Is 45 minutes enough time to land and switch planes?

[tennisflip]

Flight 1 Monday, May 10 Northwest Airlines 1291 1 stop
Depart: 4:35pm Chicago, IL (MDW) Economy | 1hr 35min
Boeing Douglas DC-9
Arrive:
6:10pm Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Change planes. Time between flights: 0hr 45min
Northwest Airlines 44
Depart: 6:55pm Minneapolis, MN (MSP) Economy | 8hr 5min
Boeing Douglas DC-10
Arrive:
9:00am London, United Kingdom (LGW)
This is an overnight trip.
Total duration: 10hr 25min

I can grab this flight for a good price... plus, I'd get the frequent flyer miles from NWA. But that just doesn't seem like enough time between flights. If I were to miss it, would NWA hook me up w/a later flight?

 

[TwinkleToes77]

no, thats not enough time.

If your plane is even a little bit late youll miss it.

They normally start boarding 30 minutes before departure.

If you miss it they will put you on standby for the next available flight.


Edit: I flew from philadelphia - boston via washington dc

We left on time in philadelphia but had to circle in dc and by the time we had landed our flight to boston was already boarded and they were closing the gates.. and we had 1 hour layover. Luckily we did make it. But i'llnever make a flight with a short layover like that again.

 

[spidey07]

you should be fine. Atlanta would be tough

 

[minendo]

More than enough time. One trip I took had a ten minute layover and I had to go from one side of Pittsburgh's airport to the other to catch my connecting flight.

 

[FoBoT]

connecting to an international flight? no way , give yourself more time

 

[Mr N8]

Plenty of time. You could probably even grab something to eat between flights.

 

[KLin]

It depends on the size of the Minneapolis airport. I can't imagine it being that huge, so I would guess that 45 minutes would be plenty of time to change planes.

 

[Lonyo]

Be wary of luggage. You might not get it when you land.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Be wary of luggage. You might not get it when you land.

meh, it'll get there. Just make sure to pack a change of clothes and toiletries in the carry on.

 

[tennisflip]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Be wary of luggage. You might not get it when you land.

We're just bringing one backpack each. Also, if I were to miss it, would they get me onto a later flight? Anyone had experience with this?

 

[shopbruin]

i'd say no if you were checking luggage. if the airlines know you're making the connections, they might be able to help with your luggage. hopefully they will also be at the gate to help you get from domestic to the international terminal.

 

[Yossarian]

looks like the flights are in the same area of the terminal so you will probably be ok. if it was one of those airports that has international flights in a different terminal, no way. still you might have some trouble if they do extra security screening before your london leg.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: tennisflip

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Be wary of luggage. You might not get it when you land.

We're just bringing one backpack each. Also, if I were to miss it, would they get me onto a later flight? Anyone had experience with this?

if you miss it because they arrived late then they'll have to provide another flight. if you're purchasing two separate ticktets then I don't think so.

-edit- you know they have these things called travel agents that are move than happy to answer your questions. try calling them. many times a real person is better than the internet.

 

[dabuddha]

Luggage shouldn't be an issue. All of my international/domestic flights where I have a layover/connecting flight, I have my luggage checked all the way through.

 

[Ynog]

For a normal domestic flight yes, 45 mins is ok. But since its an international flight. I would say no.

 

[lancestorm]

If it was in the States, that would be okay. International? NO WAY.

 

[Izzo]

I had a similar experience over Christmas. I scheduled a small (30 person) flight from Lansing to Cincy. I then had 45 minutes to get to my flight from Cincy to Orlando. I thought it was going to be enougtime because we didn't have any luggage (parents were meeting us in Orlando with it). Well, our first flight was delayed by 20-25 minutes. So we asked the travel guy at the airport what would happen if we missed our second flight and he said we would end up having to wait for 6-8 hours in Cincy. Well, by the time we landed in Cincy, we had 10 minutes before our next plane left. I was really worried because I thought for sure that the flight would be overbooked and we wouldn't make it on. So my gf and I sprinted all the way from one side of the airport to the other. After sprinting up the escalators and people movers, we barely made it on the plane as the stewardesses were shutting the overhead compartments.

So 45 minutes should be enough (without luggage) but who knows if your first plane will be delayed.

edit: but this was a domestic flight too.

 

[Nanotech]

So long as your not the pilot 45 minutes is generally enough time. I've had less time and made it but be prepared to run if necessary.

 

[lancestorm]

On secondthought, talk with the specific airline(s) you would be flying. They would be the best source of info. International flights might close doors earlier to boarding.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: lancestorm
If it was in the States, that would be okay. International? NO WAY.

Most of my internation flights (well over 20) had less than an hour layover.

 

[Bassyhead]

it willprobably be enough time if everything goes well

 

[blackdogdeek]

it is possible but i wouldn't risk it.

does nwa even have a flight later than the 655pm one? if not, even if they provide you with the next flight, it might not be until the next day.