Airlines posters are not divided on an issue. ;) I'm impressed.

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while. :D

Of course, we can each have our own opinion of who the blind squirrel is. :D

CUTE!