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-   -   BDL to MCO to MBJ (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/jetblue-trueblue/1957775-bdl-mco-mbj.html)

Jimval26 Feb 23, 2019 1:33 pm

BDL to MCO to MBJ
 
Booked this trip on JetBlue. First leg is flight #737. 36 minutes to change planes. Second leg is flight #1721. Checking flight aware it seems that flight #737 is late often AND flight #1721 often leaves early. I don’t understand why JetBlue sold me a ticket that appears to have a high chance of failure. I haven’t flown in 20 years. I hate flying. So stressful. Thanks to anyone that can explain this....

Often1 Feb 23, 2019 2:00 pm

You have this turned around. B6 sold the ticket because the connection is doable. In air carrier speak, it is within Minimum Connection Time (MCT). Whether it is within SCT (Sensible Connection Time) is up to each individual and his own risk tolerance. Personally, I would never book such a connection. Given that there is only limited service MCO-MBJ, you are essentially out of luck if you misconnect.

Not to berate you, but because this is a public board and your issue arises regularly in other contexts, the time to check connection times and whether you are comfortable with them is prior to booking. If you are within 24 hours of booking, I would cancel and rebook as below (or on another carrier or connecting elsewhere).

If you are insistent on flying on B6, I would book this as BDL-MCO on the last flight the night before, spend the night at an MCO property such as the Hyatt (connected to the terminal) and then head out on the MBJ the next morning.

Jimval26 Feb 23, 2019 2:27 pm

Not sure booking the last flight to MCO the night before is the answer. If that flight gets canceled I’m screwed. It could cause me to miss the flight the next day and that is on ME.

I booked a flight from BDL to MBJ. It’s up to JetBlue to get me there. Even if it’s a day late.

guv1976 Feb 23, 2019 2:50 pm


Originally Posted by Jimval26 (Post 30813837)
Not sure booking the last flight to MCO the night before is the answer. If that flight gets canceled I’m screwed. It could cause me to miss the flight the next day and that is on ME.

I booked a flight from BDL to MBJ. It’s up to JetBlue to get me there. Even if it’s a day late.

The problem with JetBlue is that in the event of IRROPS (irregular operations), they will not protect you on another carrier. If you booked on AA, DL, or UA, you could theoretically be placed on any of those carriers (subject to seat availability) to get you to your final destination, as all of those carriers have interline agreements with each other.

Often1 Feb 23, 2019 3:32 pm


Originally Posted by Jimval26 (Post 30813837)
Not sure booking the last flight to MCO the night before is the answer. If that flight gets canceled I’m screwed. It could cause me to miss the flight the next day and that is on ME.

I booked a flight from BDL to MBJ. It’s up to JetBlue to get me there. Even if it’s a day late.

True. Sort of. B6 does not serve that route daily. You may well be sitting at MCO for a few days. B6 does not have interline ticketing agreements with any other carrier serving MBJ, so your options will be to wait for a few days until the next flight with availability or to cancel for a refund of your unused ticket and purchase whatever you want (or not).

If you've got lots of flexibility and nothing with a short-cancellation penalty on arrival, this is fine. If you do, your concern about the connection time is well-taken.

Jimval26 Feb 23, 2019 3:44 pm


Originally Posted by Often1 (Post 30813987)
True. Sort of. B6 does not serve that route daily. You may well be sitting at MCO for a few days. B6 does not have interline ticketing agreements with any other carrier serving MBJ, so your options will be to wait for a few days until the next flight with availability or to cancel for a refund of your unused ticket and purchase whatever you want (or not).

If you've got lots of flexibility and nothing with a short-cancellation penalty on arrival, this is fine. If you do, your concern about the connection time is well-taken.

We are going in April so they do have the same daily flight during that time period. I did investigate before booking. Called JetBlue. They were zero help. If they have connection problems with this flight I don’t understand why they wouldn’t adjust the flight to have a higher level of success. Could switch to Boston where the flight is direct.

Often1 Feb 23, 2019 4:14 pm


Originally Posted by Jimval26 (Post 30814020)


We are going in April so they do have the same daily flight during that time period. I did investigate before booking. Called JetBlue. They were zero help. If they have connection problems with this flight I don’t understand why they wouldn’t adjust the flight to have a higher level of success. Could switch to Boston where the flight is direct.

Scheduling aircraft for maximum utilization is a science. Your situation is for a routing which may not have as many passengers as BOS, so it is optimized for the BOS (and perhaps other) connections with BDL sold as an afterthought. In any event, so long as you understand that you may be stuck for a day at MCO, you are all set.

Jimval26 Feb 23, 2019 4:20 pm


Originally Posted by Often1 (Post 30814078)
Scheduling aircraft for maximum utilization is a science. Your situation is for a routing which may not have as many passengers as BOS, so it is optimized for the BOS (and perhaps other) connections with BDL sold as an afterthought. In any event, so long as you understand that you may be stuck for a day at MCO, you are all set.

I am beyond the 24 hours so cannot cancel or change without paying $400 ($200x2) so it is what it is. After this trip I’ll go back to not flying again. It’s amazing how airlines have made flying so miserable.

MSYtoJFKagain Feb 27, 2019 8:24 am

You are complaining that the entire situation isn't optimized for you, one customer.

You knowingly booked this itinerary with a very tight connection.

You have made this miserable for yourself..

[Unduly personalized text edited by Moderator.]

Often1 Feb 27, 2019 9:48 am

This is not a question of whether one is smart or experienced. OP simply chose to book a short connection because it is presumably better for him than other alternatives. Now, he has buyer's remorse. That is fine. Many people do. But, I struggle to figure out why this is the fault of B6 in particularl or of the airlines as a whole who have, according to OP made things miserable.

Ocn Vw 1K Feb 27, 2019 9:51 am

Moderator Caution.
 
It's been necessary to delete some recent posts as they've crossed the line of a key FlyerTalk rule, Rule 12 (Please see Help menu for full text.)

A key focus of rule 12 is that we discuss the topic, and not each other as members in a personalized way.

Here the OP had certain priorities and assumptions when booking the connecting flight sequence. We may understand that or we may disagree firmly with OP's strategy; but going forward, let's discuss the principles and see if we can offer constructive guidance, rather than personalized judgments. Thanks! Ocn Vw 1K, Senior Moderator.

Jimval26 Feb 27, 2019 10:29 am


Originally Posted by Often1 (Post 30827699)
This is not a question of whether one is smart or experienced. OP simply chose to book a short connection because it is presumably better for him than other alternatives. Now, he has buyer's remorse. That is fine. Many people do. But, I struggle to figure out why this is the fault of B6 in particularl or of the airlines as a whole who have, according to OP made things miserable.

I’m new at this. Trying to learn. I see on TV every day how people hate flying. Oversold planes, cramped seats, delays, TSA issues, and more. Certainly related to flying in general, not specifically JetBlue. Do you agree with this?

Where I struggle is where JetBlue schedules two flights together as a trip with only 36 minutes in between. You are supposed to be ready to board at least 15 minutes ahead of time. It could very well take 15 minutes just to get off the plane on the first flight. That leaves about 6 minutes. The first flight is late 10% of the time.

That is difficult for me to understand. Nowhere did I ever state that I expected JetBlue to optimize everything for me.

When booking the flight this is what JetBlue recommended. I expect that when a company recommends something, they are confident in their recommendation. Is that an unreasonable expectation?

klanfa Feb 27, 2019 10:11 pm


Originally Posted by Jimval26 (Post 30827827)


I’m new at this. Trying to learn. I see on TV every day how people hate flying. Oversold planes, cramped seats, delays, TSA issues, and more. Certainly related to flying in general, not specifically JetBlue. Do you agree with this?

Where I struggle is where JetBlue schedules two flights together as a trip with only 36 minutes in between. You are supposed to be ready to board at least 15 minutes ahead of time. It could very well take 15 minutes just to get off the plane on the first flight. That leaves about 6 minutes. The first flight is late 10% of the time.

That is difficult for me to understand. Nowhere did I ever state that I expected JetBlue to optimize everything for me.

When booking the flight this is what JetBlue recommended. I expect that when a company recommends something, they are confident in their recommendation. Is that an unreasonable expectation?

MCO to MBJ schedule isn't supposed to conform to BDL to MCO schedule. Heck, JetBlue schedules flights within minutes of each other, you just can't connect to them. JetBlue isn't really big on connections, and they definitely don't have a banked transfer hub at MCO.
JetBlue doesn't recommend the connection by selling it, they just consider the connection long enough to sell it, i.e. over the MCT. Getting off the first plane could take 15 minutes but if you have such a tight connection, you should probably sit in the front where it takes ~5 minutes to get off. Do note that your estimated 6 minutes would be enough at MCO where JetBlue gates are close to one another.
I probably wouldn't have booked this itinerary myself, but if I had, I would definitely also buy some travel insurance that covers delays which could cover the cost of a hotel near MCO.

Jimval26 Feb 28, 2019 2:50 am

Do you experienced flyers have a preferred travel insurance company? There are so many different ones...

Often1 Feb 28, 2019 6:25 am

Are you certain that the credit card you used does not provide any coverage? If all you are looking for is coverage for downtime costs at MCO in case you are stuck for a day or two, card coverage might well provide that (or close to it). In addition, some homeowner's policies have a small benefit (which may be sufficient) and some employers' policies cover employee leisure travel.


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