What Do You Consider an Acceptable Connection Time for Domestic Travel?

[mnocket]

In my case, not really domestic travel, but a domestic connection leading to an international flight.  Specifically, departing Denver and traveling to Buenos Aires with a connection in either Dallas or Miami. The connection times are about 1hr15m.  Since fixing a missed connection on this itinerary isn't easy, I'm worried this connection is too tight. Thoughts on this specific case and connection times in general?

[JM0115]

1 minute ago, mnocket said:

In my case, not really domestic travel, but a domestic connection leading to an international flight.  Specifically, departing Denver and traveling to Buenos Aires with a connection in either Dallas or Miami. The connection times are about 1hr15m.  Since fixing a missed connection on this itinerary isn't easy, I'm worried this connection is too tight. Thoughts on this specific case and connection times in general?

I’d be nervous with 1 hr but as long as you are going to the cruise embarkation city at least 1 day if not 2-3 days early it probably would be ok to have only the 1 hr connection time.

[mnocket]

1 minute ago, JM0115 said:

I’d be nervous with 1 hr but as long as you are going to the cruise embarkation city at least 1 day if not 2-3 days early it probably would be ok to have only the 1 hr connection time.

Yeah, I always travel in a day or two early.  Since I'll be leaving DEN in January, I'm going 2-days early (I'm always surprised at how easily DIA is disrupted by light snow).  Nothing I can do about a snowstorm, but absent that, I'd hate to miss my connection because it was too tight.  Unfortunately, as things stand now, the alternatives are either hugely more expensive or result in a 6+ hr connection.

[JM0115]

3 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Yeah, I always travel in a day or two early.  Since I'll be leaving DEN in January, I'm going 2-days early (I'm always surprised at how easily DIA is disrupted by light snow).  Nothing I can do about a snowstorm, but absent that, I'd hate to miss my connection because it was too tight.  Unfortunately, as things stand now, the alternatives are either hugely more expensive or result in a 6+ hr connection.

Good move! Anything can happen in CO! 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, mnocket said:

In my case, not really domestic travel, but a domestic connection leading to an international flight.  Specifically, departing Denver and traveling to Buenos Aires with a connection in either Dallas or Miami. The connection times are about 1hr15m.  Since fixing a missed connection on this itinerary isn't easy, I'm worried this connection is too tight. Thoughts on this specific case and connection times in general?

 

Neither are optimal, though I would rather connect at DFW than MIA.

 

This seems to be AA, so I would take whichever is the earlier one, on the theory that if the first flight out of DEN goes pear shaped, I might be able to reroute over to the later one.  But without actual dates and times of the options, that's at best a mildly appropriate suggestion.

 

And what's so wrong about a 6 hour connect?  What's your peace of mind worth?

 

Personally, I'd be looking at UA, since there are a lot more flight from DEN to IAH, where you could then connect to EZE.

 

 

[CDNPolar]

To us the connection whether domestic or international is never safe under 2.5 hours.  

 

Flights are notoriously late for so many reasons.  Time if year and weather patterns come into play too.

 

We are not adverse to longer connections up to 4, 5, or even 6 hours.   As @FlyerTalker asks "what's your peace of mind worth".

 

We are only focused on getting to our destination with the least stress possible and if you are anticipating the missing of a connection or making the ship port on time, that is stress we don't want or need.

[SelectSys]

For an international flight I always try and add more time to my connection in case something goes wrong with my original flight.  This is especially true as they are far fewer opportunities to catch a later flight the same day when traveling internationally.  A missed international connection might mean a wait of a day depending on where you are traveling to.

 

To me, a longer connection time while traveling to an international flight is like buying some insurance.

 

Good luck!

[Zach1213]

Even though I do an excessive amount of international travel (and am writing this on a flight over the Atlantic as we speak!), and I could spend more time at home with shorter connections, I still take the longer ones. I try to do 2-3 hours for international trips because, as mentioned, recovery options become more limited. Even then, I've missed some. Peace of mind is worth the extra time for me, and I can always find something to do (work, read, watch a movie).

[FlyerTalker]

34 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

I can always find something to do (work, read, watch a movie).

 

I've always found it interesting that folks who would gladly sit and read a book for hours on a cruise ship, think the idea of doing that in an airport is horrible.

 

Same with on the flight itself.  I can't tell how much reading I've done in both places.

 

 

Edited May 20 by FlyerTalker

[Zach1213]

4 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

I've always found it interesting that folks who would gladly sit and read a book for hours on a cruise ship, think the idea of doing that in an airport is horrible.

 

Same with on the flight itself.  I can't tell how much reading I've done in both places.

 

 

I actually rarely read on the plane, but I always do at the airport. Sometimes I do work on the plane, because...billable hours are billable hours...but I try to save that time as a time to really turn my brain off (the kind books I read are very much nonfiction so it's not really turning my brain off when I read!). I am so busy on the ground that the plane is really a place to just watch TV or scroll the Internet (or post here I guess, since I am at FL370 off the east coast of Newfoundland).

[mnocket]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I'm swayed by your arguments, and will try to find a longer connection.  

[Zach1213]

37 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I'm swayed by your arguments, and will try to find a longer connection.  

Especially with DFW, there should be enough DEN-DFW flights to find a slightly earlier one to give you an extra couple of hours there. Terminal D (where DFW-EZE should leave) is a good place to hang out...you can usually find a fairly empty gate somewhere, it's bright/open/airy, good views of the rest of the airport. There are also some decent places to eat and drink there, so you shouldn't have too much trouble killing some extra time. 

[waterbug123]

I have no issue with short connections on most domestic trips, but when connecting to a long haul international flight, I like 2-3 hours at a minimum and often end up with an itinerary that has 4-5 hours.  And that's fine with me; I'd much rather relax in the lounge than worry about a delay causing me to miss the international leg. 

And if boarding a cruise at the destination, I fly in minimum 1 day early but preferably 2.  Two years ago we were delayed in Atlanta by a mechanical issue on the way to Venice for a cruise.  We had 1 day buffer in Venice, but lost that when the flight was finally canceled after it was too late to get rerouted in any way to get out that night.  We were rebooked for the following day. 

[CDNPolar]

19 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

I've always found it interesting that folks who would gladly sit and read a book for hours on a cruise ship, think the idea of doing that in an airport is horrible.

 

Same with on the flight itself.  I can't tell how much reading I've done in both places.

 

 

 

The minute we leave the house in the airport car our trip begins.

 

We accept that there will be delays.

 

We accept that we have intentionally booked a 4 hour layover at Heathrow.

 

We start to relax as the car pulls from the curb and we just enjoy the experience.

 

So many we know are stressed by travel, and especially air travel.  

 

We are not the most travelled couple, but we have visited all 7 continents, and over 60 countries now.  We travel 2-3 times a year personally and I travel at least that to international destinations for work.

 

We just go with the flow.  We read.  We listen to books.  We read news online.  We listen to music.  We people watch.  We complain to ourselves about dirty and not well stocked airport lounges in some airports.  But overall we just enjoy the experience because it is part of the trip and we want to enjoy our trip.