I often share my advice about connecting flights but my overall advice is this: If there’s a nonstop option from your home airport then choose it, even if it costs more money. Why? Because when you have to make a connection, the chances of something going wrong doubles, like flight delays, cancellations or lost baggage. RELATED: How Long Should a Layover Be When Booking a Connecting Flight?
However, I realize not everyone’s home airport has nonstop options and that if you’re traveling as, say, a family of four, the savings could be significant enough to warrant making a connection. Since I have elite status on American Airlines (AA), when I’m traveling with my two little kids, I will usually choose making a connection with American rather than flying an airline I have no status with to go nonstop. That’s because I will not only save money on the airfare, but also on the two bags we check ($80) and seat assignments, which can cost up to $400.
When I do make a connection, I leave plenty of time in between flights. Sometimes, we make a mini trip out of it like we did this past June when we flew from Los Angeles to Toronto via Philadelphia. I booked the PHL Marriott Hotel for our 10-hour layover. A few weeks later, I booked a seven-hour layover in Munich, Germany on our flight from Naples, Italy to Toronto. In November, we spent the night in the Miami International Airport Hotel on our way to Turks and Caicos.
My point is to leave plenty of time in between flights because these days, with flights going out at capacity, if you miss your connecting flight, you could be stuck not just for hours but for days depending on the airline and your destination.
If you do need to connect, then it’s a good idea to choose airports that have a good track record. FinanceBuzz recently released a study on the 10 worst airports in the U.S. for connecting flights in terms of how long it takes to walk terminals end to end.
They said: “To evaluate how good or bad each airport is for connecting flights, we looked at airport maps and calculated the distance (and travel time) it would take to travel between:
-Gates on opposite sides of the terminal. We used the main terminal in each airport, or the largest terminal if none were designated “main.”
-The furthest possible gates at the airport. This nightmare scenario usually involves crossing multiple terminals.
-Security to the farthest-away gate. In some airports, this means taking trains, or even buses.”
According to their analysis, these are the airports that got the worst connectivity scores:
1. Denver International Airport (DEN)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 34 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 23 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 15 minutes
Connectivity score: 4.0/25
2. O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 49 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 20 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 9 minutes
Connectivity score: 11.0/25
3. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 22 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 15 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 19 minutes
Connectivity score: 11.6/25
4. John Wayne Airport (SNA)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 15 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 15 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 11 minutes
Connectivity score: 11.7/25
5. LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 39 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 21 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 14 minutes
Connectivity score: 12.2/25
6. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 38 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 15 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 17 minutes
Connectivity score: 12.2/25
7. Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 28 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 12 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 7 minutes
Connectivity score: 12.7/25
8. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 15 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 15 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 10 minutes
Connectivity score: 12.9/25
9. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 53 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 14 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 9 minutes
Connectivity score: 13.7/25
10. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Longest walk between any two gates in the airport: 18 minutes
How long it takes to walk end-to-end in largest terminal: 16 minutes
How long it takes to walk from security to farthest-away gate: 13 minutes
Connectivity score: 13.8/25
To be honest, I don’t know what to make of this study. I think if you have mobility issues, these scores are something to consider but you can order a wheelchair and not have to walk this long distances. Most of these airports also either have public transportation or courtesy shuttles to get you to your gate so you won’t have to walk so far or so long.
Instead of looking at how far it is to walk between gates, I would look at the airport’s on-time arrivals and how they handle snow in the winter and thunderstorms in the summer. I would much rather connect in the south in the winter than in the north because of the weather. I also try to avoid the New York City area airports in the late afternoon and evening in the summer because of congestion and greater chances of thunderstorms. Same thing goes for Philadelphia and Chicago’s O’Hare.
And finally, whether you’re making a connection or not, always also try to take the earliest flight possible to minimize the chances of thunderstorms and being stuck overnight.
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