thelittlevoice

So what was the shortest time you had between flights? Did you miss the next flight or make it?

Rejuvenated

30 min at NRT with JL to JL connection. Flight from HKG ran very late so had to rush and run over to the gate of my onward flight to YVR. By the time I got to the gate they were making the final boarding call. Should I had not ran, I would have definately missed it.

rkkwan

Many times, the airline will hold a flight for connecting passengers, so, there's no straight answer. I've flown NWA into their old SEL hub about an hour past the time the connecting flight's supposed to leave, as our flight from DTW had to make a fuel stop at ANC. All connecting flights to the rest of Asia are held to wait for us.

Rejuvenated

Northwest once designated Seoul as it's hub?

nako

AS has a 20 minute legal connection time at LAX. I've taken advantage of that on a couple of occasions, with a 22-minute connection there.

Fortunately, all of their flights are on one side of T3, so no harm, no foul.

rkkwan

Yup. In the early-to-mid-90's, when they ran out of room at NRT, they started a smaller hub at SEL. I was flying to HKG, but there were connecting flights to MNL, TPE, etc. In fact, at that time, I think NW had two daily 744s into HKG, one from NRT and one from SEL.

Anyways, back to that delayed DTW-ANC-SEL flight. When we got to SEL, my HKG flight would leave first, so they made all non-HKG passengers sat in the plane, and only let us off first. Then it's TPE, etc...

At SEL, everybody had to go through security even just for connection, so that adds some time. Still, I think I spent less than 5 minutes in the concourse. We got to the old HKG about an hour late, even though our flight into SEL was two hours behind schedule.

cblaisd

11 minutes on UA Express/Skywest at SBA on an LAX-SBA and SBA-SFO connection.

While it was a different flight number, it was the same plane

Tried to just stay on the plane, but no.

stut

I have made more than one sub-10 minute connection (due to delays - not official) at VIE, MUC and CDG, all airports with a 'drect transfer' service for delayed passengers, where you get wheechted out on to a minibus and take straight over the tarmac to your next flight. On only one occasion has my luggage failed to arrive, too.

thelittlevoice

I wouldn't worry at all if it would be on the same airline or at least same alliance but I'll be flying with Continental from Saipan to Hong Kong, arriving at 8.40pm, having a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok at 10.10pm. Wonder if I should take the risk?

sadiqhassan

I have had an EK to EK connection in DXB of rougly 12 or so minutes (20, after the 2nd flight was delayed a bit), because of a delayed incoming flight. 2 planes where right next to eachother, and we skipped transit formailities and went straight to plane number 2. Amazingly, the bags made it too!

WHBM

We've spoken on FT before about the minimal (ie 10 minutes or less) check-ins at London City airport, but I recently witnessed an astounding connection. Not many of those happen there, although the main airline, VLM, does advertise them. Sat in the plane waiting to depart to Manchester, a flight from Antwerp arrived alongside, a little late, and an agent pulled out a connecting pasenger, down the steps of one and onto another aircraft. I would guess well under 60 seconds.

Wait for it - he had hold baggage ! The baggage handler had got the bags out already alongside the first plane, the man confirmed it, and the handler gave it to the dispatcher of the second aircraft who followed passenger and agent up the steps, updated and signed off the paperwork to the skipper, and the door was closed.

Only goes to prove, you can do something if you really want to ! Was obviously planned beforehand as our captain announced as the Antwerp was taxying in that "we are just waiting for one connecting passenger".

PS, transfer passenger must have had a hard day already, he then slept all the trip up to Manchester.

MetalDoggy

If a connect like that happened to me I would owe the airline in question a lifetime of loyalty!

Swanhunter

Sub 25 minutes at HKG from BA to CX. Needless to say my bags made it thanks to the usual CLK efficiency.

JennyElf

Not official, but I've made a connection in 5 minutes (thank goodness for running shoes, gates that were close, and being 20 at the time), my luggage, on the other hand, made it on the flight an hour later.

I've also made a 45 min connection that included landing at EWR, going through immigration control, collecting my luggage, going through customs, then having to go downstairs, check in for the domestic portion of my flight (with a paper ticket no less so I couldn't even use a kiosk), going through security again and making a run for my gate. I only made the flight because I begged the GA to open the jet way for me as I had flown in from Florence via CDG and was exhausted and wanted to go home. They closed the airplane doors behind me.