As we speak’s large airways—in addition to many smaller ones—make their enterprise on connections. The pervasive “hub and spoke” route system means you’ll be able to fly from nearly anyplace within the U.S. to nearly anyplace else with one stop-and-connection at a hub. My residence airport, Medford, Oregon, is typical. If I need to fly to, say, New York, there gained’t be a nonstop inside my lifetime. However I can get from Medford to New York with one cease/connection on 4 completely different airways: Alaska by way of Seattle, American by way of Phoenix, Delta by way of Salt Lake Metropolis or Seattle, and United by way of Denver, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.
However connections are a problem. Connecting flights practically double your threat of cancellation or delay, plus they add extra threat of misplaced baggage, the hassles of airport processing, and often a minimum of two hours of complete journey time. That’s why one tried-and-true rule of choosing a flight is easy: If yow will discover a nonstop at a great worth, take it.
So, given the hassles and dangers, why take a connection? Even when a nonstop is accessible, you’ll be able to generally discover a decrease connecting fare. I checked a bunch of random home routes for early June, and located that on greater than half of the long-haul journeys, lowest fares on connecting flights have been lower than on accessible nonstops— ometimes as a lot as $200 spherical journey.
However whether or not it’s the one possibility or the most cost effective, a connection entails extra threat and extra problem than a nonstop.
Schedule Issues. If you need to join, attempt to optimize connecting time. Permit sufficient slack so that you simply gained’t miss the connection, however attempt to keep away from prolonged connecting instances. And in case you’re on the lookout for the bottom fare, beware: The least costly connections I discovered usually concerned a minimum of one red-eye flight and plenty of concerned lengthy waits at connecting hubs.
Delays and Cancellations. If attainable, you need to keep away from these connecting hubs that repeatedly publish the very best charges of flight delays and cancellations. And that record stays fairly secure over time, often together with Atlanta, Boston, Chicago/O’Hare, Dallas-Ft. Value, New York/JFK, Newark, and San Francisco. Surprisingly, even in winter, Salt Lake Metropolis does higher than most southern hubs, and the opposite large ones usually cope as effectively.
Double Screening. You need to keep away from any schedules requiring that you simply undergo the safety problem a second time on the connecting hub.
–Typically, you’ll be able to’t keep away from double safety when your connecting flight leaves from a unique terminal than your arrival. Among the busiest U.S. hub airports include multiple bodily separate terminal constructing, together with Boston, Chicago/O’Hare, Dallas-Ft. Value, Houston/Bush, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York/JFK, Newark, and Philadelphia. Airways attempt to schedule connections inside a single safe “airside” space, and that’s simple at such airports as Dallas-Ft. Value, Houston, or Philadelphia, with airside” terminal-to-terminal individuals movers. However that’s not all the time attainable: Some schedules require an out-of-airside terminal switch.
–You all the time need to undergo screening on the connecting hub in case you declare and re-check baggage—usually the case with low-fare strains.
–A number of terminals aren’t as large a problem abroad, the place most large new hub fields are designed round a single, enormous terminal. However terminal change is usually a downside at London/Heathrow and Paris/De Gaulle.
–While you return to the U.S. from a international airport that doesn’t supply pre-clearance, and you’ve got an ongoing connecting flight, you need to go away safety, declare your bag, undergo customs and immigration, and undergo safety once more. So in case you want a connection, attempt to join at a international airport with a nonstop flight to your last vacation spot. Chances are you’ll face an extra screening, however nothing as unhealthy as you’d encounter at a U.S. hub.
Take a Onerous Look. You actually need to keep away from an enormous time connection problem at any time when you’ll be able to. Meaning research the main points—airport layouts, connecting instances, and safety methods—earlier than you click on on that airfare deal.
