Airport Layover Time Too Short?

[hiccups]

This thread is going to make me go back and check our return flights from our cruise, as we go from Basel to Frankfurt to Toronto to Ohio, and I don't recall how much time we have between flights. First flight is Lufthansa, the other two are Air Canada.

[peterdkiwi]

Further to my first post on transfer times at Frankfurt, I went back and checked my tickets

Booked Lufthansa ticket LAX to Prague, change of planes at Frankfurt was 1hr 25min. When I questioned this with booking agent they said that if we missed 2nd flight due to the first being late the Airline would look after all arrangements for you.

As we had extra days prior to our cruise we were willing to take the chance, checking with DW we had about 10 to 15mins to spare once we got to the gate at Frankfurt after a long walk and passport control etc. First flight arrived 10 mins early.

Summary, if flights booked straight through by one airline and you have a day spare just encase, go with whatever the airline says they can do.

[DrivesLikeMario]

According to my clients that fly into Frankfurt on a regular basis, that airport is a mess ALL the time. They will not accept a layover for anything less than 3 hrs. and usually, will only book layovers that are 4+ hrs. long. Seems excessive to me, but I don't have any first-hand experience with that airport.

[Mark_T]

No.... Sorry but no or possibly with a miracle, but no!

 

It is a legal connection time though, minimum connection time (MCT) is an hour for those flights.

 

So yes, it is possible and no it does not require a miracle.

 

The MCT limits exist to make sure that all connections are deemed possible so that airlines do not routinely leave people with impossible connections to make and to ensure that bags don't miss the flights either.

 

The times are reviewed and adjusted when necessary.

 

Now there may be many good reasons why for a particular person the MCT does not reflect the time it would take them to get from gate to gate and in those cases of course you should allow more time and arrange transport assistance in advance if required.

 

Delays can have an impact too of course which is why as I mentioned earlier, the real question is if you do miss the planned connection when is the next flight out?

 

If you arrive early in the morning and there are several alternative flights that day then I'll take a connection close to MCT every time, but if there are no other flights that day then yes, I'd look for an alternative routing.

[mhb1757]

One other factor to consider is arrival time in Franfurt. If you get in by 6:30 am or before you may be ok but much later than that gate space for international arrivals gets tight. When that happens you are more likely to get a "remote" gate. That means you are parked way out on the Tarmac someplace and they send buses to haul you back to the terminal. This can easily eat up 30-45 minutes or maybe more depending on where you are seated, how many buses available, how long it takes for your bus to load,etc.

Frankfurt just isn't my favorite place!!

[JVilleGal]

By the time our flight landed, waited for buses to take us from plane to the terminal and then a dash thru passport control and security .... We arrived and where the last people to board our flight.

 

And no potty stop! We did this once and learned a valuable lesson and yes our flight was 35 min late leaving LAX :(

[Mark_T]

...And no potty stop!

 

That is actually an important point, if you do have a connection time close to MCT, you do need to head straight to the departure gate without delay.

 

No stopping off to grab food, drink or use the facilities, just head for the next gate.

 

So make sure you do avail yourself of the facilities on-board before they get everyone stuck in their seats for landing.

 

I spent many years traveling around Europe on a daily basis and had an office in Frankfurt for quite a while so I know I am going to look at the layover times differently to many others, but the airlines will not deliberately book you onto impossible connections, the MCT rules prevent that.

 

However your own personal circumstances may dictate that you need more than the MCT and delays etc. can crop up without warning, so always make sure you know about alternative flights leaving after your intended connection so you know what to ask for if necessary...

[Hydrokitty]

I like to make my travel as stress free as possible and I would rather sit in the lounge relaxing than worrying about a close connection. I know airlines try to avoid missed flights, but they make a lot of assumptions, like physical capabilities and need to use a rest room, which are not always factored in by the person making your reservations. It's a travel day and it's wasted anyway, why add to the stress.

[Hydrokitty]

According to my clients that fly into Frankfurt on a regular basis, that airport is a mess ALL the time. They will not accept a layover for anything less than 3 hrs. and usually, will only book layovers that are 4+ hrs. long. Seems excessive to me, but I don't have any first-hand experience with that airport.

 

I agree Mario, 3-4 hours is excessive. That being said, I always fly into Frankfurt in the early morning (arriving 5:30 a.m.) and the airport is certainly not empty, but it's not insanely crowded either. I would imagine the later you arrive the worse it gets!

Edited April 15, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[Hydrokitty]

FYI: There is an excellant web site that should help with many of the questions raised in this thread:

 

http://www.frankfurt-airport.com. You will have a choice of numerous pages ranging from transfers to airport map and the location of the gates, which is very important in planning how much layover time you need.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Have not made definite reservations, but it looks like Lufthansa from Frankfort to Budapest.

 

I would never accept a short connect time like that, especially at an airport like Frankfurt--it is very large and can be quite chaotic.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I agree Mario, 3-4 hours is excessive. That being said, I always fly into Frankfurt in the early morning (arriving 5:30 a.m.) and the airport is certainly not empty, but it's not insanely crowded either. I would imagine the later you arrive the worse it gets!

 

Yes - they always end up there in the afternoon and say it's a total madhouse. They're very, very seasoned travelers too.

 

I agree, Mark T., that it's a legal connection. I cannot count on my hands how many times people have missed their connecting flight when they had the MCT. It's a guide, but definitely not a rule of thumb.

[Mark_T]

I agree, Mark T., that it's a legal connection. I cannot count on my hands how many times people have missed their connecting flight when they had the MCT. It's a guide, but definitely not a rule of thumb.

 

Ultimately it is a vacation so do whatever you need to do to be comfortable :)

 

I tend to be most comfortable in my hotel or on board my ship rather than an airport lounge so for us MCT plus a bit works just fine, but like I said before, I know that is not the case for everyone.

 

We have no mobility issues and I'm already familiar with pretty much every airport we transit through so of course I'm going to feel differently about this sort of thing.

 

However long a connection you arrange, I'd still always suggest that you find out what your options are if you miss your planned connection.

 

I've seen a 3 hour connection turn into a missed flight just due to a last minute maintenance issue, so knowing your options and not needing them just adds to your confidence levels if things start to slide.

 

Balance that with the fact that I fly many times a month and will still only get that sort of issue very rarely, so odds are your vacation flight is going to go without incident just like many thousands do every day.

[4774Papa]

We managed changing flights on our flight from Miami to Frankfurt, changing to a flight in Copenhagen with about 1 1/2 hours and had time to spare.

Of course, if your flight is late, that could be a problem.

[jpalbny]

My sweet spot is around 2 hours for landing in CDG/AMS/ etc, passport control, and changing terminals. That allows some wiggle room in the case of a slightly late arrival and a longer than expected walk. We usually fly business which can give us a shorter line at passport control and security. But when you're stuck in that long line waiting for the Navette bus to change terminals at CDG, you appreciate that longer layover.

 

The lounges in AMS and CDG are pretty decent places to spend an hour but I do agree with Mark_T that I'd rather spend more time at my destination, and less time in those lounges. 3-4h connection times tend to get tiresome. We are connecting through AMS next month on our way to Africa and we have 2h30 connection time. Since we don't have passport control to worry about, I'm hoping for some extra down time in the lounge on this trip in between two long flights.

[I_r_a]

Hi All,

 

For what it is worth, I have connected in CDG, AMS and FRA.

 

I would never, never rely on 75 min.

 

I would be concerned with 90 min.

 

I wouldn't worry with 2 - 3 hr.

 

Have a nice trip

 

Ira

[Hydrokitty]

Hi All,

 

For what it is worth, I have connected in CDG, AMS and FRA.

 

I would never, never rely on 75 min.

 

I would be concerned with 90 min.

 

I wouldn't worry with 2 - 3 hr.

 

Have a nice trip

 

Ira

 

 

I agree with you Ira, unless you have nerves of steel (and I don't) I wouldn't settle for anything less than 2 hours at any of these airports, but especially FRA.

[sunsetme]

I was changed from a 80 min. layover in ATL connecting to Brussels to a 48 min. layover. fortunately I was able to get and earlier flight to ATL that will give me 2 hours connection time. Always check you reservations on a regular basis as airlines never seem to tell you about these changes.

[Mark_T]

Always check you reservations on a regular basis as airlines never seem to tell you about these changes.

 

Very good advice.

 

Also worth seeing if you can add your own email and phone number to your reservation, especially on flights booked by your cruise line so the airline is more likely to let you know about any changes.

 

Adding your frequent flyer number where appropriate usually has the same effect.

[ancientciv]

I just checked our booking and we only have 1 hour in Frankfurt as booked by our travel agent. A little stressed right now!

[JVilleGal]

Yiks!!!! I see you are sailing June 15 from Barcelona. Thank god you see this problem now and not the day of flying.

 

An hour in Frankfurt is rarely if ever going to work even if it's a legal connection I would not ask my worst enemy to attempt that connect. Never mind your bags will likely not make it either :(

 

Hoping you are also flying in at least one day early so you won't miss the ship. Be sure and pack your carry on with a couple outfits each. I pack mine as if I will never see my bag again, that way I know it will show up!

Get on the phone to your TA first thing, but do some research yourself before calling and see what is available that works better.

Edited May 17, 2015 by JVilleGal

[BPCruiser]

We had a Flight change thru United Airlines for our upcoming flight in December. Now lucky for us we are off the 2 stop connections to get to Budapest (IAH>Montreal>Frankfurt>Budapest). We will go IAH>Munich>Budapest. We have never had issues transferring to Lufthansa in Munich Airport. Far better then Frankfurt!

However we are returning from Zurich on Swiss Air>Frankfurt (plane change to Lufthansa) to IAH with only 75 mins in Frankfurt.

Is this doable? Our flight departs Zurich @7A to Frankfurt ( short flight ).

[Hydrokitty]

We had a Flight change thru United Airlines for our upcoming flight in December. Now lucky for us we are off the 2 stop connections to get to Budapest (IAH>Montreal>Frankfurt>Budapest). We will go IAH>Munich>Budapest. We have never had issues transferring to Lufthansa in Munich Airport. Far better then Frankfurt!

However we are returning from Zurich on Swiss Air>Frankfurt (plane change to Lufthansa) to IAH with only 75 mins in Frankfurt.

Is this doable? Our flight departs Zurich @7A to Frankfurt ( short flight ).

 

How fast can you move? Seriously, how fast can you and everyone you're flying with move.....makes all the difference in the world...I for one am not comfortable with anything less than 2 hours in Frankfort.

[BPCruiser]

We are both very mobile and can move quickly. Will we need to go thru passport controls again in Frankfurt since we are arriving from Zurich?

Luggage should be checked in Zurich all the way thru to Houston. Swiss Air and Lufthansa Star Alliance with United which is where our original booking is.

[CPT Trips]

Yiks!!!! I see you are sailing June 15 from Barcelona. Thank god you see this problem now and not the day of flying.

 

An hour in Frankfurt is rarely if ever going to work even if it's a legal connection I would not ask my worst enemy to attempt that connect. Never mind your bags will likely not make it either :(

 

Hoping you are also flying in at least one day early so you won't miss the ship. Be sure and pack your carry on with a couple outfits each. I pack mine as if I will never see my bag again, that way I know it will show up!

Get on the phone to your TA first thing, but do some research yourself before calling and see what is available that works better.

 

In addition to having clothing in your carry one, crosspack. Half of each person's stuff in each bag. As far as I'm concerned, that's the only way to pack for any trip other than a car trip.