connecting flight in Chicago to Orlando

[theavonb]

Good Morning...We are from Ontario, Canada and trying to find a flight to Orlando for our cruise out of Port Canaveral. I found a flight from London, Ontario with a connecting flight in Chicago to Orlando. My question is...we have about an hour to make both connecting flights going and coming back, is that enough time? My TA says no it isn't. Having never been to the Chicago airport, I have no idea what to expect. The connecting flight is with the same airline, United. I hear this is a very big airport and I'm concerned about making the connections on time.

Thankyou

[cruiseonthebrain]

I would have to agree with your TA. IF your flight is ontime AND it is in the same terminal as the connecting flight you would be fine. However, about 60% of the time I fly through Chicago my flight is late and I end up running across several terminals to catch my next flight. I might risk an hour for a work trip, but definately not with a cruiseship waiting on the other end :-) I would look for a different flight. Have a safe trip and a fabulous cruise!

[maxamuus]

Some Canadian airports have pre-clearance of US customs in Canada. I looked it up and it doesnt list London as one of them. If you have to go thru US customs in ORD, the one hour connection is just a dream in my book.

[corky4man]

If you have to go through customs there is no way. Even on the best of days a hour connection does not leave much time. Even with the same airline the walk through the airport would use up most of that hour depending on gates and teminals.

[Shaded Lady]

It also depends on which Chicago airport... If you're talking o'Hare, no way. If it's Midway, you MIT have a chance because it's smaller.

[maxamuus]

It also depends on which Chicago airport... If you're talking o'Hare, no way. If it's Midway, you MIT have a chance because it's smaller.

 

Its O'hare. United doesnt fly thru Midway.

[theavonb]

Thankyou all for your quick responses. Back to the drawing board I go. I picked London Ontario airport because it is only 30 min. from where we live. I have checked flights from Detroit and Buffalo but they didn't have the flight times I want, so I think I will continue my search for flights out of Toronto.

[maxamuus]

Is there not a option with a longer layover ??

[theavonb]

Well I haven't found one yet, but I will keep looking. I want a flight that gets us in a day or two before we sail. This is our 1st cruise and we are very excited about it.

[tracyanns]

I would find out 2 things...first one is do you have to go through customs. Second thing, what gate does the flight land and what gate do you leave...

 

Chicago runs pretty smoothly in good weather so as long as there is no customs and you are in the same terminal, you should be fine. But, there can always be an issue, so if I were you, regardless of your decision, I would fly down the day before just to give yourself time if there is a problem.

[MSRussell]

Some of the larger airports have men with golf carts giving people rides from one terminal to another, for a tip. To me, they are a Godsend, sometimes I have a problem walking a long way. There is also room in the back for luggage.

 

[Tapi]

Well I haven't found one yet, but I will keep looking. I want a flight that gets us in a day or two before we sail. This is our 1st cruise and we are very excited about it.

 

Congrats on your first cruise! I'm an airline pilot who used to be based at O'Hare. I can tell you right now that I would never, EVER book a flight through that airport without at least 90 minutes between flights. If you need to clear customs, I would give myself an extra hour.

 

Have you considered driving to Toronto and flying from there? Not only will you have a wider selection of flights, you will also be able to fly NONSTOP. As an additional suggestion, many Ontario residents drive to Buffalo to then fly south. That way you will also save a considerable amount of money on your flights.

 

Have a great time!

[Carolin]

I was going to suggest Detroit Metro Airport. There's a ton of options and its a shortish (2 hour) drive across the border from London. You would probably save some money skipping the extra hop.

[theavonb]

The best flight for us would be flying out of Toronto non stop. I'm not ruling out Buffalo yet. I saw a flight with Jet Blue that has potential but being from Canada I haven't heard of them. Thanks again for all comments. This site has been very helpful to us newbie cruisers.

[Tapi]

I saw a flight with Jet Blue that has potential but being from Canada I haven't heard of them.

 

JetBlue is a great option. They are considered a "low cost carrier" along the lines of WestJet, but they have a modern fleet, leather seats, free Direct TV in each seat, as well as free checked luggage. Of the low cost carriers in the US, it's definitely one of the best options.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Well I haven't found one yet, but I will keep looking. I want a flight that gets us in a day or two before we sail. This is our 1st cruise and we are very excited about it.

 

 

Definietly go in a day or 2 early. Get a little longer layover and relax. No sense in beginning your vacation by rushing thur airport and worrying about making flights.

[theavonb]

Couldn't agree more...

 

Definietly go in a day or 2 early. Get a little longer layover and relax. No sense in beginning your vacation by rushing thur airport and worrying about making flights.

[nets33]

Have you looked into flights from Flint?

 

If you cross the border through Sarnia from London (instead of Detroit) the airport in Flint is very close and might have some other flight options for you. I believe that Air Tran has flights from Flint to southern Florida.

[corky4man]

Flint is a very easy airport to use, Right at the intersection of I75 and I69. Easy parking and you might get lucky and find a direct flight.

[maxamuus]

Yes, Aitran flies non-stop from Flint to Orlando non-stop. Good prices too.

[blondietink]

Out of Buffalo, Air Tran, JetBlue and Southwest all have non-stop flights. Southwest has 2 per day and I think Air Tran and JetBlue both have one non-stop each. Southwest has 2 pieces of luggage free per person, JetBlue has one free per person and I believe AirTran you have to pay per piece for checked luggage. We have flown both Southwest and JetBlue to Orlando and like them both. JetBlue has nicer seats and TV's in the back of the seats. Southwest has no TV on the flights, but it is only a 2 hour flight anyway, so who cares. never flown AirTran, but have heard they tend to change flight times often. Buffalo is a very easy airport to fly out of. There are also fly and park hotels nearby, but we use the Dollar car rental place across from the airport to park our car with free shuttle to the airport. They will have your car cooled off in the summer when you arrive back, or snow removed and warmed up in the winter.

[John1928]

If you're planning to arrive a day or two early then in general you can afford a little more risk on your connecting flights if you absolutely had to, but one hour would really be pushing it.

 

In this case there are likely many better options (several mentioned above) such that I would need a huge price difference to make the potential stress worthwhile.

 

Also, as has been mentioned JetBlue and Southwest are good as low cost carriers. AirTran is okay (hoping they'll eventually roll into the same policies as Southwest post merger, but they haven't so far).

[cruise_girl2002]

im from rockford il which is about 90 minutes from ohare. we dont call it the ohare ohassle for nothing. IF your first flight from canada is on time you should be ok. HOWEVER, if your plane parks at a gate on concourse B and your next flight is concourse C...you will have to run. i basically think that if its an hour connection, its really only 30 minutes since they start boarding 30 minutes before departure. to be safe, spend extra money and get at least an hour and a half layover.

[theavonb]

WOW, Thankyou all for you ideas. It certainly gives me more options to look at.

[Zach1213]

im from rockford il which is about 90 minutes from ohare. we dont call it the ohare ohassle for nothing.

While O'Hare isn't the easiest airport by any means, I think it is pretty decent for its massive size and massive amount of traffic. Things run about as efficiently as you can expect from the third (though it may have dropped a bit) busiest airport on the planet.

 

I've never heard anyone called it "O'Hare OHassle"...and I grew up in Chicago. You crazy Rockfordians! ;)