s/o: short layovers

[Deleted]

The post got me thinking. I am new to traveling and haven't experienced a layover yet so please bear with me.

H and I are flying from Detroit to Las Vegas in October. We have a 60 minute layover in Denver. If something happens and and our flight is delayed and we miss the our second flight, do they put us on another flight or are we SOL?

We are flying Frontier if that matters.

[joenali]

If you miss your connection, they will put you on another flight on stand-by. That means if the flight is full you wait until they are done with check-in. If there are seats left they start with stand-by people. The more people there are in your party the more challenging it is to be on that particular flight together. I've only missed my connection once and I had to wait 4 hours for another flight. An hour or two between flights is usually sufficient to make connections. It's when it's under an hour you might run into trouble. If it stresses you out just call frontier and have them change your flight. But you may have to pay for the change.

[mdgirl]

Technically, if it's not the airline's fault they don't have to put you on another flight. But I've also never had an airline NOT put me on another flight when I missed a flight/connection, even when it was my fault. I don't have too much experience with Frontier, but you should be fine with 60 minutes. I'd recommend going right to your next gate after you land in Denver, then find a bathroom/get a snack/whatever.

[juliabug]

Jul 15, 2012 12:37:20 GMT -5 mdgirl said:

Technically, if it's not the airline's fault they don't have to put you on another flight. But I've also never had an airline NOT put me on another flight when I missed a flight/connection, even when it was my fault. I don't have too much experience with Frontier, but you should be fine with 60 minutes. I'd recommend going right to your next gate after you land in Denver, then find a bathroom/get a snack/whatever.

This exactly.

[basilosaurus]

IIRC, all the frontier gates in Denver are clustered together at the end of A terminal. 60 minutes should be an easy connection. That would be one of the connections where I'd generally be ok with 45 minutes.

I have had planes held for delays if a large number of people are making that connection. Or if there's something like a major weather delay, generally all the flights are messed up, and you end up making your connection because it, too, has been delayed.

If you've missed a connection due to the airline, your priority on the stand-by list for the next flight is pretty high, so that's some solace.

If your 1st flight is delayed taking off, try not to freak yourself out. Flight times are padded in anticipation of some amount of delay, plus, it is often possible to make up time during flight and a financial incentive to do so. They'll fly faster, though it's more expensive to operate, in order to avoid the high costs of delays.

[aurora]

Jul 15, 2012 15:36:31 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

IIRC, all the frontier gates in Denver are clustered together at the end of A terminal. 60 minutes should be an easy connection. That would be one of the connections where I'd generally be ok with 45 minutes.

True, although Denver is also notorious for weather delays (snowstorms in winter, thunderstorms in summer) that can cause all sorts of connection problems. But, 60 min should be absolutely fine, and at the very least Denver is a lot less busy than, say, Chicago, so it doesn't get as backed up even if there is a weather delay.

[maddiepaddy]

I fly Frontier all the time, and I think you'll be fine with 60 minutes. They are particularly good about holding flights if there are a lot of connecting passengers (which there likely would be on a Vegas flight). Also, they're good about letting people with tight connections off the plane first in the event of a delayed arrival.

[basilosaurus]

Jul 16, 2012 8:59:59 GMT -5 aurora said:

True, although Denver is also notorious for weather delays (snowstorms in winter, thunderstorms in summer) that can cause all sorts of connection problems.

That's definitely true, but in that case, all flights would likely be messed up, and I wouldn't worry about it. But, I'm a really low stress traveler in general. Unless I'm connecting to a once a day international flight, I tend to not care too much.

[GilliC]

Jul 15, 2012 12:37:20 GMT -5 mdgirl said:

Technically, if it's not the airline's fault they don't have to put you on another flight.

:-| WTF?! Really?!?!

So if the times when there was a weather issue and I couldn't make my connection even with a 5-hour layover between flights, they weren't obligated to get me to my final destination?

What happens if they choose not to put you on another flight? Do they at least refund part of your ticket? Since you would have to fly the first leg of your return trip to avoid it being considered a no-show, does that mean that if you can't find a way to your destination in time for the return flight, you have to find your own way home, too?

Surely not...

[mdgirl]

From United's contract of carriage (and I think most airlines' are similar):

Force Majeure Event - In the event of a Force Majeure Event, UA without notice, may cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, or delay any flight, right of carriage or reservations (whether or not confirmed) and determine if any departure or landing should be made, without any liability on the part of UA. UA may re-accommodate Passengers on another available UA flight or refund any unused portions of the Ticket in the form of a travel certificate.

Force Majeure Event – any of the following situations:
a) Any condition beyond UA’s control including, but not limited to, meteorological or geological conditions, acts of God, riots, terrorist activities, civil commotions, embargoes, wars, hostilities, disturbances, or unsettled international conditions, either actual, anticipated, threatened or reported, or any delay, demand, circumstances, or requirement due directly or indirectly to such condition;
b) Any strike, work stoppage, slowdown, lockout, or any other labor-related dispute involving or affecting UA’s services;
c) Any governmental regulation, demand or requirement;
d) Any shortage of labor, fuel, or facilities of UA or others;
e) Damage to UA’s Aircraft or equipment caused by another party;
f) Any emergency situation requiring immediate care or protection for a person or property; or
g) Any event not reasonably foreseen, anticipated or predicted by UA.

[GilliC]

Jul 16, 2012 21:54:57 GMT -5 mdgirl said:

UA may re-accommodate Passengers on another available UA flight or refund any unused portions of the Ticket in the form of a travel certificate.

So they "may" choose to rebook you or give you a refund, but they may not? Sheesh. I hate how little consumer protection there is in US air travel. It makes me truly appreciate the passenger rights regulations in the EU/Norway/Switzerland.