Intl - domestic connection times in the US

Hi folks,

Just doing a little research regarding a possible holiday next Easter and came across an interesting routing via DFW- Santa Ana airport with American. (This is on expedia btw who also has given me a costing flying be to Gatwick and then a connection time to get the AA flight from LHR of 2.5 hrs or so....)

The connection time that they give for the flight is round about 2.5 hours and advise that there is a terminal change for the onward flight. Given that we're going to be in economy is 2.5 hrs pushing it a bit to get through immigration / baggage hall / customs/ rechecking and change terminal / through security again and onto the flight? We will have two tired little boys in tow too.

I have had a bad experience of nearly missing a connection at IAD in similar circumstances - we basically made it to the plane as the doors were closing... and don't want to go through that again!

Just want to know before dismissing that option for definite. Thanks.

The minimu connect between LHR and LGW is indeed 2 and a half hours. This is the IATA approved connection time and what the airline systems and things such as Expedia use to connect flights.

At DFW, the connection times are:
Domestic - Domestic: 50 mins
Domestic - International: 50 mins
International - Domestic: 1 hour 10 mins
International - International: 1 hour 10 mins

These of course are the absolute bare minimum for people on 1 ticket with no baggage as a rule.

I have never been to DFW but I think in this case you have a decent amount of leeway, if there is a later flight out of DFW, I would book that even if it means you are sitting in the airport for an extra few minutes.

It is in cases like this that an extra few pounds to a decent travel agent can give you the peace of mind and control over a booking that you need and a computer following rules can't give you.

Ed

Thanks Ed!
(previous reply seems to have got eaten by the ether!)
I'm probably going to plump for a LHR - LAX routing. Simpler and more direct and less time spent travelling. (and probably a VS routing)

Been doing a lot of costings these last few days on the web and the results have really confused me (hence the travel website overload status!) Unfortunately we seem to have mainly chain bog standard travel agents in the towns around here...

Might give FC a try ...

I don't as a rule mind connections, and on a US ticket you usually have a LOT of flexibility. 1:10 sounds about right for DFW, not much Int traffic there, but the drill is that you will come off the plane, clear immigration and reclaim luggage, and drop it off just outside the hall at an AA desk. If you are late for the flight, they will accommodate you and retag your bag on the next available flight to the LAX area at no charge, so you really don't risk much of anything.

With four of you, that might just feel like a little too much, and direct flights will understandably be preferable, but you will make it comfortably in 2.5 hours.

Having connected in the US from International to Domestic (and at ATL which is quite geared up for this sort of thing) I can tell you its slightly more hassle than one would expect.

We missed our onward connection and ended up waiting an extra 2 hours, half the problem is the fact that ATL seems to change gates like nobodies business.

[honey lamb]

We missed our onward connection and ended up waiting an extra 2 hours, half the problem is the fact that ATL seems to change gates like nobodies business.

So, it would seem, with other airports. My connecting flight in SFO had three gate changes in the time I was waiting. I was up and down the terminal to the different gates like a yo-yo.

I would however agree with Marked Man about being re-protected on later flights. When I was in danger of missing an onward flight at IAD I found that, when I went to the transfer desk I was already booked on a later flight.