I'm planning a trip to the US but as you can't fly direct from London to the middle of nowhere I'm going to have to change planes. As I've not done this before I was wondering how long I should leave for the connection. I'm thinking a minimum of 2-3 hours. Is this sufficient or should I really err on the side of caution?
That's plenty. They're only ever delayed, never brought forward.
Depending on the airport, two hours. Especially if it is JFK, O'Hare, LAX or Atlanta.
At least two hours and, if possible, make sure all flights are with the same airline.
Oh and I reckon Minneapolis is the best big airport in the US, at least that I've been to, so if you've got a choice of changing at, say, JFK or Minneapolis, go with Minneapolis.
Deffo two hours at least, your plane may be tardy getting in to land, and you may be grilled by homeland security after queuing a whiles, like I was.
But they usually have some nice beers and bars in US airports I find. Which one are you thinking of changing at? Minneapolis is a decent one. Try the beer called Bonfire, it's quite nice.
But they usually have some nice beers and bars in US airports I find. Which one are you thinking of changing at? Minneapolis is a decent one. Try the beer called Bonfire, it's quite nice.
The Rev Owen wrote:
Oh and I reckon Minneapolis is the best big airport in the US, at least that I've been to, so if you've got a choice of changing at, say, JFK or Minneapolis, go with Minneapolis.
*Spook!*
I certainly agree with this. Good book shops, great beers, lots of Minnesota-nice going on. Plus the landscape of frozen plains looks other-worldly from the plane window. Try not to get the Homeland Security guy who looks like Chief Tyrol from Battlestar - he looks affable from a distance but in interrogation he's terrifying.
Don't wear your rucksack on your chest. Or be foreign.
Heh.
Thanks. I find changing trains at Reading stressful enough, so don't want to make myself too anxious, especially if I'm still queuing at the border whilst I see my connection take off.
Thanks. I find changing trains at Reading stressful enough, so don't want to make myself too anxious, especially if I'm still queuing at the border whilst I see my connection take off.
I shouldn't worry at Minneapolis if you're changing there. They've got clocks a plenty all over. Check in straight away, find and mentally bookmark your lounge, and you've got a big concourse to wander around with bookshops and bars. Treat it as part of the holiday. You can hit the lounge when they make the announcement. (Only don't get smashed, the beer is pretty good. And try not to think about all the tipping you'll end up doing. And prepare for the domestic flight to be a dinky ram-packed airplane.)
nervouspete wrote:
(Only don't get smashed, the beer is pretty good. And try not to think about all the tipping you'll end up doing. And prepare for the domestic flight to be a dinky ram-packed airplane.)
It sounds like Minneapolis Airport is worth a trip in itself! Most of the cheaper flights I'm looking at change at Newark but if I can switch there I will
Last time I got smashed in the US I forgot my motel's address and had a fun $60 taxi ride tour of the outskirts of Richmond, Va.: lord knows where I would end up at an airport.
nervouspete wrote:
in interrogation he's terrifying.
You what? Terrifying interrogation over the crime of trying to work/holiday in his country?Never. Going. There. Again.
(This was already the case. No-one gets my fingerprints without a fucking good reason. Also the double waiver declaration nonsense. Oh, and that indefinite holding of foreigners for any reason thing)
nervouspete wrote:
And prepare for the domestic flight to be a dinky ram-packed airplane.)
Really? My connection from Phily to Boston had gigant-o-seats and was 2/3 empty, unlike the crippling sardine can that was the flight from the UK. I suppose all the airlines have gone bust at least once since then, though. Try explaining what a cadburys cream egg is after it rolls out of your shoe in a baggage check to Japanese customs.
Hilariously terrifying that was.
Hilariously terrifying that was.
BikNorton wrote:
nervouspete wrote:
in interrogation he's terrifying.
You what? Terrifying interrogation over the crime of trying to work/holiday in his country?Never. Going. There. Again.
(This was already the case. No-one gets my fingerprints without a fucking good reason. Also the double waiver declaration nonsense. Oh, and that indefinite holding of foreigners for any reason thing)
Fucking commie.
Kern wrote:
Most of the cheaper flights I'm looking at change at Newark but if I can switch there I will
Newark is an easy one for transfers. Sounds like you are going in on Continental or perhaps KLM.[/quote]
I found changing in Minneapolis to be tedious. Sitting in an airport for an hour can be okay if they have distractions, but we were there for 4 hours and by the end I wanted to end it all. Remember that chances are you've got a long trip in total, so drinking can sometimes not be the best course of action.
So don't leave too long or you'll get bored.
So don't leave too long or you'll get bored.
I left 3 hours when I went to LA, stopping at Boston to change flights. Domestic flights were a lot less hassle than international ones, so it's a fairly painless experience. All of my luggage was automatically moved to the second plane each time, which was a bit daunting, but went without hitch. I found I ended up with far more time than I'd have liked, especially seeing as I was waiting for a six-hour flight after getting off a six-hour one, but I guess it's always best to give padding.
I always like to get a tiny bit tipsy on flights, though, as it makes the whole experience shoot past, and relaxes me to no end, helped by the way a single double spirit at that altitude works wonders if your stomach is empty. I was only 20 when I went to the states, though, annoyingly.
I always like to get a tiny bit tipsy on flights, though, as it makes the whole experience shoot past, and relaxes me to no end, helped by the way a single double spirit at that altitude works wonders if your stomach is empty. I was only 20 when I went to the states, though, annoyingly.
Curiosity wrote:
I found changing in Minneapolis to be tedious. Sitting in an airport for an hour can be okay if they have distractions, but we were there for 4 hours and by the end I wanted to end it all. Remember that chances are you've got a long trip in total, so drinking can sometimes not be the best course of action.
So don't leave too long or you'll get bored.
So don't leave too long or you'll get bored.
When is drinking not the best course of action?
When you're the pilot.
Malabar Front wrote:
I always like to get a tiny bit tipsy on flights, though, as it makes the whole experience shoot past, and relaxes me to no end, helped by the way a single double spirit at that altitude works wonders if your stomach is empty. I was only 20 when I went to the states, though, annoyingly.
I find getting a good airline makes it shoot past. 10-12 hour flights on Air New Zealand were wonderful, and 5 hours on United was enough to make me want to kill people.
Plissken wrote:
I find getting a good airline makes it shoot past. 10-12 hour flights on Air New Zealand were wonderful, and 5 hours on United was enough to make me want to kill people.
That no doubt helps a great deal. I was flying with American Airlines, which was like being shot back into the 70s for twelve hours. Never again.
Zardoz wrote:
That's plenty. They're only ever delayed, never brought forward.
That's great until your first plane is delayed and your second plane departs on time. Personally, I'd err on the side of caution, because if you are booking separate tickets yourself no-one is going to help out if it goes wrong. See if you can book them both through an agent as a single through trip to at least transfer the liability. Check the minimum check-in time with the carrier, and leave a healthy chunk on top of that.
If you PM me your exact dates and routes I will ask someone I know in work for advice.
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
If you PM me your exact dates and routes I will personally be there to kill you upon arrival.
Don't trust him.
Malabar Front wrote:
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
If you PM me your exact dates and routes I will personally be there to kill you upon arrival.
Don't trust him.BikNorton wrote:
nervouspete wrote:
in interrogation he's terrifying.
You what? Terrifying interrogation over the crime of trying to work/holiday in his country?Never. Going. There. Again.
Yup, he stared in squinty eyed suspicion at the fact that I was only bringing in about eight hundred dollars for three weeks, despite me already having said I was staying at a friends. I then had to give a history of friendship, how long I knew her, how I got to know her... what my job was at home... how much I earnt... arrrgh.
He seemed cheery to the lass a few in front. I thought I'd picked the right one this time. It took a good pint to work off the nerves from that five-ten minute eternity.
The domestic flights in the US I've had are terrible. Packed solid. The staff are nice, but a bit fugly. There was one bloke who looked terrifyingly like a chunkier vampiric sweating Uncle Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. I was strangely terrified of him.
Bring at least three books.
nervouspete wrote:
Yup, he stared in squinty eyed suspicion at the fact that I was only bringing in about eight hundred dollars for three weeks, despite me already having said I was staying at a friends. I then had to give a history of friendship, how long I knew her, how I got to know her... what my job was at home... how much I earnt... arrrgh.
He seemed cheery to the lass a few in front. I thought I'd picked the right one this time. It took a good pint to work off the nerves from that five-ten minute eternity.
He seemed cheery to the lass a few in front. I thought I'd picked the right one this time. It took a good pint to work off the nerves from that five-ten minute eternity.
I've never had anything like that, even when coming in to get married to a US lady. I had the wife's visa application documents in my hand luggage as proof of our intentions to settle back in the UK, which helped. He loosened up a lot then and started talking to my brother about Green Lantern. And then the customs guy warned me off getting married in a lovely jokey way, telling me I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.
Sometimes they're stern, sometimes they're friendly, but nobody has ever been as bad as the horrible, horrible people at Heathrow the first time my wife came over. That was a complete fucking ordeal and I'm still quite angry about it, even three years later.
nervouspete wrote:
[The domestic flights in the US I've had are terrible. Packed solid. The staff are nice, but a bit fugly. There was one bloke who looked terrifyingly like a chunkier vampiric sweating Uncle Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. I was strangely terrified of him.
Most domestic flights I've had in the US have had spare seats. A lot of the time there's barely been anyone on the plane. Of course, the one time I was on a domestic flight that was completed packed we sat on the tarmac for two and a half hours before taking off. Luckily I had a five-hour lay over after that flight, so still wasn't late.
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Zardoz wrote:
That's plenty. They're only ever delayed, never brought forward.
That's great until your first plane is delayed and your second plane departs on time.Yes, getting to the airport a few hours earlier would certainly solve this Doc.
Zardoz wrote:
Yes, getting to the airport a few hours earlier would certainly solve this Doc.
What?Suppose you fly LHR-JFK departing 10am landing 3pm. Suppose you are then due to fly JFK-ORD departing at 6pm. You arrive at LHR at 7am ready to check in, but your flight is delayed by six hours. You are now screwed as you cannot arrive in JFK in time for the second leg. Capiche?
At which point your outward carrier is required to sort you a replacement flight at no expense.
Plissken wrote:
At which point your outward carrier is required to sort you a replacement flight at no expense.
I wouldn't assume that, particularly if you are doing a manual DP and you've just bought individual tickets yourself. When it comes to travel contracts the devil is in the details. Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
When it comes to travel contracts the devil is in the details.
I'll look out for that as well as check my insurance too. Hopefully should book through one carrier so I can be at the mercy of their partner airlines.
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Capiche?
Fully
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
particularly if you are doing a manual DP
Dirty
Zardoz wrote:
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
particularly if you are doing a manual DP
DirtyUnless you have bought journey 1 and journey 2 as separate transactions, then no, the outward carrier has a duty to continue your onward journey at their expense.
Even if that results in you being on a non-partner airline. Example - last year, the final leg of our trip was Air NZ Hong Kong to Heathrow, onward to Manchester via BMI. The Air NZ flight was delayed in Auckland by 1hr 15min, so when we arrived at Chep Lap Kok we found that find we had already been rebooked on a later BA flight to Manchester.
Even if that results in you being on a non-partner airline. Example - last year, the final leg of our trip was Air NZ Hong Kong to Heathrow, onward to Manchester via BMI. The Air NZ flight was delayed in Auckland by 1hr 15min, so when we arrived at Chep Lap Kok we found that find we had already been rebooked on a later BA flight to Manchester.
I like flying BA. I guess it's because all the hostesses remind me of stern school headmistresses. What this is tapping into I don't particuarly want to explore.
BA have gone, pardon the pun, incredibly downhill in the last few years.
If possible, I fly BMI rather than BA. Of course, the (Excellent and far-sighted - Ed) decision to not have feeder traffic into Heathrow and Gatwick means that it is much easier to avoid them.
If possible, I fly BMI rather than BA. Of course, the (Excellent and far-sighted - Ed) decision to not have feeder traffic into Heathrow and Gatwick means that it is much easier to avoid them.
Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
Plissken wrote:
At which point your outward carrier is required to sort you a replacement flight at no expense.
I wouldn't assume that, particularly if you are doing a manual DP and you've just bought individual tickets yourself. When it comes to travel contracts the devil is in the details.Plus it means extra hassle and further delays, I think they're only required to get you there eventually, not on time.
Zardoz! EH? How would getting to the airport on time for the first flight make any difference? Despite this being a different matter I RETRACT MY FORGIVENESS!
Plissken wrote:
Unless you have bought journey 1 and journey 2 as separate transactions, then no, the outward carrier has a duty to continue your onward journey at their expense.
Often, that's what's happening behind the scenes. Some of the systems I work on would merrily sell you legs on different low cost carriers, for example; to the carriers, that's just two unconneced tickets. I have no idea how screwed you'd be if stuff went wrong, but I would be very cautious about it if I were booking the flights. It would depend on the disclaimers surrounding the point of sale agent. nervouspete wrote:
Zardoz! EH? How would getting to the airport on time for the first flight make any difference? Despite this being a different matter I RETRACT MY FORGIVENESS!
I was being all 'NOT' and shit.
Zardoz wrote:
nervouspete wrote:
Zardoz! EH? How would getting to the airport on time for the first flight make any difference? Despite this being a different matter I RETRACT MY FORGIVENESS!
I was being all 'NOT' and shit.
FORGI...
Wait. Where am I?
The Petey says all my sins is warshed away, including that Piggly Wiggly I knocked over in Yazoo.
Dimrill wrote:
The Petey says all my sins is warshed away, including that Piggly Wiggly I knocked over in Yazoo.
I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE INNOCENT OF THAT SIN.
*Checks notes.*
Well I was lyin'. And the Petey says that that sin's been warshed away too. Neither God nor man's got nothin' on me now. C'mon in boys, the water is fine.
Dimrill wrote:
Well I was lyin'. And the Petey says that that sin's been warshed away too. Neither God nor man's got nothin' on me now. C'mon in boys, the water is fine.
...
...
...
PIRANHAS, YOU ARE ALSO FORGIVEN.
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