connection times

When doing a flight search on Orbitz, Travelociy or Expedia, if you
are connecting through a hub city, frequently give you several options
(1)a one hour connection, (2)a two hour connection or (3)a four hour
(or longer) connection. Why would one opt for (3)? [Assume the
pricing is the same for each of these options.]
I could understand skipping (1) if the hub is known for delayed
arrivals, but (2)should allow enough times for delays. If I could
avoid it, I would not want to spend 4 hours wasting time at an
airport!
[I just did a flight search with a hub conneciton, and the flights
that came up had a total trip duration of anywhere from 6 1/2 hours to
14 hours...]

"Nathaniel Riesenberg" wrote in message
...
When doing a flight search on Orbitz, Travelociy or Expedia, if you
are connecting through a hub city, frequently give you several options
(1)a one hour connection, (2)a two hour connection or (3)a four hour
(or longer) connection. Why would one opt for (3)? [Assume the
pricing is the same for each of these options.]
I could understand skipping (1) if the hub is known for delayed
arrivals, but (2)should allow enough times for delays. If I could
avoid it, I would not want to spend 4 hours wasting time at an
airport!
[I just did a flight search with a hub conneciton, and the flights
that came up had a total trip duration of anywhere from 6 1/2 hours to
14 hours...]

Maybe you want to meet someone at the airport, join someone on a flight, go
see something nearby ?

It depends on the airport and where you are connecting from. For example,
if you are coming from overseas into say JFK and then connecting out to
another destination, two hours may not be enough time to clear customs,
check your bags, clear security, and all the rest you will need to do to
make the flight.

You may want to do a couple of hours work in the lounge, have lunch, meet
somebody, etc. I know two hours in the lounge waiting for the next flight
with a laptop is as productive for me as six hours in the office because
there aren't any interruptions. Domestically though I would usually opt for
the two hour connection, but there are some problem airports (like Newark
because of the construction of the runway this month) that I may go for the
four hour one.



"Nathaniel Riesenberg" wrote in message
...
When doing a flight search on Orbitz, Travelociy or Expedia, if you
are connecting through a hub city, frequently give you several options
(1)a one hour connection, (2)a two hour connection or (3)a four hour
(or longer) connection. Why would one opt for (3)? [Assume the
pricing is the same for each of these options.]
I could understand skipping (1) if the hub is known for delayed
arrivals, but (2)should allow enough times for delays. If I could
avoid it, I would not want to spend 4 hours wasting time at an
airport!
[I just did a flight search with a hub conneciton, and the flights
that came up had a total trip duration of anywhere from 6 1/2 hours to
14 hours...]

In article ,
Nathaniel Riesenberg wrote:
When doing a flight search on Orbitz, Travelociy or Expedia, if you
are connecting through a hub city, frequently give you several options
(1)a one hour connection, (2)a two hour connection or (3)a four hour
(or longer) connection. Why would one opt for (3)? [Assume the
pricing is the same for each of these options.]
I could understand skipping (1) if the hub is known for delayed
arrivals, but (2)should allow enough times for delays.

If you are on an itinerary where you need to pass immigration and
customs during the connection, the risk of missing a short connection
increases -- imagine if your flight arrives just after a few 747s
arrive from international origins. Another possible risk is if the
arriving flight is in a terminal that is not connected to the departing
flight's terminal behind the security check points.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy J. Lee
Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome.
No warranty of any kind is provided with this message.

[I just did a flight search with a hub conneciton, and the flights
that came up had a total trip duration of anywhere from 6 1/2 hours to 14
hours...]

Internationally I've enjoyed forcing long connections in Amsterdam, London,
Paris, Madrid and even Frankfurt. In the U.S. if you intentionally try to
stay longer than 4 hours at an airport, it will price the continuing flight
as a separate fare (unless it happens to be the 'next available flight' on
that airline). But in Europe you can easily get to the hub in the morning
and stay till evening--adding a really nice destination and a rijstafel to
the trip. I've also done a couple 7-hour connections in Newark to
international flights that have allowed a trip into the city (NYC that is).
To force a connection you pull up the 'multi-city' option, then pick your
times to the hub city and select them as individual flights--though even
though you have requested separate flights that are 12 hours apart, when it
prices it will price as a through-connection.

(Timothy J. Lee) wrote in message ...
In article ,
Nathaniel Riesenberg wrote:
When doing a flight search on Orbitz, Travelociy or Expedia, if you
are connecting through a hub city, frequently give you several options
(1)a one hour connection, (2)a two hour connection or (3)a four hour
(or longer) connection. Why would one opt for (3)? [Assume the
pricing is the same for each of these options.]
I could understand skipping (1) if the hub is known for delayed
arrivals, but (2)should allow enough times for delays.

If you are on an itinerary where you need to pass immigration and
customs during the connection, the risk of missing a short connection
increases -- imagine if your flight arrives just after a few 747s
arrive from international origins. Another possible risk is if the
arriving flight is in a terminal that is not connected to the departing
flight's terminal behind the security check points.
The flights I had looked at were purely internal flights with no
internatinal connections: LGA to MSP to LAS--the choice (2)(in my
original post) would accomodate reasonable delays, but to wind up
sitting around MSP for 4 or more hours (even in a "members only"
airport lounge) would drive me crazy.

(Nathaniel Riesenberg) vented spleen or mostly
mumbled...

When doing a flight search on Orbitz, Travelociy or Expedia, if you
are connecting through a hub city, frequently give you several options
(1)a one hour connection, (2)a two hour connection or (3)a four hour
(or longer) connection. Why would one opt for (3)? [Assume the
pricing is the same for each of these options.]
I could understand skipping (1) if the hub is known for delayed
arrivals, but (2)should allow enough times for delays. If I could
avoid it, I would not want to spend 4 hours wasting time at an
airport!
[I just did a flight search with a hub conneciton, and the flights
that came up had a total trip duration of anywhere from 6 1/2 hours to
14 hours...]


These days (for me not so much as for Bill M.), it may take that long to
exit, find a place to smoke, and reclear security in time to board the
connection.

TMO