Q on 1 stop flight

[Partyatsea]

If we are booked on a 1 stop flight, with the same airline, with a 1 1/2 hr. layover and the first flight lands too late, what should we expect? We usually always fly non stop. We live in NYC and are lookin at Heathrow with a change of plane in Iceland. Thanks in advance, P&L

[paul929207]

If the frst flight is late and you miss your connection, go to the counter for the airline and get rebooked.

[parody]

Keep in mind that if your flight arrives late there is a good chance that your connecting flight also arrived late and will depart late. If the lines are long at the airline's counter, call them on the phone to discuss rebooking.

[kenish]

FYI your flight is not a "one stop", it's a connection.

 

FYI: A one stop flight is the same aircraft and flight number all the way to the destination, but stops at some intermediate airport. Depending on how long the stop will be, you may be able to go into the terminal and re-board to your original seats (but usually have to take your belongings with you). You may have the option or be required to remain on the plane.

 

Connecting flights involve two different aircraft and flight numbers (sometimes even different airlines). You must get off the first flight at the intermediate airport and change gates or terminals for the scond flight. That seems to be your situation.

 

Sorry to pick over words or sound pedantic, but it's a very important difference that may cause unwanted results if misused with airline agents or on forums. :)

[AZjohn]

Keep in mind that if your flight arrives late there is a good chance that your connecting flight also arrived late and will depart late.

My experiance, 90% of the time this has never been true and I would never count on it. Mechanical or weather delays usualy happen at departing airport, not connecting airport. Even bad weather at connecting airport the airlines will do all they can to get jets out on time and almost never wait for late connecting passengers.

 

If the lines are long at the airline's counter, call them on the phone to discuss rebooking.

Agree 100%. Put the airlines number in your cell phone and be pro-active if your first flight is being delayed. Have a list with paln B and C flights that will get you where you need to go. Don't depend on a reservation agent to figure it out.

[jagoffee]

My experiance, 90% of the time this has never been true and I would never count on it. Mechanical or weather delays usualy happen at departing airport, not connecting airport. Even bad weather at connecting airport the airlines will do all they can to get jets out on time and almost never wait for late connecting passengers.

 

 

Agree 100%. Put the airlines number in your cell phone and be pro-active if your first flight is being delayed. Have a list with paln B and C flights that will get you where you need to go. Don't depend on a reservation agent to figure it out.

 

90%? You must not fly thru Chicago (ORD) in the winter. Once it gets backed up everything is usually backed up for the day coming or going. Weather related of course.

[parody]

My experiance, 90% of the time this has never been true and I would never count on it.

 

I wouldn't "count on it" either, but I believe that your experience suffers from what is usually labeled as "small sample" problems. Using data from DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report for Feb. 2010 on Table 7 for December 2009, it shows that for the top 5 US airports that have arrivals and/or departures that exceed 16,000, the unweighted on-time arrival rate is 70.66% and the unweighted on-time departure rate is 71.96%. (A more proper weighted average would only change these slightly.) In fact, the DOT data show that the percentage of aircraft departing ORD on-time is lower than the percent arriving (64.6% vs. 65.9%)! Thus, I'll stand by my initial observation that one has "a good chance" that one's connecting flight may experience the same problem as their arriving flight.

[AZjohn]

I wouldn't "count on it" either, but I believe that your experience suffers from what is usually labeled as "small sample" problems. Using data from DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report for Feb. 2010 on Table 7 for December 2009, it shows that for the top 5 US airports that have arrivals and/or departures that exceed 16,000, the unweighted on-time arrival rate is 70.66% and the unweighted on-time departure rate is 71.96%. (A more proper weighted average would only change these slightly.) In fact, the DOT data show that the percentage of aircraft departing ORD on-time is lower than the percent arriving (64.6% vs. 65.9%)! Thus, I'll stand by my initial observation that one has "a good chance" that one's connecting flight may experience the same problem as their arriving flight.

LOL... yes I only fly once in a blue moon:rolleyes: Happy to know you are sticking to your advice you would give to others, mostly in/out of ORD.

As I was trying to state (as you are), I would never give anyone false hopes that because their flight gets delayed that means all other flights will too.... But guess my "small sample" is just silly;)

[AZjohn]

90%? You must not fly thru Chicago (ORD) in the winter.

No, never have.... Is that Chicago or something close

[jagoffee]

No, never have.... Is that Chicago or something close

 

Yes, Chicago's main airport. You are lucky. The best part of living in the Chicago area is that one does not need to connect in Chicago.

[AZjohn]

Yes, Chicago's main airport. You are lucky. The best part of living in the Chicago area is that one does not need to connect in Chicago.

 

Sorry, I was being sarcastic. Been to ORD many times, even in Winter (seems UA likes it there). I wish I was lucky enough to never been stranded there, but have several times:cool:

[jetexpress]

Yes, Chicago's main airport. You are lucky. The best part of living in the Chicago area is that one does not need to connect in Chicago.

 

Hilarious:D

[6rugrats]

If we are booked on a 1 stop flight, with the same airline, with a 1 1/2 hr. layover and the first flight lands too late, what should we expect? We usually always fly non stop. We live in NYC and are lookin at Heathrow with a change of plane in Iceland. Thanks in advance, P&L

 

 

OP - I assume you are flying on Icelandair? I don't know your travel dates, appears there are only one, and sometimes two flights a day from KEF-LHR. I am just guessing, but if your flight arrived late from JFK-KEF, your connection may wait, as that would be a lot of passengers missing their ongoing flight. No experience with this airline though.

[Shorex]

Keep in mind that if your flight arrives late there is a good chance that your connecting flight also arrived late and will depart late. If the lines are long at the airline's counter, call them on the phone to discuss rebooking.

 

However, it may be that the connecting flight will have a delayed departure but the door has been closed for boarding. I've seen this -- the plane sitting at the gate, the door closed, and the GA won't let late arrivals through the door. This situation is truly YMMV. If the GA lets you board, the force is with you.

 

Agree 100% on using the phone. Once at RDU the flight was delayed, delayed, delayed, canceled. While the masses mobbed the GA to rebook, I was on the phone and got a reroute on the flight leaving in 15 minutes.

 

On a tangent that is totally unrelated to the OP's question, I recommend "Up in the Air" (movie with George Clooney) for everyone who flies; once a year or once a day. Gotta love how he goes through security.

[parody]

However, it may be that the connecting flight will have a delayed departure but the door has been closed for boarding. I've seen this -- the plane sitting at the gate, the door closed, and the GA won't let late arrivals through the door.

 

I have seen this also (although rarely). Since I think that "actual departure time" is measured by when they close the door for boarding, my understanding is that it is usually done to fool the system into believing that the flight was on-time and not delayed. Thus, if a flight is truly delayed (say, because of weather), there is not as much incentive to "close the door" and wait at the gate since they are going to be recorded as delayed anyway. (True, there is some incentive to not be reported as habitually delayed.) So, I'd like to believe that when the percent "on-time" statistics are approximately the same for arrivals and departures, it is because both flights are experiencing actual delays.

[fbgd]

Why bother? Between NYC and London you've got AA, BA, Virgin, Kuwait, Continental and Delta doing non-stops!

[Globaliser]

Since I think that "actual departure time" is measured by when they close the door for boarding, my understanding is that it is usually done to fool the system into believing that the flight was on-time and not delayed.

No, a flight "departs" when the parking brake is released for pushback or taxi.

[parody]

No, a flight "departs" when the parking brake is released for pushback or taxi.

 

Hopefully, the point I was making is still valid. But, in an attempt to wrestle this to the ground once and for all, does it make any difference in recording "time of departure" as to whether the pilot releases the parking brake and actively proceeds to taxi to the runway or the pilot pushes 2 feet back from the gate and resets the parking brake?

[Globaliser]

Is it possible that airlines, or individual crew members, may manipulate the automatically-recorded departure time of the aircraft by use/misuse of the parking brake? Yes - it sometimes happens.

 

Is it possible that airlines that do not use automatic recording manipulate the recorded departure time of the aircraft by tweaking the time logged in the manual systems? Yes, it sometimes happens.

 

Does the fact that the boarding door or aircraft door has been closed, but the aircraft is still sitting at the gate, mean that this is what is happening on that particular occasion? No.

 

The crew are not going to release the parking brake unless it is safe to do so, and the mere fact that the doors are closed does not mean that. There are plenty of other perfectly legitimate reasons why the doors may be closed even though the aircraft has not left. Prime amongst these is the fact that the gate agents may be needed to work another flight, and therefore must close up shop and go elsewhere even though the aircraft cannot physically depart.

 

So while what you suggest can happen, I don't believe that this is the "usual" reason for doing so.

[UKBayern]

If we are booked on a 1 stop flight, with the same airline, with a 1 1/2 hr. layover and the first flight lands too late, what should we expect? We usually always fly non stop. We live in NYC and are lookin at Heathrow with a change of plane in Iceland. Thanks in advance, P&L

 

Same question here as kenish. I suppose you mean transferring to another flight at KEF? Let me reassure you: most passengers travelling through KEF are on their way to or from NY. That is Icelandairs core business. They do this every day with thousands of passengers between Europe and New York. Icelandair is the prime carrier at KEF. They don't have a lot of options to rebook passengers on other airlines. It is not irrealistic that planes will wait for one another.

And if not, they will rebook you. Important factor is that both stretches are in one ticket. Only if both flights are in 1 ticket, the airline is responsible of getting you to your final destination.

[UKBayern]

Why bother? Between NYC and London you've got AA, BA, Virgin, Kuwait, Continental and Delta doing non-stops!

 

Icelandair is cheap and reliable.

[calmac]

Several years ago we flew from the UK to the US with Icelandair. I would expect the same situation still applies.

 

Flights from Europe to Iceland arrive.

Flights from US to Iceland arrive.

 

Passengers move to connecting flights.

 

Flights to Europe depart.

Flights to US depart.

 

Basically everyone arrives, changes planes, everyone departs. It's a stange airport!!

 

Assuming this is still the case, there will be very little chance of missing your connection.

[scottbee]

Why bother? Between NYC and London you've got AA, BA, Virgin, Kuwait, Continental and Delta doing non-stops!

 

You forgot Air India.

 

 

But I suspect the OP was looking for a one-way flight, and FI is one of the best choices for a discount one-way (along with EI)