Connections. Minimum Connecting Times
I have experienced some interesting flight connections in recent times which I thought I would share with you. What should be a boring experience sometimes does not end up that way. All these experiences were not under MCT. (Minimum Connecting Time)
The Pythagoras theory
I.E When the sum of the two sides is shorter than one transit time? LondonGatwick to Heathrow when flying Malta to Helsinki, using British Airways to British Airways. Arrived into LGW on-time and allowed 3.5hrs. Customs and baggage to collect without much delay (Yes I’m a pomme), purchased the National Express bus ticket and proceeded to the Heathrow bus. All was going well until we joined the M25, which was cleverly disguised as a carpark. OMG we just didn’t proceed any faster than walking pace. An hour goes past when a sudden acceleration up the off-ramp. Thank heavens the driver knows an alternative route to Gatwick. Hang on. No he doesn’t, we haven’t turned off but have gone down the on ramp back on to the M25. When he did it again at the next off-ramp I worked out that he could jump 30 vehicles ahead every time. He did it at every off ramp until we actually turned off for Heathrow. Made my Helsinki flight by 45 minutes. I can’t suggest a viable alternative for this connection.
The bizarre (some years ago). Los Angeles
Arrived into LAX early on Air NZ, which now gave us 4 hours to connect. Trouble was there was no gate available for Air NZ and nowhere for the aircraft to stop. So we went around and around the airport for over 2.5 hours. Add the wonderful USA immigration and the only way we were likely to make the United flight to Washington was to run across the carpark with luggage. My colleague had a blowout in a shoe when her heel departed company with the genuine leather upper. Somehow we got to the gate but the aircraft was just on push back. As luck would have it they called the aircraft back-in, which I have never seen before. Opened the door and we got to the aircraft door when a member of the ground staff said your boarding passes do not have a security stamp, so they closed the door in front of us and left us behind.
This transit story is sponsored by Adidas. Vienna
Austrian Airlines (OS) to Austrian Airlines (OS). If you want to know why you see so many people running at Vienna airport it’s because they believed the reservation propaganda that you can transit in 25 minutes.
If it was not for my daughter running along the moving walkway like a high-speed train and telling them at the gate I was following I might still be there. It happened both ways in Vienna on a recent trip Berlin to Montenegro and Albania to Amsterdam.
Sydney. Home of the world’s worst transit
Qantas (QF) Domestic to Qantas (QF) International. Those of us who have done it can testify it’s truly a pain in the arse. It is compounded by airlin driven computers showing the shortest connections, so that Qantas will come first when searching availability when there are no direct flights. Book the Minimum Connecting Time and you are sure to start your client’s holiday off to an energetic and stressful start. The sum total of a bus, immigration and security can have a very eroding effect on time. I have sat on several Qantas international flights at Sydney, waiting for the door to close, when red-faced, sweaty passengers, puffing and blowing with hand luggage swinging around their necks come on board searching for seat 75E & F. Usually they are from Melbourne where someone has booked the Minimum Connecting Time the computer has suggested. Don’t do it.
Had a Qantas domestic flight a couple of months ago booked to connect with an American Airlines (AA) international flight out of Sydney but as the flights were booked in two different computers, I had to collect my luggage and catch the train between terminals.
Helsinki. Nokia lives
Finnair (AY) International to Finnair (AY) to the United Kingdom. Finnair and Helsinki often spruik their short 40 minute Minimum Connect Time and at last I can give you the good news in that it has worked perfectly the four times I have transited Helsinki (HEL) in the last couple of years, even in poor weather conditions. There simply is nothing else to add.
Confucius say “Never give up in transit”. Guangzhou (CAN)
This was on my most recent trip to a luxury Travel Mart in Shanghai. China Southern (CZ) International to China Southern (CZ) Domestic. Had about 2.5hrs to connect and all was going well when the Capt. announced that there was a serve thunderstorm over the airport at Guangzhou and we would have to go into a holding pattern. A lift of the window shade revealed that a meteorologist was not needed unless it was a nuclear explosion. On landing I had 70 minutes to make my connection but Guangzhou is a big busy airport with a very big terminal to match. By the time I got off the aircraft my flight was leaving in 50 minutes and I had immigration to clear. The crazy bit was that I deplaned at an aerobridge but had to go down stairs to a bus, which waited and waited. Some angry Chinese started banging on the glass behind the driver to tell him to move it, which he eventually did. Having disembarked the bus there was a sea of China Southern ground staff giving directions to hundreds a passengers. Security was a nightmare. I had added nothing since going through security at Melbourne but my hand luggage drew a lot of attention, so it went through the x-ray four times in four pieces. A charming young female China Southern staff member saw how exasperated I was and escorted me to an electric buggy to take me to domestic departures and to tell me I had missed my flight. She delivered it with such a sweet smile that I surprised myself when I said “Oh that’s disappointing”. So she escorted me to the transfer desk, where she jumped the queue and discussed my fate with the counter staff. The discussion and keyboard tapping wasn’t to produce any good news or was there? My escort said we must go to the gate as the aircraft is still there and there is no other flight tonight. “Can you run?”” Of course I can”, well I thought I could but not the marathon to gate A276. “Do you have RMB20?” “Yes”. So she stopped an electric cart, said “Pay the driver the money and he will take us”. Indeed he did at break-neck speed weaving around unsuspecting passengers as there was no beep, beep, beep on the buggy. Amazingly there was no injuries to report, so made the flight by two minutes. My pain had turned to ecstasy as she was smiling and waving at me like I was her pop star idol. Well done China Southern (CZ).
Below sea level transit. Amsterdam
KLM (KL) to KLM (KL). Client’s departed only 15 mins late out of London City (LCY) and missed their connection to Dresden (DRS), of which there is only one flight a day. A below par hotel was provided with below par service.
The Gado, Gado transit Denpasar
Garuda (GA) International to Garuda (GA) Domestic. This one should not be under estimated as the terminals, whilst adjoining are a long walk. Recently going to a workshop in Makassar (UPG) via Denpasar (DPS) a delegate just didn’t have the steam and speed to make the connection. It is a long hot walk. Strangely on the return we were met off the Makassar (UPG) – Denpasar (DPS) flight and escorted to the international terminal in air-conditioned comfort the whole walk. How cool was that?
There is a lot to be said about non-stop flights, which is why I reluctantly choose low cost carriers, who fly where no one has flown non-stop before. I suggest you seek advice from a travel expert.
