Tight Connection in PHL?
 

I'm traveling on a mixed itinerary with AS, US, and DL booked on Priceline (none of the carrier websites could book my entire itinerary). Relevant flights are:

AS32 SEA-PHL, landing at 1649 in terminal D, sitting near the front.
US4302 PHL-AVP, taking off at 1735 in terminal F

Is 46 minutes doable for a domestic connection going from D-F?
I'm a good powerwalker, can I walk from D-F airside, or do I need to take the shuttle bus? How reliable/frequent is the shuttle?
In the event I miss my connection, is AS or US responsible for getting me to AVP, or does me booking on Priceline mean I lose out? US3922 leaves 3 hours later, but I'd miss a dinner meeting.

Thanks for any info!

http://www.phl.org/passengerinfo/pages/faqs.aspx

I'd bet against that connection working out based on the shuttle timing. You cannot walk it inside security AFAIK.

Typically the delivering carrier is supposed to make you whole (in this case AS) but I'd still deal with US as they're the ones who can more easily book you on that next flight, assuming it has seats.

I don't see this as a viable connection. US requires you to be through the gate reader no later than T-15. This means a 31-minute, not a 46-minute connection.

In addition, you definitely need to determine whether PL booked one or two tickets. If one ticket, you will at least be rebooked. If two tickets and you miss your new itinerary on US, you are potentially SOL and, even if rebooked, you will be behind others.

How would I find out if it's one ticket? In Priceline's confirmation email, they gave me 3 confirmation numbers, 1 each for AS, US, DL. When I go to AS's website and enter their confirmation, it gives me all the legs on my outbound (ALW-SEA-PHL-AVP), which seems like it's all 1 ticket.

I'm flying next week, and the late flight to AVP has ~10 exit row / premium seats left, so hopefully I could squeeze on if need be.

Also, according to flightaware, AS32 has been getting in ~10 minutes early, so there's that.

Also, if I miss my connection on that booking and reach AVP 3 hours late, is there any sort of compensation for that besides rebooking?

No.

It does sound like it is a single reservation so you're good in that regard, but I'd still bet that you miss the connection.

For more discussion, please follow the thread as it moves to the Mid-Atlantic forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

It's highly likely that you will miss your US flight. There are two ways to get from terminal D to terminal F: airside via a shuttle bus between gate C-16 and the F shuttle drop-off, or landside on foot. The shuttle will be faster, given the need to clear security again at F if you opt to walk between the terminals. At a minimum, you're talking at least 15 minutes just to get from your inbound gate to your outbound gate, and that's if the shuttle bus leaves at the precise moment that you reach C-16 (which is a 5-10 minute brisk walk from the D gates, depending on which gate you come into). More likely, you'll be waiting 10-15 minutes for the shuttle. Add in the usual tarmac delays at PHL, and you're done for. PHL's appalling baggage handling means that your bag will almost certainly get left behind on this tight of a connection.

FWIW, I would never book 45 minutes with terminal F in the picture.

That said, if it all goes bad, AVP is only 2 hours and 10 minutes or so from PHL, it's a straight shot up 476 (all highway) if you have to drive.

If the stars align, it's doable - but you better hustle and hope your timing for the shuttle is perfect- or that Piedmont is having a bad day and running late

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have booked that connection. I'm not familiar with Philly, and the terminal map made it seem that Terminal F was connected to the others with a quick walk. I also assumed that train track looking thing on the map was the airside-landside divider, which would put the Terminal E-F connector as airside. And I guess I was naive about Kayak and Priceline not giving nearly impossible itineraries.

Lesson learned. Also, I know now that if I want to dress up for my job interview in Scranton, I shall pack my suit in my carryon suitcase.

Also, I'm a glutton for punishment because on the return trip, I have a 47 minute layover in DTW. Though I've made tighter connections there that involved jogging the full mile from the far end of C to the far end of A...

Thanks everyone for the advice

Except that the OP's flight lands at 4:49 PM, meaning that by the time he gets the car and gets onto the road, it will be the height of rush hour, and he'll have his choice of the Schuylkill or the Blue Route. :eek: Make that 3+ hours!

While I agree if everything is on scheduled or behind you will have a tough time making connection - it is likely your inbound from SEA will have tailwinds and land early. As long as they can manage to gate early it is more possible vs. everyone assumes.

OP - when is your flight?

If soon (i.e. in times where there are poor weather) I would keep aware of travel waivers and call as soon as one is issued which would apply to change your flights/routing. Being aware of travel waivers allows you to manage this proactively vs. waiting for your individual flight to delay/cancel.

I'm not the biggest fan on the PHL airport because the slightest bit of weather seems to turn everything into chaos.

45 minutes is cutting it for that connection but might be doable. The one thing that might be in your favor is that half my US Airways flights out of Philly end up delayed.

Will be flying next week.

At the moment, snow is forecast for Wednesday (a little) and Thursday (a lot). So you might get lucky, or unlucky, depending on how many cancellations there are. Given the experience of the last 5 weeks, weather disruptions are more the rule than the exception this year.

If you ever decide to come through Philly again, there's always this:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...a-airport.html