Why do people avoid connecting flights?
 

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who sought my help in buying his flight from HKG-PEN. He had used Kayak to find a flight sold by Vayama on an airline I had never heard of (Hong Kong Express Airways). He got as far as entering his credit card number before giving me a call; he wanted to know whether Kayak was "safe" to use.

I first explained to him that Kayak was just an aggregator (search engine), and that he would actually be purchasing his flight from Vayama. I went on to ask him why he didn't consider flying on MH or KA, two well-known carriers that I trust, who also fly this route. He explained that they were "too expensive."

So I went on ITA and found several flights on MH that cost a few dollars more than the flights on this unknown (to me and him) carrier. "Yes," he aknowledged, "but those are connecting flights; I want non-stop flights."

I pointed out that flying MH via KUL only adds about 2 hours to the total 4-hour flight time (including the layover), costs about the same, and would be on a major airline (and thus much more reliable in case of IRROPS). I never even touched on the FF aspect (earning additional miles by connecting while also saving money). He reiterated, "I don't want to have to connect; I want non-stop flights." I couldn't convince him to give any consideration to any of the cheap connecting flights at all, which left me wondering:

Why do some people try so hard to avoid connecting flights?

Now, I understand the basic reasons to prefer non-stop flights: Shorter travel time, less chance of misconnects, etc. What I don't understand is why my friend, who is a seasoned business traveller, would consider flying non-stop on this unknown (again, to both of us) airline when there are at least two major carriers flying this route with connecting flights that cost around the same price.

To be sure, I fly new air carriers once in awhile, but I always do several hours of research on the airline both here on FT and via Google, and I recommended that my friend do his own research before purchasing. Ultimately, he chose to buy (at twice the cost) the non-stop on MH. But he would give no consideration to any of the connecting flights offered by MH, Jetstar, and several other airlines.

I'll be sure to ask my friend more when I see him in person, but if I'm going to be able to advise him in the future, I'd like to understand his motivations for paying twice the price (or flying an unfamiliar airline) just to avoid connecting flights. If anyone here feels the same way as he does, I would be very appreciative if you could help me understand his (and your) perspectives.

I wont speak for myself - I love connecting flights. However, despite having flown 250 flights, my wife still does not enjoy flying and in particular the sensation of accelerating and taking off. Therefore she much prefers direct-no-stops if at all possible. The extreme is, if I am with her and there is a direct using WN, she would much prefer that to a DL with connection.

Right. And people often pay for this.

Just because you don't know of the carrier doesn't mean it is a problem. You're probably over-stating the value of all the research you've described. You say "twice as expensive" but it is not clear whether that is $100, $300, $500 or more. I'd pay $100 extra to not have a connection which adds 2+ hours to such a short trip.

Yeah, my wife always has trouble with her ears on descent, thus she wants a routing with a minimum number of legs.

FWIW, HK Express is a perfectly reputable airline, they've been around since 2004 and have a perfect safety record. They're a low-cost carrier, but that's not going to kill you for a 4-hour flight. I see no reason whatsoever to pay more and add two hours to your trip just to avoid them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Express_Airways

When travelling for vacation we've missed 2 connecting flights (weather both times) - having only taken 3 flights that require a connection. Lost some vacation days - but to be fair it could happen with nonstop flights.

Wife point blank refuses to travel with a connection as a result.

Absolutely agree, which is why I recommended only that he do research on the carrier before buying (as I would do/have done).

I didn't think the exact dollar amounts were important to mention, but in this case:

• Hong Kong Express Airways: US$255
• MH (connecting in KL): US$282
• MH (non-stop): ~US$800

As for the research, it's something that I personally would do before selecting (or recommending) an unfamiliar carrier, but it doesn't concern me that not everyone takes that step.

In my specific case, I'd clearly pay the US$282 for the MH flight, because I'd save money, earn RDM/EQM and be able to use the lounge on the layover, but of course, none of this is relevant to my friend's reasoning.

Given that my friends flies a lot, I wouldn't think this would be the issue, but it's certainly something I hadn't considered. I'll have to ask him if this is an issue for him.

Thanks; they are new to me, so without doing the research, I could give my friend no opinion about them at all. Given the choices above, choosing the connecting flight on MH would be a very easy decision for me personally; I certainly wouldn't consider an as-yet-unknown (to me) airline just to save $30 and a short layover, but clearly, my friend had a very different perspective.

Hmm, it's possible that my friend has had some bad experiences with connecting flights, but it isn't always possible to avoid connecting. How does your wife handle destinations that aren't reachable without taking multiple flights?

I avoid connections wherever I can.

Connections mean potential misconnects, lost luggage, and extra time in airport terminals. I'd rather not risk any of that if I don't have to.

Because I'm reminded of that old song (that many of you are too young to remember) - ♫ By the time I get to Phoenix, (my connecting flight won't be waiting) ♫

Why do people avoid connecting flights?
 

I love flying (and miles) and don't really care about disconnects or missed connections. A good way to break up the flight if a long flight too. Ironically, I almost always choose no connections whenever possible due to intense ear pain during descent. One time it hurt so badly that I thought I was going to cry or that I lost my hearing -- had to see my doctor for it. I've been using airplanes during descent (works 90%) of the time, not foolproof but thank god for whomever invented them. So no talking to me during descent (because I can't hear that well) and that's why I never put myself in the emergency row (because during sudden descent, that'd be a huge problem).

So I avoid connecting flights like the plague only because of the pain. I'd also avoid it if it drags on my time to the destination too long (like if the connection is 4-5 hours long) but that's minor compared to my primary reason.

Thanks for the responses; it sounds like there are several factors that I didn't consider. I look forward to sitting down with my friend to find out what his particular motivations are. :cool:

After becoming a dad and travelling with kids, I'd choose NONSTOP if premium is reasonable too. And evening/red-eye flights too, please

Either way, I'd only want to connect if the transit airports are interesting enough, good lounges (e.g. IST *A lounge), or long layover to do a quick day trip (ZRH or ICN), or lastly - price errors!! (Wideroe LGA-YUL-ZRH-MXP is brutal with 2 kids, but for $250/person!!)

Does your friend have oneworld status? As a non-status passenger, I see no reason to pay $30 and connect instead of flying nonstop.

Why do people avoid connecting flights?
 

Also of importance is ascertaining what's on the other side of the flight. If I have a business meeting or client site to get to on the other side of my flight, a non-stop is preferable and often justifiable despite the higher price (and something that is approved for expensing without batting an eye); or if I had a family or wife to get home to on Thursday night that would be another reason to fly direct. It's why Monday morning and Thursday night direct flights cost so much more than other flights.

Likewise if I'm not in a hurry I usually go out of my way to throw in a connection or two in order to maximize my miles.