Flights rescheduled with now seemingly impossible short layover to catch flight

[Tante1231]

We booked our flights through HAL for our Buenos Aires embarkation.  We were given great flights with a 2 plus hour layover in Miami...we had paid early and are now considered "ticketed."  In early September I received an email from American (after we had fully paid and were "ticketed") providing me with the flight itinerary and our seats.  Again, the 2 hour layover was showing. 

 

Yesterday I went to check on the seats and to my surprise I found that our flight out of our hometown had been changed and we now have only 45 minutes to catch the connection to Buenos Aires.  I call my TA and she called HAL.  As of "last week" HAL changed their policy regarding passenger requests to change a flight and now want $984 PER PERSON to make a change.  I am appalled to say the least.  What happens if we miss the flight with such a short layover?  I have not been to Miami International in many years and have no idea how far we will have to walk to get to the connection.  The best HAL can offer right now is telling me that since our flight is in January, there will likely be other changes that might provide a longer layover in Miami.

 

Any recommendations on how to proceed at this point would be most appreciated.  Thanks in advance. 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

I think airlines are having fun putting us all in a tizzy. Our layover in London has now shortened to 1 hour and 10 minutes and it includes going through another security check. Last October it was a mess and took forever. Hopefully things have improved. Good luck to us all. 😊

[iceman93]

45 minutes to connect in MIA should be plenty.  Why the concern?  I would consider that a nearly-ideal layover!

[regnig]

45 minutes is the minimum required layover time at MIA.  Are you changing airlines?  If not you will probably be okay provided there is no delay on your originating flight.

[Mary229]

Call American Airlines.  They made the change and will likely assist you.  One word of caution- it is likely to change again so tread lightly. 
 

my advice to others is to book only non stop and if you are in this situation book the short leg yourself and make sure you get to the main flight 24 hours early 

[DaveOKC]

4 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Call American Airlines.  They made the change and will likely assist you.  One word of caution- it is likely to change again so tread lightly. 
 

my advice to others is to book only non stop and if you are in this situation book the short leg yourself and make sure you get to the main flight 24 hours early 

I agree - try the airline directly, as all they can say is no and likely will help you.  I book directly with the airlines and they always have worked with me, even when the connections are within the minimum required times.  Often I have ended up with a better arrangement for me than the original flight plan!

 

[tupper10]

You need to contact senior people at HAL the agents give you ridiculous answers to questions like this.  The airline changed the flight not you, HAL should change your flight with no charge unless it is American who is demanding the fee for the change - in which case you need to deal with American or HAL does.  

[opa&oma]

1 hour ago, iceman93 said:

45 minutes to connect in MIA should be plenty.  Why the concern?  I would consider that a nearly-ideal layover!

No, for many reasons, 45 minutes is not an ideal layover, and especially for international flights.

[Roz]

International flights often involve a terminal change, and I've found 40-45 min. is not enough time at major airports like O'Hare and Bush.  

[Laminator]

1 hour ago, iceman93 said:

45 minutes to connect in MIA should be plenty.  Why the concern?  I would consider that a nearly-ideal layover!

The American terminal (terminal D) in Miami is one mile long. If they land and are given an "E" terminal gate their chances of making it to a "D" gate are not that great. As others have stated contact American and see if they can help you. 

[Sir PMP]

1 hour ago, iceman93 said:

45 minutes to connect in MIA should be plenty.  Why the concern?  I would consider that a nearly-ideal layover!

Unless you have an 1/2 hour delay.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, opa&oma said:

No, for many reasons, 45 minutes is not an ideal layover, and especially for international flights.

Exactly, it ridiculous to think this is enough time.

[iceman93]

Yes, how could I who have flown over 2 million commercial air miles possibly know how much time is needed to make a connection?  😂

 

Look, everyone has their own tolerance for things like this.  Some check in for their flights 2-3 hours in advance and appreciate that cushion of protection.  Some, like me, would rather not spend all that time in airports so cut things much closer.

 

Yes, there is risk to this approach but even two hours may not be enough time if the inbound flight is delayed.  How much time are you willing to spend/waste to cut down the risk of missing the connection?  To me, 45 minutes of connection time is perfect at any airport in the U.S. and offers the best balance of convenience with comfort.

 

The reason airlines have published their minimal acceptable connection times by airport is because it's the amount of time they have decided is reasonable for a person walking at an average speed to get from one gate to another in the farthest possible corners away from each other.  Most times, of course, the gates are much closer together than that.  And, if you're getting tight, you can always walk faster or even run.  Worst case, you miss the connection and then the airline will automatically put you on the next available flight.  I admit, for rarely-served international destinations, this can sometimes be the next day (but that's why I never fly in the same day a cruise departs--to me, it's much more likely flights will be cancelled due to weather, mechanical problems, crew rest, or whatever than that I will miss a 45-minute connection).

 

Back to the OP's situation, like I said I'd be thrilled if a planned two-hour layover was changed to 45 minutes.  But if they are uncomfortable due to a different level of risk tolerance, call the airline and see what options they offer.  If the answer is nothing, then the OP is no worse off than right now.  More likely, they will offer different flight times the OP can choose from at no additional charge.

[iceman93]

1 hour ago, Sir PMP said:

Unless you have an 1/2 hour delay.

This would indeed add stress, but the reality is the airline will reasonably hold connections (particularly when the next option is very inconvenient) for late-connecting passengers.

[TiogaCruiser]

Yikes on 45 minutes. 
Where are you sitting in the plane for the first leg?
If not in a prime seat, how long will you have to wait to deplane?

 

My 90 minute connection in Lima got totally eaten up by our plane being unloaded on the tarmac with a shuttle to take us to the terminal. I was in regular cabin, mid cabin. We were let off in the order of our seats, regardless of connections.

[Coquitlam Cruiser]

5 hours ago, Tante1231 said:

 

Edited September 27, 2022 by Coquitlam Cruiser

[Laminator]

2 minutes ago, Coquitlam Cruiser said:

One item which doesn’t appear in your layover is US Customs and Border Protection clearance at Miami.  Unless you have Global Entry there is no chance of making a 45 minute connection at MIA.  With so many flights arriving from South and Central America around the same time,  it would be a miracle you could get through CBP even with Global Entry status.  Good luck. 

The OP is referring to her departure flight not her return flight so CBP is not relevant.

[Coquitlam Cruiser]

1 minute ago, Laminator said:

The OP is referring to her departure flight not her return flight so CBP is not relevant.

Yes I realized that after posting. Thanks

[Nachosdelux]

2 hours ago, iceman93 said:

This would indeed add stress, but the reality is the airline will reasonably hold connections (particularly when the next option is very inconvenient) for late-connecting passengers.

 

The bolded statement is not true.  Airlines will only hold a flight as a last resort, and I would not count on it.

 

I would absolutely not risk a 45 minute connection to an international flight.  And i have flown more than 2 million miles.  Call American and see if they will put you on an earlier flight to Miami.

[Don Kehote]

A helpful thing that everyone always just immediately forgets, usually in favor of getting all up in arms about their circumstance, is to just simply ask for help from people who can actually help you.  A good example of a helpful person to talk to would be the gate agent, and the flight attendants.  If you've got a tight connection to make, a few questions can help you get off the plane first, rather than having to wait for everyone else to disembark.  As this is a Holland board, though, I'd expect that the wait from First Class probably isn't as long as those of us back in steerage have to deal with.

[dockman]

Being all stressed out over possible late flight or even on time flight with 45 minute connection is no way to start a cruise vacation....it is not like the ship is going to wait for you if you miss the flight....not to mention that maybe you run to make the flight but your luggage does not.

 

Ideally can you change to day before and just spend night in a hotel so no stress?

Anyone who reads the news knows that the airlines are maxed out these days so is it worth it to roll the dice or better to spend $$ on airport hotel ?  I would choose hotel if that is an option.

 

I had 3 hour connection via heathrow pre covid but got caught up in long super slow lines getting off plane then security etc  and ended up running trough terminal just as door closed on United flight to NYC...3 hours and barely made it...not a lot of fun. 

[dockman]

Also noticed op is apparently flying from NC to MIA in Jan...all it takes is a bit of NC  snow or sleet and you will miss connection....especially in winter months go a day early is a good idea.  Do you really want to chance it or have to keep eye on weather etc?  Pre cruise stress is not any way to start a vacation from Buenos Aires.

[cat shepard]

I ran into a similar issue earlier this month. Again with American. And a call to Flight Ease directly did the trick. They recognized that American had changed the flight, not us and changed it to a much better option. And that was September 16th. 

[Tante1231]

19 hours ago, Tante1231 said:

We booked our flights through HAL for our Buenos Aires embarkation.  We were given great flights with a 2 plus hour layover in Miami...we had paid early and are now considered "ticketed."  In early September I received an email from American (after we had fully paid and were "ticketed") providing me with the flight itinerary and our seats.  Again, the 2 hour layover was showing. 

 

Yesterday I went to check on the seats and to my surprise I found that our flight out of our hometown had been changed and we now have only 45 minutes to catch the connection to Buenos Aires.  I call my TA and she called HAL.  As of "last week" HAL changed their policy regarding passenger requests to change a flight and now want $984 PER PERSON to make a change.  I am appalled to say the least.  What happens if we miss the flight with such a short layover?  I have not been to Miami International in many years and have no idea how far we will have to walk to get to the connection.  The best HAL can offer right now is telling me that since our flight is in January, there will likely be other changes that might provide a longer layover in Miami.

 

Any recommendations on how to proceed at this point would be most appreciated.  Thanks in advance. 

UPDATE:  First off thank you all for your responses - we are flying into BA several days early however if we missed our flight, the next American flight would not be until the following morning.  Now the real skinny - not happy with Flight Ease at all...I've now learned that making your final payment EARLY is the automatic death sentence to making a change in your flight plans.  I was on the phone with them and my TA and they were sticking to charging me another $1,800+ to change my flight to give me more time in MIA. A supervisor was supposed to call back my TA to discuss further - it's been 24 hours and no call back. 

However - here is the silver lining.  I called AA myself - as the wait time was excessive, I left my cell number and about 3 hours or so later a rep called me.  SHE WAS FABULOUS.  Saw the issue immediately, understood my concern and worked her magic. It took a while but now I have a flight leaving RDU to CLT and then on to MIA  where I will get onto my flight to BA.  Of course there is a chance it might change again...but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. 

Again - thank you all! 

[DaveOKC]

Glad to hear!  I fly American alot and they have always been great about working with me on changes like you had. Sorry to hear about Flight Ease though - that is terrible service.