TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin AA connection times

On connecting AA flights, I've been noticing a lot of red exclamation marks alerting customers about short connection times. If you miss your connection because your first flight arrived late, does that let AA of the hook as to any responsibility because you were warned? I'm looking at a BOS/SXM flight with a 35 minute connection time in Charlotte. Very good price, but one usually gets what one pays for - or a lot less when dealing with the airlines. I'm only doing carry-on, and I'm fairly spry for an old fart, but 35 minutes - even at Charlotte - seems to be cutting things exceptionally close. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

I have encountered a 40-minute connection time with the same warning. Unless it is a mechanical issue, I would say you are on the hook as AA is not going to be responsible for weather, air traffic delays, etc. IF your flight leaves BOS on time and with just carry-on you should be Ok but one little hiccup getting out of BOS or a delay in landing and it could be problems.

I just flew on AA and started out with the 40-minute connection. They then changed flight times on both flights and I ended up with 2+ hours. It seems the airlines have continued to build in a lot of "fluff" into their flight times. I would have been fine with the 40-minute connection as we departed DAY about 30 minutes late (de-icing) but with the short flight time, we still arrived CLT a little early.

I would never accept a 35 minute connection time. You have absolutely no wiggle room. Any slight delay in "push back from your originating gate, a backup of planes waiting for take-off, your inbound gate not being open when you arrive in Charlotte and you've missed your connecting flight. Remember Murphy's Law of Air Tavel is alive and well. It clearly states the shorter your connecting time the more likely things will go wrong. If you decide to book that short of a connection have a backup plan in place.

There are two separate issues here. First, if you booked a trip all the way to SXM, it doesn't matter what the cause of the delay is, AA still has to get you to your final destination. If you booked two separate tickets, on two separate airlines, one to CLT and one from CLT to SXM, all bets are off. They don't have to give you anything, because you are a no-show. So, in this circumstance, because everything was booked on AA, they still have to get you to SXM. However, if you miss your connection and it means that you have to spend the night somewhere on the way down (or back) they may not pay for your hotel, if they can blame the delay on weather or air traffic control issues, etc.

The moral of the story is that, if you end up taking a risk on that short connection, be aware of what your options are, to try to get you to SXM the same day, INCLUDING on other airlines. With AA, if you miss a connection, often you can get them to put you on another airline, if you can talk to someone reasonable and YOU provide them with the alternative routing. And you will usually be more successful to do that by calling AA directly yourself, and don't wait in the 100 person long line, to try to get re-booked.

AA personnel are NOT going to know what other airlines' schedules are, that would allow you to get there the same day. (If you're on Spirit or Frontier, something like that, forget it, they will NEVER put you on another airline!) AA personnel are going to automatically default to when the next AA flight is that will get you to the destination. That is usually going to involve an overnight. And if it involves an overnight, if you want them to pay for it, you're probably going to have to wait in that 100 person long line, or just go to the hotel yourself, keep your receipt and hope they pay for it afterward.

Either way, it's a crap shoot. Ain't travelling fun these days???

CLT is my home airport. Multiple flights a year. Even if going from A terminal to B terminal 35 minutes is too tight and too stressful. I personally wouldn’t do it.

In February I faced the same situation. 35 minutes in CLT. I held off and finally AA posted a flight through MIA with a reasonable layover. Return flight through CLT OK.

How far in advance are you booking this flight? Chances are AA will be adjustimg the connection times as you get closer to your flight days.

We are in the same situation leaving Hartford in February. Either a 30 or 45 minute connection or an overnight. We bought our tickets with an overnight at a good price hoping something changes. We were afraid if we didn’t make the connection there might not be two seats on the next day flight. Also thought it might be nice not to have to leave for the airport at 3:15 am.

Thanks for all your feedback. I'm not traveling until January, but have started looking now 'cause I think it's going to be a b*tch of a year

Flying in the winter from Boston is all the more reason a short connection in CLT is no good. If your plane needs de-icing, or some snow has slowed things down a little at Logan, etc. you've missed your CLT flight.

Since your flight isn't till January I'd book it now expecting changes in your favor.

We've done that 35 minute connection RDU/CLT/SXM a couple of times, and have it again in November. We do carryon only, and haven't missed it yet, but it is stressful.

Why would carry on be any different from checked in bags going to sxm? Once checked in it's up to the airline to make it to connection ond final destination.

And that doesn't always happen. The passenger might make the tight connection, but the checked bag may not.

I have flown the BOS-SXM route many times and I would not trust a 35 minute connection...especially in January. This would probably be the one time the schedule doesn't change...when you want it to.

If the only flights available are those with a connection we now use PVD instead....cheaper parking and easier to get to and through the airport.

Exactly.

That is why we carry some clothes and essentials in a carry on bag...enough for a couple of days. (on ANY flight)

As we did when we checked bags years ago. It's still a pain to deal with lost or delayed luggage. It's also great to exit the airport quickly without waiting for checked baggage, which may or may not have made the connection.

boucharda--us too. We always take a change of clothes and our bathing suits in a carry on bag.

Same here. All meds too.

I would trust the CLT connection over the MIA but not by much and particularly, not at that time of year. We sometimes connect from HPN thru CLT, and often on the smaller AA planes which I think land on the outermost parts of the CLT property. (Or maybe in VA somewhere?? 😠😠)

One trip I swear we walked a mile between gates and terminals, and thankfully, our SXM AA connection was late. We would NEVER had made it if things were running on time that day. And though not the customary situation, returning can be even worse when you take into consideration US Border Control and claiming luggage and rechecking and all.

A wheelchair porter said flights to and from CLT are often delayed or missed because of this but in honesty we don’t fly that route enough to know from personal firsthand experiences but I do know I wouldn’t take the chance.

Everything has to go perfectly to make a 35 minute connection. It seems that no flights ever leave on time out of Albany NY. De-icing can add 15 minutes more, gate tied up in Charlotte, slow pokes getting off the plane. Yes, you have missed your flight. We have found that the least stressful thing to do is fly to Charlotte the afternoon before, stay in one of the airport hotels with a shuttle the night before your SXM departure and have a stress free morning flying out of CLT. It does add a little to your costs but for us it is worth the stress reduction.

The weather will be the weather whenever you try to fly, and I have more confidence in my making the connection than AA doing so with any checked luggage. It's a 6AM flight out of Boston, and it's been my experience that the early morning flights usually get out on time. At this point, booking a flight seems like buying a lottery ticket to me! - Again, thanks to everyone for their input.