Travel Secrets for Connecting Flights | Airline Pilot Explains
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Missing connecting flights can be very stressful. I talk about delayed flights and missed connecting flights. If you aren't taking a non stop flight and wants some flying tips, come check this out.
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It just makes me happy by Dj Quads / aka-dj-quads
I only missed a connecting flight once. I was all stressed out when I landed in Florida. Went to the service desk and they had already had us re-booked on a flight 2 hours later. Hung out, had dinner and a beer. Made my flight. No stress.
On one flight I was on, we were arriving late and the flight attendants had a list of who had which connecting flights and asked us, for the sake of people with tight connections, to let those people get off first as she called them in order of how soon their next flight was leaving. When the seat belt sign went off they read, "Flight 456 to Tuscon, three passengers," and those people got up and started getting their stuff. "Flight 4229 to Ft. Lauderdale, one passenger," etc. Everybody sat tight until the people with tight connections got off, then everybody else did so.
Why isn't that routine when people have tight connections? I was one of the people who didn't have a connecting flight but had no problem whatsoever with sitting tight until those other people got off.
I guess its just too damn efficient?
Oh, that's not how it went down on my flight. 4 of us needed to get off and run, and the flight attendants told everyone to stay seated, but they didn't and that was just it. 2 of us made the flight, 2 of us didn't. It was like the airport scene in home alone, but with people in the way.
@@adde9506 Some people are just buttheads, it seems.
most airlines go by the "it's not our problem you don't make your connection" principle
I like that idea. I’ve never seen it where they set up passengers for specific flights to go first like that, but that would be helpful. What I have seen many times is a more generic statement by the flight attendants that a number of people have tight connections on this flight, and if you don’t, to please let those people go first. If I know I have, say, a three hour layover, I’ll sometimes let others behind me go first, or ask them if they want to go ahead.
Travel tip I was always taught. If you have to transfer a connecting flight, as much as possible always stay with the same airline. If you switch airlines, both of them could say that
Do you pay for that service?
Do you pay for that service?
@@ladyshakur4349 If you are asking me, I’ll offer this. One time I was returning from Europe and the flight I was on was delayed due to the airline’s fault. The set up a situation desk to work with anyone that would have a problem. I was going to miss my connecting flight because the time it took for me to get through customs. I went to the desk and they gave me a meal voucher and a hotel room on the airline’s dime. They do this when it is their fault you missed your flight. No, you do not pay for the service. It is customer service… the airline cleaning up their own mess.
I have been in cases where the first airline doesn't go to my final destination and the second airline doesn't serve the city I'm flying out of. SLC to LA - American Eagle. LA to Melbourne - Qantas. SLC to Chicago United Express. Chicago to Copenhagen, SAS. United Express doesn't service Copenhagen. SAS does not serve SLC. Tour company booked me to leave SLC at 4 p.m. so I had 59 minutes to make a connection in Chicago. I begged them to put me on the noon flight, but they refused.
If I read your itinerary, is there a specific reason for Chicago? I would have selected a city closer to slc or LA THAT WORKS better.
Going. Y your specific information I would have booked a night hotel room in Chicago to help prepare for jet lag and also that would make it easier to catch the connecting flight.
To use your example for why I was taught what I said is this…. Imagine your flight to LA was late. So then American Eagle says you are Quantis’ problem and Quantis says you are AE’s problem.
My tips based on my own experience:
- Just because an airline is selling a connection it does not mean it works. Many times I saw international flights with 30-40 minute connections that you're very likely to miss if there are any delays. Check alternate flights and give yourself time.
- On international flights: if your connection is super tight (e.g. you got off the plane at the same time they started boarding your connection) and it's on a flight sold by the same airline, once you enter the airport check for airline employees near the gate. They often are there waiting for people and can speed up the transit time. I've been led by them almost running through alternate hallways, been sent to alternate security checks without a queue, or been helped to skip a long security check queue.
If the tour company will allow you a reasonable connection. I made my connection but it was tight and if I missed it I'd have to wait a whole day. I asked the tour company to book me at noon but they refused and booked me for 4 p.m. so I had 59 minutes to get through the airport and through security for the second time.
As much as I hate sitting around airports, I try to schedule a two-hour layover. Let's just say I learned the hard way a long time ago.
ya its a painful lesson for sure. Thanks for watching and liking it though Dr. Kate!
it's an opportunity to hit up the Vino Volo ftw
If I have the time, I'll gladly schedule a 16 hour layover, 8 hours of sleep in a crappy hotel, 8 hours of enjoying some random city.. And usually you can get a pretty good deal!
Yeah, I do the same too and every time I'm like "I have more than enough time" but it does not hurt to be early, but it certainly hurts to be late
Some airports you need even more time. Charles de Gaulle? More. Frankfurt, with the endless construction work being done and miles of travelators between some terminals? More. London Heathrow is a nightmare, consider an overnight stay in a hotel if you need to change terminals.
"Do you want me to facetime your hamster...." ROFL! That made me actually laugh.
The last time I had to make a connection I scheduled it for just about an hour between flights. Naturally the first flight was almost an hour delayed so the second I got off the plane I had to sprint from one end of Denver airport to the other. Got to my connection gate only to see the door closed. Heart sank for a second until I asked the gate agent if the flight left. Turns out the connecting flight had been delayed too and they hadn’t even started boarding yet.
AC Flight from SanFran to Montreal then connecting to Ottawa started fine until customs left us with 0 minutes to the Ottawa departure. It was the last flight of the day so we made our way to the CS counter near the gate to see what the evening arrangements could be. Outside the window by the counter was a 767 just sitting there. We joked in the line of 15+ stranded lost connectors that maybe that's our plane. 10 minutes later a captain comes around the corner and approaches the line asking if we were all headed to Ottawa, he was holding the flight for all of us. He was more aware then the counter rep, thank goodness :-)
Thanks for sharing and making great videos!
The effect of efficiency was ruined when he subsequently attempted to take off via the taxiway.
@@Vpmatt Hey, he was just trying to make up the the lost time.
That Intro was hilarious Kelsey! 😂😂😂 Mr.Snuggles! Hahahahaha
ya I liked it too, not many people saw that video 🤷♂️ maybe I need a new thumbnail.
74 Gear I would agree, totally wasn’t expecting that when i clicked to the video. Oh and solid acting btw!
Great advice, had that experience once in Dallas, I didn't say anything, just hustled over to my connecting flight. The gate agent seemed to know my 1st flight was late and commended me on my getting over so quickly.
The mystery to me is how they still manage to get checked luggage transfered over just as fast.
ya they also know what bags need to go where so they can move them quickly and they're driving so they can get there faster than you... bags dont' always make it but I am impressed when they do.
It would be no problem if they transferred you with the luggage! 😂🤣😅
When I look back on my flying history, most close connections (< 1/2 hour) I have made no problem. When I don't make it I just don't sweat it. Have a beer, get something to eat, meet someone new, catch up on work or reading... world ain't gonna end.
be nice if everyone was that relaxed Richie...
Do you have to pay for another flight if you missed your connecting flight?
@@swtxp If it's the airline's fault, no. If it's your fault, yes. I had a four hour layover evaporate on me. I made the flight, but others on my plane didn't. The flight attendant came and saw us, told us how to get across DFW, and who to talk to if we misconnected, and that it was free because the flight was delayed. For the 2 of us who made it in the handful of minutes that we had, it was like a movie. For everyone else, it was lost baggage.
@@adde9506 thanks for the reply. I feel a bit better
The best thing I got out of this video is that I finally found a youtuber who knows well enough to turn the background music down low enough so I can hear you voice over clearly.
Yes! Love his whole presentation. I'm seriously thinking about recommending this channel to some other YTers, just as a model for an intro!
Some YTers seem to think they're making an MGM movie. (OK, I'm old. That was the first movie studio to pop into my head.)
Love your videos brother keep up the Great work 👍
thanks Wolfman, appreciate it thanks for subscribing!
I see 2 scenarios,
1 I am connecting to a short haul flight, in which case, no need to worry, there will likely be later departure within a couple of hours.
2 if connecting to a long haul flight, maybe with passport control etc. I would ask the FA if I could be prioritized for de-boarding.
I have flown only once since I got out of the Army, but I remember December of '90 I was flying Pan Am from San Francisco to Frankfurt with a stop at JFK in NY. The stop was supposed to only be, I think, 20 min for a quick passenger swap and those of us going to Germany didn't have to deplane. But about 5 min after those who were getting off in NY had deplaned the rest of us were asked to deplane as there was a maintenance issue that safety rules required all passengers to deplane. I'm not sure if I eventually got back on the same plane or different one but I remember they had us move to a different gate and wait. The layover instead of being 20 min was closer to 90 min.
I once flew from Graz Austria to Vienna and had a connecting flight to Luxembourg. We arrived late. It seems I was the only one with a connection (to Luxembourg on Luxair) and they sent a car which met me at the steps on the parking area and took me across the tarmac to the steps of the Luxair connecting flight. I think I had cabin luggage only. Talk about service!
I had that once in Munich where the connection was really tight and we got a direct transfer by car between both planes. Even my luggage got through, which I totally did not expect.
20 minutes... "why would you do that". love it. Been on a plane since five. Bottom line, enjoy your direct sarcastic side as a pilot. Intelligent and down to earth. thanks from van island
awesome area you live in Ryan, glad you enjoyed the video, glad you enjoyed it and left a comment.
Do people really ask flight attendants and pilots to call their gate and hold the plane? That sounds nuts.
almost every delayed flight I have been on if I am talking with the FAs thats a question they get asked. 🤷♂️ they just don't know where to go so hopefully this gives some direction.
I believe some people really are that ignorant.
Yes. They ask FA's, TSA officers, and basically anyone that looks like they work at the airport. I've seen it 1st hAnd.
yeah Ive been asked just because Im a frequent flyer as if I have clout as to when to hold up a jet or not . They ask anybody
Every time I'm in an airport I get amazed by people's lack of basic knowledge about air travel.
Your cut aways are EPIC. LOVE IT!!
As a former gate agent for Southwest, when we "opened" the flight an hour before departure, one of the procedures was to check for late arrivals making a connection to our flight. We would then inform the operations agent of that flight how many would be late and they would begin their procedures if the flight could be delayed. Several factors involved were "when is next flight", "is this the last flight of the day", "crew scheduling" and even weather.
While in flight on several airlines I've heard the Flight Attendants make announcements for connecting gates.
Great video! Thank you for taking the extra time out of your already busy schedule to put these together.
If you haven't already I'd love to see to you make a video of how to get to and from an airport. That's the part I struggle with most. There's just so many options and what not and it's difficult to know which way and what to do when trying to get to the point where you go through security.
I once had my connecting flight delayed. 🛬 When I landed (at Dulles) I had only 5 minutes to basically get my carry on, and since I didn't see the (tram ?), I ran like hell to get from one side of the airport to the gate - d--n near on the other side!
My dad had bought the ticket for me to come to Los Angeles for a visit about a month ago. If I had missed my flight, I'd been stuck in a city that none of my relatives live. And I sure as hell didn't have the extra money for motel and a new plane ticket.
It was only by the grace of God I made that connection! 🛫
Robert Aviles Same here! But it was the fault of the first pilot: he announced a strong wind against our route, but he kept the same speed, so we arrived about 45 minutes and I had to trample a whole lot of passengers to get out and literally race to the last gate for the local flight. My baggage didn't make it, and was delivered with the evening flight!
Good tips. We travel a lot & always consider connection times. Airlines have short timed us & we always check in early so we ask if we can be put out on an earlier flight when reservations refused to change it without a fee. Another airline we had a good connection time with (2 hours) changed our booking & I noticed a connection of 25 minutes (less the 10 gate closure) & mentioned it to reservations. The girl said it was plenty of time. We were travelling out of Montreal in December, connecting Cincinnati for LA then to Tahiti. I mentioned de-icing delays & her reply was that I wouldn't know if it will happen." Canada in December 7AM flight- yeah, it's almost a certainty with frost. Not only that, we had to connect through a different terminal. She changed it to another flight & plenty of time for our flights.
Such great advice! And … if you’re spending a fortune on a cruise, spend a little more and fly to your port the day before. Cruise ships don’t wait for anyone 😂. Missing a connecting flight that requires you to wait for next available might have you landing at about the time your ship departs.
One more reason not to take a cruise.
FaceTime your hamster!🤣🤣🤣🐹🐹
🤣 hope everyone finds it as funny as you did Dee Anna
I died laughing at Mr. Snuggles. Had to pause the video before going on to the real meat of the content. Don't stop making these films, Kelsey. You're the best.
OMG I was *that* person, once :P My travel agent had booked my flights from ADL-SYD-LAX-ORD-SYR… there was nowhere near enough time made for my connections in the US. American Airlines were having a bit of a bad day too… the flight out of LAX was delayed by nearly an hour. I was totally freaking out as we approached Chicago because we hadn’t landed and the boarding time for my flight to Syracuse was about to start… I bugged the flight attendants to help me. They were so awesome!! As soon as we got to the gate in Chicago, they showed me on the ORD map in the magazine where I had to go and let me get off first… it was really just a quick sprint across the corridor… the staff on the next flight were amazing too… they waited. I got onto the connecting flight and they closed the doors behind me. I’ll never forget how wonderful they were.
Love your videos man. I’ve always admired pilots and tossed the idea around of becoming one myself. Coming across your channel has definitely relit that fire. FOR YOUR NEXT VIDEO: Maybe an story of an emergency you’ve had while flying? Or maybe explain the noises and phrases passengers hear while they are flying.
funny you mention that, not the video today but next week I talk about turbulence and some noises to listen for! Thanks for subscribing Donald.
So addicted to your channel. You explain everything so well and give us a new perspective of flying. Thanks!
I was on a late flight into Vienna once and it wasn't until I landed that I realised I had maybe 15 minutes to get to my next flight, so off i got and then started running - far too late of course. Found the Austrian Airlines desk and it was like they were waiting for me, already had me sorted out for the next flight along with a 10 Euro voucher for a meal and drink while I waited! Excellent service :)
Hahaha your sarcastic humor is very humorous Cap, nice work!
glad you liked it Alejo! thanks for commenting and liking it!
I've learned to to leave a suitable gap for layovers.
Once when flying back to the US from the U.K. The flight plan must have been changed at the last minute. The normal six hour flight turned into about eight hours as we flew more northerly. A bunch o passengers were a little upset they were going to miss their connections. I'm thankful I added a buffer on to my next connection. Not sure why our flight diverted so far north to go to NY
The frustrating thing is when airline pricing encourages super-tight connections. I often fly ZRH-FRA-ATL. The cheapest connection has an impossibly tight 1 hour layover in Frankfurt. If I want to book an earlier flight out of Zurich, Lufthansa often wants to charge $300 more.
@@_-Karl-_ Well for flights to/from the EU, they do. If you arrive at your destination more than 2/3 hours late, you’re entitled to compensation.
Oh, nice, you have to pay extra for actually being able to make your connection? I always thought "Star Alliance" sounded like the villains of a science-fiction epic...
I had a flight once with low cost carrier Jetstar from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City nonstop with an STD of 15:25, we arrived at the airport at 12:30, way more than enough time, but when we got there we were greeted by a delay till 17:00, which at that point we thought it was convenient as we would have some extra time for lunch. Our aircraft, a 787-8, was at the gate at 2pm, there was no communication about the reason for the delay either. By 16:20, the delayed boarding time on our boarding passes there was no announcement made, absolutely nothing, so we sat tight for a little longer as a line of impatient individuals formed. By 17:00, an announcement of a further delay STILL hadn't been made and the line stretched all the way down the gate lounge. Only at 17:30 the ETD on the BOARD changed to 19:00, still no verbal announcement though, and the gate agents were just sitting there with straight faces. We were sitting there until 19:00 when a boarding announcement was FINALLY made and left at 20:00. a 4 and a half hour delay and 5 hours of sitting in a gate lounge with no communication from the Jetstar staff. Note: Melbourne is Jetstar's main hub as well! What a dissapointment!
One time I was connecting in Phoenix on the first day of daylight savings time - except Arizona doesn't use DST - I was my own travel agent so I thought I had full 90 minutes with no checked baggage, just my carry-on. I made the very critical connection (for me) as they were boarding - because I was arriving from L.A. in fact I only had 30 minutes!
ouch that was a close call. Ya you really have to pay attention to whats going on, lots of people get into an airport and get lost very easily because its an unfamiliar environment. Thanks for sharing the story.
Thank you for this video!! Straight to the point. I'm flying alone with my four year old and really nervous. We are flying international and have a layover in the US to catch a connection for Oregon. I have to go through customs and security again right? Please let me know if you have a video about international arrivals with connecting flights! New follower here :)
Omg how did it go??
Wanted to chime in and say this intro music is my favorite in the entirety of your channel. Love the content Kelsey!
I was flying from Pittsburgh to Dallas/Fort Worth in winter time. I left a two hour window for my connector. The plane was delayed for icing in Pittsburgh by about an hour and a half or hour and 45 minutes. When we got close to Dallas I informed the flight attendant that I was a US servicemember and then I had a connecting flight leaving in about 20 to 25 minutes. They were nice enough to frontload me off the plane and I had to run from one side of that airport to the other. I still didn’t make it. I literally ran up to the gate to see the plane pushback. Major drag.
It once took me a full 24 hours to fly from Buffalo, NY to Anchorage, AK. Winter storms in the East; once we flew out of Chicago, no issues at all.
Great information for all air travelers! Thanks for the vid... only now I'm worried about Mr Snuggles 😦
🤣 glad you liked it cyber.
Years ago, was flying KDCA to KJFK then on to UUEE. Plane stuck on KDCA tarmac for 6 hours due to weather. Obviously missed KJFK-UUEE leg. Had to wait till next day for next UUEE flight. Fortunately local friends put us up so we didn't have to spend night and most of next day in the lovely KJFK terminal.
I was in the Navy and flying home on leave for Christmas from Norfolk, Va en route to a new duty station. I didn't make the travel arrangements, the Navy did. I was taking a regional and then a Delta to DFW. Seated next to me was a Delta FO deadheading to Atlanta. We chatted a bit during the flight because we were both in uniform. During our second stop, in South Carolina, the flight was delayed going ATL. I was worried about the connector in ATL. When we were almost on the grown in ATL, the FO said "Come with me when we land" and we get off the plane. He had a golf cart waiting and zipped me over to my next gate, in a different zip code (LOL). ATL is HUGE. Thanks to this Delta FO I made my connector. My bags showed up a day later but at least I made it home for Christmas on time.
Army, Christmas leave,, flying from Norfolk to Dulles to Columbus. Terrible weather, take-off delayed, longish wait to the gate. I'm chatting with my seat neighbor as I deboard and realize just how late we were when I heard my name on the PA followed by "final boarding call." Sprinted to my gate, said bye to my checked luggage, and made it before they closed the doors. Only 5 passengers made the flight.
At cruising altitude the flight attendant served drinks, asked if we needed anything else, then laid down across the row next to me and closed her eyes. I guess we'd all had long days.
The weather was bad that flight also and if it weren't for the calmly resting flight attendant, I probably would have been pretty nervous.
I'm only here because of Mr snuggles.
Not gonna lie, I watched that intro over and over. Hilarious 🐹🐹🐹🐹🐹📱📱📱📱📱🤳🤳🤳🤳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Longest I’ve been delayed was about 20 hours, LA going back home to Australia. We boarded the flight but I guess there was some kind of engineering issue they couldn’t fix and after about the third time telling us they were trying to restart whatever system I was honestly a bit relieved when they told us to disembark and they were getting a new plane for us the next day.
Great video! Had three flights in 48hrs cancelled in DFW years ago due to ice. Even flight crews were wandering aimlessly.
My experience is that the bad experience begins when you book the flight
If you are offered a connecting time of less than an hour REFUSE IT !!!
I always look at the terminal maps at the back of the magazines to learn the layout at connecting airports, but I didn't think about installing airline apps when traveling. Thanks. I enjoy your videos. Keep the blue side up.
Thanks Connor, glad my tips helps, thanks so much for watching and commenting Connor.
Shortest - Flying Houston to Guam via Honolulu. First leg was late, not sure if planned, or done because of the situation, but the arriving plane and the departing plane were gated next to each other and all of us (like 1/2 the flight) continuing on were shepherded off one plane and right onto the other .
Longest - 12+hrs at MKE due to thunderstorms.
I was on a flight that was delayed several hours. The flight attendants get up and say that they think everything will be fine, but if it's going to be too close, they will reschedule in flight. Ok. Sounds good. So we get close and they make an announcement that we've gotten even later, and 4 of the passengers need to get off the plane first. Of course, everyone gets up, no one lets me and the other 3 off the plane ahead of them. We had 6 minutes to go from one side of DFW to the other. I ran, I took a train, I ran, I barked at people to get out of my way on the escalators and powered sidewalks, I ran, and I was the last person through the gate onto my connection. They closed the door behind me and declared the other two people from my plane misconnects.
This would all have been fine, just bad luck, except for the part where they told us they would reschedule. I'm sure they did help the people that misconnected, but being lied to wasn't cute. And the train in DFW takes 5 minutes, so if they really could get us rescheduled early, I don't know why they though we could cover the rest of it on foot in 60 seconds. It's only coincidence two of us ran onto the train as it was leaving.
I once had this, when I went to the world scout jamboree in 2019 in West Virginia, on the way back home to the Netherlands, my group and another dutch group (19 groups total I believe, all paired up in 2 groups on the same flight route) were actually the only ones not getting a directr flight from Amsterdam to DC/Philadelphia/idk if people were going to any more airports but at least these 2. So on the way back our first flight from DC to London had been delayed, and in that case it was very easy to delay the connecting flight, since that flight would otherwise be missing 80 people, on a short flight from London to Amsterdam that's 1/2 to 2/3rds of the plane empty
As much as I love the new direction Kelsey's going with his channel, I do sometimes get a kick out of these old videos!
This explains something I always wondered about. In my 2 1/2 years of flying from ship to ship and back to shore, I only had one tight connection, right when I flew out to start my new job. After that point, either the company's professionals booked great connections for me, or I gave myself plenty of transfer time, because of that one time I had to run...
The company booked a four-leg flight across the US, and because my family has a lot of lost-luggage horror stories, I double-checked my luggage at every airport, especially since the airline swapped me to a different flight for one leg. At the last leg, onto a regional carrier, the airline employee was nice enough to point out that I had a long trek to my gate and not much time. I ended up jogging with my heavy backpack and laptop case (I don't believe in filling up half of an overhead bin with a wheeled "carry-on" monstrosity), but when I made it to the gate agent, she told me, "We wouldn't have left without you." Wait... what? I realized the people I'd asked about my luggage had called ahead for me, but I could never believe, until I heard it just now from Kelsey, that aircrews had any leeway *at all* to wait for passengers!
After that, whenever I had to book my own flight, I would make sure to build plenty of time in between connections, not only to get to the next gate in time, but also because I learned I preferred the cheaper transfer flights to sitting in one seat in economy for four hours or more. Other than some back pain and ringing ears, I actually really miss all the flying I used to do when I worked on ships for a living...
When I was in the Army and transporting a prisoner from Missouri to El Paso via Dallas in 1976, we were going to be late to Dallas because of weather en route. I did request the stewardess to ask the pilot to radio ahead and hold the next flight as there was no other flight to El-Paso that day and we had no means to lock up the prisoner overnight. They did so for us that one time. We even got a police car ride to the next gate.
i'd say that's an exception to the "rule" especially given police were involved
Yeah, not at all relevant to this situation.
@@dawsonje it’s incredibly relevant, the moral of the story is that we should all escort prisoners while travelling
@@safcjcp and also do it in the 70's
Omg, your vids are getting better and better! I still know the time you had 20subs!
20 subs? Noooo man I started at 20k 🤣 Thanks fitty.
Well, thanks to my good friends at United, it took me 26 hours to go from Seattle to New Orleans due to mechanicals, cancelled flights, missed connections and an overnight sleep over on the floor of terminal B at IAH. Good times!
Had a similar experience with United, my flight into SFO landed on time but then was stuck on the tarmac for three hours making me (and many other people) miss a connection that had a two hour layover time. They put me on the next flight to my next destination due to leave in 8 hours. There was ultimately a mechanical problem with that plane causing an additional 12 hour delay before boarding (it's not easy to sleep in the floor of SFO international terminal while they are cleaning the floors and such) after boarding there was an additional problem leaving everyone stuck on the plane for a few hours before finally departing. All those delays caused me to miss the new connection flight in Panama, that caused a 6 hour wait for the next available flight. Whew, what a trip
@@asdpyro wow, I"m gonna quit whining....that was a horrible trip!
I have found that at times online purchasing of tickets from some websites don't always give alternative flights with longer layovers, so it makes it difficult to try get the 90 minutes or more that I prefer. I was booked on United once and they changed the flights for my ticket leaving me with a 45 minute layover (I had chosen flights with a 90 minute layover originally). I phoned and asked for an the alternative flight which would have given me 2 hours. They said no they wouldn't change it because at that Hub airport (Chicago) they said 45 minutes should be more than enough to change planes. Sure enough plane was 25 minutes late because of weather, nope did not get my connecting flight, the next flight of course was full by that time. Thanks for the discount hotel United.
The longest I’ve been delayed was 4-5 hours. It was in Vietnam a local connection. From HCM (Saigon) to DaNang. We suspect because the noon flight didn’t sell enough seats to justify the cost of fuel so they push back the flight to early evening. Once we boarded the evening flight it was packed.
Your channel is awesome. Great to get a perspective from a real pilot and not all the other people making claims about stuff they don't really know. Keep up the great content. By the way, what does "74Gear" stand for?
its for 747... I explain it in this video some words pilots use... th-cam.com/video/YaSbNcCC6LQ/w-d-xo.html
I've had a connecting flight wait for just me. I was dead last getting on the flight, probably 20 mins late or better due to weather and coach was full so I was forced to sit in first class... People were looking at me with that, "Who the heck is this guy?" look on their face. I should have at least had a red six pack cooler with a donor organ in it!
Very useful information and great tips. Thank you. Longest delay about 8 hours. If I remember correctly it was due to some kind of mechanical issues.
My wife and I flew internationally for our honeymoon not long ago, and I made sure to book an itinerary with plenty of connection time. I checked awhile later and saw that we got moved to different flights on a couple legs, so our connection in CLT went from a comfy 1 hr 35 min down to a stressful 45 min. Almost no time at all for an international connection. Fortunately, it's a fairly compact airport to get around, so we made it with a few minutes to spare. We then had to spend what felt like forever in LHR. Sometimes you can't help it!
About 15 years ago, I had flown from Minnesota to Texas to meet my brand new niece in Kingsville. The flights south were uneventful, but the return trip was… a learning experience.
My brother in law was quite air travel savvy, and was aware of the existence of a weather related delay for my initial departure, so at least I wasn’t dropped off at some small regional airport the recommended hour or whatever before my scheduled takeoff.
Midwest weather in the end of March can be mixed bag of clear skies and winter storms. Add in whatever human and/or mechanical delays that might have occurred, and my flight didn’t takeoff until about three hours past schedule.
As the pilots were preparing for approach at some other airport (I don’t remember anymore, maybe St Louis?)
The FA ran down a list of what gates different passengers were to go to as the airline had already rebooked some of them on later connecting flights. Once we were on the ground and off the plane, most of the remaining passengers who needed connecting flights swarmed the gate agent at the gate we had arrived.
Me? I thought I would be smart and go over to the next gate agent (same airline) where there wasn’t a line. Told her that I had almost certainly missed my connecting flight to MSP, and asked her to please help me get home. She was able to get me on another flight with only about another 90 minutes wait time. Since the airport I was standing in was large enough to offer more than coffee and prepackaged donuts, 90 minutes was acceptable to me. I asked about my checked bag and was assured that it would make it through to my destination.
When I finally arrived in MSP, and went down to get my checked bag at the carousel announced to us by the flight crew… I watched, and watched, and watched… as all the bags were claimed, but I never saw mine on the carousel.
I went to the department of lost luggage to file a claim and when I began to tell them my saga, they asked “what was your name again?”
They had my suitcase over in the corner of the office. Why? Because my suitcase got to MSP a good 90 minutes or so before I did.
It seems that the plane I had assumed that I had “missed”, earlier in the day was the exact plane I had just gotten off of. My suitcase never got off the plane until it landed in Minnesota.
Had I just bothered to bother the FA with my personal “what about…” question… I could have gotten home much earlier.
As always, a great vlog. My worst experience was flying from Alaska to upper Canada, then to Vancouver, BC, and the connecting flight out of Vancouver was scheduled to depart 15 minutes before my airplane landed. Urggg. I had the pleasure of sleeping on terminal passenger seats with arm rests. Very uncomfortable, but it only lasted a little after 6 hours. I then caught my connecting flight to Seattle. I learned a great lesson, just exactly what you've spoken of here. Thank you, Kelsey.
Informative! As a non-rever, I constantly shake my head when I see what people do to flight crews.
ya, thats what gave me the idea while I was back talking with FAs
74 Gear people think they bought a ticket, they own a private jet now. Insane.
I really enjoy watching your Videos...I fly often...and relate to all you say...keep up all the good work. Peace be with you.!!!
last I went through Heathrow, before the covid, it took about an hour and half to get through security, so I was glad I had to wait 4 hours for my connecting flight
I once had a tight connection out of lax. Flew in from St. Luis on a military flight, then go to the domestic terminal for a flight to Honolulu. As soon as I boarded the FA’s shut the door and the plane took off. The FAs never talked to me, as I think they were mad at me for the plane having to wait on me to arrive. Also my checked bag did not arrive until the next day/
People are afraid of flying, well, I'm afraid of airports, delays, unexpected layovers, lost bags, dirty busy toilets, expensive shitty food, and so on. Finally getting to an airplane and taking off is always a big relief for me.
Wow! I just tried to find this information, I have a flight from JFK to BUD with connection in Toronto next week! Thanks 🙏 Love your videos, every time is better and better! Way to go! 👏🏻👌🏻🤩🤩🤩
I am new to the channel, I know this video is old. I have never missed a connection before, but I did have one time when I was traveling with my family to Germany. Our first flight was delayed due to winter weather and I remember the pilot telling us that they were holding our specific connecting flight because there were several people that needed to make the connection. Half or over half of our first flight was on the connection. We were one massive hoard of people making our way down 3 or 4 gates to our next flight. Our connecting flight departed only 10 or 20 minutes late.
I usually give myself at least two hours, because most of the times I need to transit on international flights in very large airports. I have only ever missed one transit flight because the first leg was late. Ironically the aircraft that took me to the transit location was the same one going to my final destination, but the inbound and outbound gates were at completely opposite ends of the airport, so there was no time to physically get there.
Before landing ask crew or people around your seat to let you go first if you are catching connection and this is their last leg. I have seen Delta crew do that in ATL and it works just great for everyone on the flight. All airlines have a lot to catch up on boarding and deboarding procedures (who gets on and off first), current process is extremely inefficient.
Well, this is an old video, but I just have to write about the worst missed connection delay I have ever been involved in. In Dec 2018, my wife and I were headed back to the US for Christmas from our home in Japan. We took a United flight from Narita to Chicago Ohare and had a connecting flight for my hometown departing 4.5 hours after out scheduled arrival. Plenty of time to get through customs and immigration. Always had been before. But this was our first, and hopefully very last time through customs/immigrations at Chicago. There was mass confusion as soon as which hit the first stage with some guy---immigrationS? drunken bum?---in civies yelling at everyone (many who did not understand English well, even when listening to a sane person---yelling "Come on People, it's not so hard!" Well, it was because there was no way to know what to do or where to go except follow the line and then go to a computer you had likely never seen nor used and enter information for some reason you couldn't understand. (O'hare is the only US immigrations/customs I have seen that uses this system.
Long story short, it took use over 4 hours to get through that mess, by which time we were too late to make our connecting flight---even though we had arrived 20 some minutes early. We had to stay in at an airport hotel for nearly 26 hours awaiting our the next available connecting flight. And it was late due to weather or something. I avoid Chicago it at all possible now. There is nothing any airline or crew could do anything to improve the horrible mess that is customs/immigrations at O'Hare
Craziest delay. I got to the airport over an hour ahead of my flight, but security was slow, and I was still in the security line when my flight was supposed to depart. I got out of security ready to ask for the next available flight only to see that my flight was being delayed for 1.5hrs from Denver to Los Angeles because of fog at LAX. To my relief, I made original my flight. 🙂
Shortest connection was when I was in the army (early 90s) traveling on orders (the unit booked our flights) with a few other soldiers, we landed with 20 minutes to get to our next gate which was all the way across the terminal to so we ran the whole way and just made our flight before they closed the door.
When I plan for a connection, I typically leave about 1 to 1.5 hrs for my connection. I'm not into creating stress or drama for myself.
I saw passengers with connecting flights get hot. We landed in EWR and sat on the taxiway for 2 1/2 hours! There were planes all over the place waiting for an open gate. The pilots had to know that we were going into a sh!tshow but never said a word until we had been sitting for a while. One thing that could have helped people would have been for the crew to have people with connecting flights deboard the plane first.
I have to wait 17 hours for my connecting flight this Sunday, guess I will have enough time. Haha. Thank you
Left Bloomington, Illinois on Saturday about 2:00 p.m.; arrived Billings, Montana, Sunday just before midnight. At least Delta put me in a nice hotel Saturday night.
Very good information and I generally agree although I'm even more conservative with some airports (JFK in winter with an international connection? I give myself three hours. That's only one example).
Also at my airline pilots aren't the final decision-makers about whether to wait for passengers or not unless we're approaching a duty day limit. (Then we're leaving or the whole plane gets stuck.)
final decision makers no, you are right, but there have been instances where we delay a flight to try to get people on and then answer for it after the fact. But you are right its not a common occurrence. Thanks for watching Hedge.
Looking forward to this Kelsey! Best flight channel on YT IMO!
thanks so much Robin, really appreciate that!
I enjoy long layovers. I get to explore more.
TBH: the best chance that your connecting flight gets pushed back to accommodate a late arrival plane is that there are multiple first or business class passengers on the late inbound flight that you are also on and are late for the same next flight you’re on.
Back in the 1980's, I ended up with 15 minutes to get to my next flight, including getting to another concourse. This was in Charlotte, NC. I made the connection and so did my luggage!
Wow, this was very helpful and informative to a great many, I'm sure.! Thank you for confirming what some have learned the hard way. Thumbs Up To You...!
🤣 ya for seasoned travelers like you may not be too helpful, but glad you liked it.
Yes. I've never missed a connection but sometimes I've had to use iron discipline to hold onto my cool.
I like the "book an overnight stay" tip. I always regret not being able to spend some time in a city I'm just passing through.
Do you know Phoenix, AZ bought the historic original LONDON BRIDGE? Demolished piece by piece. Then piece by piece rebuilt it? I got to see it through my plane's window. 🤔 If I'd used my brain I would have scheduled an overnight in Phoenix ... but it just never occurred to me.
In the years after 911, I was traveling to WDW with my young son. We connected through DFW. We had a short, but doable connection time. HOWEVER……as we were riding the SkyLink…..they put the SkyLink system in lockdown because someone on another train found an unattended “item” on the train! So, we sat…..and missed our connection. But, I guess the reservation system “knew” which terminals we were going through, and when we finally got off the train, found out that they had rebooked us on the next flight❣️❣️ I was one relieved and grateful Mom❣️
I love how this whole video can pretty much be summed up by saying "bro, just plan ahead!" 😆
thank you so much it’s my first time to take long hour flight i’m going to canada to see my husband thank you so much sir👍🏻🙏🏻
Initially we were supposed to leave at 7am from Vancouver to Dallas, Texas, however our plane was delayed until 3pm the same day. The second longest wait was in Lihue, Kaui from 4:30pm to 11:30pm.
I was flying home from Orlando to Victoria BC connecting to SEA and the flights I booked was very last minutes because I had to get home ASAP and my landing time was 10 minutes after the boarding time for my connecting flight. To make it a little bit worse, weather in Orlando was poor with thunderstorms so we spent about 20-30 minutes storm dodging after taking off from Orlando. To make it all worse, if I had missed my connecting flight, I would be staying overnight in Seattle since it was the last flight of the night. I got super lucky and my connecting gate was pretty much across from my arrival gate and made the flight just in time.
I never, ever book a layover that's shorter than 90 minutes - I've learned from experience that there is absolutely no way I can get through DEN, have time to fill my water bottle, use the restroom, perhaps eat a snack, and still be to my next gate with at least a little spare time to chill before boarding starts, especially if I have to change not just concourses but terminals (I hope they've finished the construction by now so that I won't have to change terminals again)... unless it's in a single-concourse airport - I've never had a layover at a small one, but I usually fly into and out of them, and it's really nice not needing to get to the airport until an hour before my flight.
As the guy that had Southwest change the boarding procedures to call “A list” members with a “B” or “C” position after A1-A30, I must push back on @74 Gear saying under no circumstances will the flight crew of the prior flight help with a tight connection. I have had it happen once. It was back when AirTran was flying, it was late at night, they talked to ground. It was baller. Still remember it like 20 years later.
Worst case for me was two consecutive taxi out and return to gate for de-icing in ATL. About a half-hour on tarmac each time, so an hour of making circles on the ground. But snacks and coffee and talk with cabin crew helped pass the time.
Another tip here...if you have a tight connection and are sitting at the back of the plane, consider asking the cabin crew if you can get off early. They sometimes will do this which is really nice! I had a wicked connection at Detroit... 50 minutes but I was at the far back of the plane and I had to make it from A73 to C27...mathematically the LONGEST possible hike at DTW. It was no fun running almost a mile with a winter coat on and some heavy carry-ons. There was a train system in McNamara but I didn't know how to use it (my being new to Detroit). The moving sidewalks helped but a lot of oblivious people just "camp" on them which creates a big logjams. I actually tried to figure out the gate situation prior to the flight, but the boarding pass didn't them listed...guess they were determined late. Another tip for tight connections... sometimes when baggage is tight, the cabin crew will moved carry-ons into checked baggage compartments. You DON'T want this. Let the gate agent know you have a tight connection and they will likely exempt you and allow you to keep you carry-on close to you. If you know you have a tight connection, make sure it isn't the last one of the day so you have a backup plan. Lastly in regards to pilots not wanting to leave late...I think they could do more to help customers. A pilot should have a display that shows incoming passengers with tight connections colored coded. The computer should estimate how much time they will need depending on their seat position, incoming gate, outgoing gate, and boarding times. Then there should be a second graphic for outgoing passengers that have tight connections. This way a pilot would instantly know if they would create more trouble than it's worth if they run a little late.
I've got one huge problem in this whole system:
I do get stuck at immigration / security quite regularly. While I'm always innocent, it seems like I fit a profile that requires "special attention".
Sometimes, I have to re-clear security on connecting flights aswell - on some airports that depends on the ate where we arrived (for non-obvious reasons to me).
I do plan ahead and have at least three hours on every layover. The problems do start if my first leg is delayed - but there's still more than 90 minutes until my next departure.
Everyone considers 90 minutes to be a reasonable time while I know that it's not always enough for me. I simply miss the option to tell my airline in advance that I'll need more time (for any reason) for layovers, and therefore their "emergency system" should trigger earlier. On top of that, some airlines claim that it's your own fault if you get stuck in the airport and it's not their responsibility to find a new plane for you. Or at least I got told, I never experienced that myself luckily.
If I the layover would be 4 hours, reducing it to two hours due to delays really cuts my connection from "good" to "very stressfull and I'd not make it" - while the airline still thinks "he'll be fine, no worry". Arrr...
The most stressful one I've had was when I was 13, on CDG, I believe. I was flying with my grandma and sister, we had only 30 minutes or so, we've never been on this airport and the entire weight finding our way, listening to the announcements and communication was on my shoulders - my sister was 10 and barely spoke English, my grandma spoke no English at all.
Had a malfunction on a plane on the way to Hawaii and ended up with about 12 hours in LAX back around 2006 when I was about 12. Of course those were the days before smart phones and good WiFi and TH-cam and Netflix so we wandered the airport until we found a place with some DVD’s to play on dads laptop, and we also spent a ton of time running backwards up and down the escalators in a quiet corner of the airport. Good times!
Also want to add an extra note to this video. On the flights with a tv screen in the seat in front of you, you often get information about the next departures with gate numbers on the screen. Before i go to an unknown airport, i always check on youtube and on the website of the airport how the transit works there. And when you are flying and wearing a jeans with a belt, put the belt off and put it in your hand bagage and wear shoes that you can easily put off and on. Saves time at the safety checks and thus you win extra time to get on your connecting flight.
Thanks for the oklahoma reference 74!, I live in oklahoma.
not a problem, shout out for the Sooners! Thanks for being part of the 74 Crew!
@@74gear Boomer SOONER Kelsey!!! Love the channel and Oklahoma!!
I already had good and bad scenarios. One, making a 90' connection at stanstead, first flight of day... And the first flight departed 45' late. I only asked to be the first person leaving the plane. I made it by politely asking people to let me pass in the queues and running a lot in the airport.
I also had 1 hour connections, same company, and they didn't made it. The company had replacing flight already handled on touch down.
The longest I have been delayed was three and half days. Icelandair flight Keflavík International Airport to Boston Logan April 2010. Needless to say, it wasn't Icelandair's fault. They were awesome and got where we needed to go when they could.
longhunter55 at least you were flying; I had to take bus, ferry, and train from Spain back to the UK in April 2010...
Greetings from Tulsa! We don't get many 747's at KTUL
well I haven't flown one into TUL, but I have flown into there a few times!
oh, this brought back me experience from Newark to Hong Kong having a connection at Japan Tokyo Narita. Originally my trip has a 1+ hour connection time, but the origin departing flight from Newark has been delayed by hours due to snow storm. Once it arrived at Narita there’s only about 10-15 mins left and the flight attendants have all passengers to remain in their seats except connecting passengers. Being in Japan, they are very on time and will close the gate at the exact time. So a few other passengers and I literally ran from one end of the terminal to the other end. We did make the connection but not a pleasant one..