MSP Connection Time

[mhb1757]

Our “free air” offer for a May, 2019 river cruise has us arriving at MSP at 2:50PM from Amsterdam. I would like to catch a 4:50pm Southwest flight home. My question is... assuming flight from AMS is on time,  will that 2 hours be a reasonable time frame to collect luggage, clear customs, change terminals, recheck bags at SW and get back through security?  I have never re-entered at MSP or had to change terminals there so no idea what the set up is or how much time to allow. 

This will be on a Friday, we will have checked luggage, no mobility issues. We will be in coach from AMS so no speedy exit from plane. 

[FlyerTalker]

I would never do this.  First off, KLM and WN operate from two physically separate buildings.  So in addition to the normal inbound customs time issues, you have far more to navigate.

 

Arrive T1 on KLM

Process through immigration

Process through customs

Take self and luggage to T2

Wait for the WN check-in process

Process through security

Head to gate area

 

The major concerns are the connection between terminals and the time to check in for Southwest.  There's a significant walk to the transit station at T1, so that will eat up time.  The trains usually run every 10 minutes, but this is a regular transit line, not a dedicated link.  Also, since this would be on two separate tickets, you would have to do a completely new check-in at Southwest - no through luggage check.

 

Finally, since they are on two separate tickets (Southwest does not do interline tickets with KL or other majors), if there is any delay with your KLM flight, you would have no protection if you miss the WN flight.  To them, you would just be a no-show.

 

Caveat emptor.

[Zach1213]

I wouldn't touch this with a 100 foot pole, let alone a 10 foot pole. Way too easy to miss the connection and be in trouble as a no-show passenger on Southwest. FlyerTalker above, as usual, is spot on.

[Peg_S]

IF if if you want to try it... definitely have someone on the ground ready to reschedule your SW flight for you. If you don't contact them know by a certain time, they would call SW and put you on a later flight (with probable extra flight cost... but at least no change fee). Have to gauge your risk tolerance level!!!

[Zach1213]

7 minutes ago, Peg_S said:

IF if if you want to try it... definitely have someone on the ground ready to reschedule your SW flight for you. If you don't contact them know by a certain time, they would call SW and put you on a later flight (with probable extra flight cost... but at least no change fee). Have to gauge your risk tolerance level!!!

 

That would essentially be a last-minute, full fare walk-up ticket. Yes, they would be able to roll the funds forward from their current ticket (I don't think you lose anything due to cancelling after check-in, but I'm not a WN expert), but it will likely still cost several hundreds of dollars per person assuming the original ticket is booked on the lowest fare/Wanna Get Away.

[Globaliser]

On 12/21/2018 at 9:14 PM, mhb1757 said:

My question is... assuming flight from AMS is on time,  will that 2 hours be a reasonable time frame ...

 

Why would you even begin to assume that the flight from AMS to MSP will be on time? If you're concerned about whether you have enough time to make it to the next flight, a delay on the AMS-MSP flight is likely to be your biggest single risk.

 

If you're planning to get from one flight to the next, it would perhaps make more sense to say "assuming that the flight from AMS incurs a fairly routine delay of about 2-3 hours ...".

[waterbug123]

On 12/21/2018 at 8:14 AM, mhb1757 said:

will that 2 hours be a reasonable time frame to collect luggage, clear customs, change terminals, recheck bags at SW and get back through security? 

 

You don't actually have 2 full hours hours.  Your luggage will need to be checked well in advance of flight time.  I don't know Southwest's rule offhand, but most airlines require luggage checked somewhere between 45 and 30 minutes prior to flight time.  So you have, at best, 1:15 or 1:30 to get bags checked.  At that point you still have to get through security and be at the gate 10 min prior to flight time, which is usually when airlines close the boarding door so that they have time to finalize the paperwork, including final passenger manifest, and still be able to depart on time.  Given the length of time to deplane from coach, wait for bags, wait in line at immigration, wait in line at customs, physically get to another building, and wait in line again to check bags, then get through security and be at the gate prior to the boarding door closing, and all of this with no agreement between the two airlines to re-accommodate you if you miss the flight.....no way would I do this. 

[mhb1757]

Advice taken. Later flight booked. Thanks. 

We do have global entry which speeds up the immigration process and provides TSA precheck at the Terminal B end but I guess it was overly optimistic to think 2 hours would do it. 

Edited December 25, 2018 by mhb1757