Layovers, Connections & Strategies Oh My!

I can book a Disney table and if I miss the reservation we don't get charged.
You want to double check this. Raglan Road, for one, will charge a cancellation fee if you don't cancel by 3 PM - likely due to people blowing off Open Table reservations.
This is really bazaar behavior for Disney spirited fans. Very unkind. And as Thumpers Father told him, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothing at all."
Not unkind. Realistic. Transportation is a serious matter. You don't want somebody joking about things like a missed connection.
 
factor in having to be at the airport an average of 3 hours prior to your flight (OK there are some originating airports that you can get by with less time because there is one terminal and 2-3 gates or the airport doesn't open up until 2-2.5 hours prior to your flight time for the day-in which case be there when tne doors open or within the first 10-15 minutes of that time)
Sorry, this jumped out at me. Where in the US is a traveler expected to be at the airport for a domestic flight 3 hours prior to departure? And that's "average" according to you? That means some airports expect you there MORE than 3 hours before? Oh, unless there's only 2-3 gates? Sorry, no. Two hours would be the expected average (it's actually what TSA recommends). Small airports (my local airport is one, but even they have ~10 gates) you can show up an hour before.
 
You want to double check this. Raglan Road, for one, will charge a cancellation fee if you don't cancel by 3 PM - likely due to people blowing off Open Table reservations.

I have used Open Table for the same restaurant we are going to last time and they don't charge a cancellation. They also don't ask for a credit card guarantee. So, we are good on that end.

Not unkind. Realistic. Transportation is a serious matter. You don't want somebody joking about things like a missed connection.
[/QUOTE]
Be realistic but, work on your delivery.
 
Be realistic but, work on your delivery.
I'll bite. I don't think @kaytieeldr had anything wrong in her delivery. I think this is the post you took exception to...
What people have advised in several of these replies. I'm curious if you actually read and understood any of them? People told you to find other flights, then call the airline. That wasn't just an exercise. We expected you would do the necessary research, then call the airline as an informed passenger.
Is it to the point? Yes. Is it realistic? Yes. Is it rude? Absolutely not. There were many posts that suggested what you needed to do, you said you would do that, then, when pressed, admitted you didn't. Transportation board folks are very helpful. However, we are not going to sugar coat things to make people feel better. I am curious how you think kaytiee should have worded the above.
 


I guess I have to be VERY clear. Yes, I DID look on my own through Deltas site. That is when I Posted my only options that I found, they did not work for me. THEN someone suggested a flight that I had not found ON MY OWN and I thanked them. Boy, can of worms. My comment was that I had not done my own search say, on google etc. I am intelligent, thank you very much. Posts have been insulting ever since. This is ridiculous. I don't need anymore advice. Thank You.
 
I guess I have to be VERY clear.
Clarity is best. Especially when asking others for help, whether here or elsewhere.
Yes, I DID look on my own through Deltas site. That is when I Posted my only options that I found, they did not work for me. THEN someone suggested a flight that I had not found ON MY OWN and I thanked them.
OK, Here's where the breakdown is. You posted earlier...
I did not look myself but, I am going to do that as well.
THAT'S what most of us are reacting to. If you would have said you looked but didn't find anything else, that would be one thing.

Boy, can of worms. My comment was that I had not done my own search say, on google etc. I am intelligent, thank you very much. Posts have been insulting ever since. This is ridiculous. I don't need anymore advice. Thank You.
Nobody said you weren't intelligent. I'm not sure where you got that. Plenty of people are inexperienced with making flight arrangements. So we try to break down what they should do (at least what we think they should do). When you said you didn't look yourself, I (and I'm guessing others) assumed that meant you didn't look at all.

I know you said you don't need any more advice, but I'm going to offer this anyway... you can't read tone in the printed word. No one here (ok, at least me, but knowing the history of the board) was trying to insult you or be rude.

If nothing else, I hope you did learn what to do when the airline makes a change that you don't think will "work".
 
I have used Open Table for the same restaurant we are going to last time and they don't charge a cancellation.
Good. Open Table does not charge a cancellation fee. Raglan Road does. They did not used to. It's relatively new. It's great that your restaurant does not. Now. They could change that any time. Or not. Things change.
 


THEN someone suggested a flight that I had not found ON MY OWN and I thanked them. Boy, can of worms. My comment was that I had not done my own search say, on google etc. I am intelligent, thank you very much.
Neither did I. Use Google. I looked solely on Delta.com.
 
I play around planning flights just for the fun of it and it gives me something to do when I am waiting for either my neuro kid to finally go to bed (some days that child only seems to need sleep from 2-3 am and back up at 8-8:30 or even worse to bed at 5 am other days it is crash and sleep for 12-13 hours) or my DH who works nights to get home from work so I can get some sleep.
Trust me flights change on a regular basis even looking at the same general terms.
Sometimes it is the equipment-flight was planned for a CRJ for example and it filled up fast so they put a boeing or airbus in there, slight change in time flight originally was for 6:23 now its for 6:18 or 6:37. Layover was 45 minutes now it's 2.5 hours (happened to us on the return in 2010 not that we minded-note to self do not use sister as a travel agent who cares if she as a single adult can make that type of connection it is not done with children and elderly), ect.
Then there is snafus getting from where you started to your desination including but not exhaustive
equipment failure noticed on the ground so your plane has to be replaced with different equipment
flight crew from that flight would be over hours they can fly according to regulations before the flight ends so have to wait for another crew
(both of these happened on the SLC to our home airport in 2010)
Medical emergency of a fellow passenger so the flight is diverted to the closest airport. It is not a case of simply medics come on get the passenger off in a stretcher and your up in the air again. There could be fueling needed along with just having to wait for a spot in the airspace and the busier that airport is the longer your going to have to wait for a slot.
Equipment failure in the air and the plane needs to land before it becomes an alert emergency services and have them standing by on the ground situation or even worse a crash landing. This could be something as simple as the bathrooms do not work-yes I have seen that from a plane that had an emergency landing at an airport close to me.
Flights can also be added such as in situations where an Airbus 220 is being used and it is getting full depending on how many searches are for that flight they may add a 2nd plane of the same style or a boeing. A lot of this is going to be determined by what they have a pilot available for the schedule and what that pilot is trained and certified on known as type setting. According to Mentour it is specific as to if a pilot is trained on a boeing 737 he or she can not fly a 757 series without a certifying pilot even as a first officer.
 
Flights can also be added such as
If a flight fills, it fills. Most airlines don't have spare planes sitting around for just in case ___. A schedule change typically requires removing a different flight.
A lot of this is going to be determined by what they have a pilot available for the schedule
Again, more because of the number of planes plus the number of routes.
 
If a flight fills, it fills. Most airlines don't have spare planes sitting around for just in case ___. A schedule change typically requires removing a different flight.

Again, more because of the number of planes plus the number of routes.
I was going on just what I am seeing at my local airport
For years both the 6 am and 6:30 am flights on Delta (one going to SLC the other to MSP for a hub) were on CRJ due to the demand they are both now flown with an Airbus A219 and 220 but don't ask me off the top of my head which one goes for which.
The 1:30 in the afternoon flight to SLC on the other hand is still on a CRJ because unless your flying to a Southern California destination and some in Texas (I have family living in San Antonio area and they often use this flight time traveling back and forth to visit) there is not a lot of demand.
United has added 3 flights in the past 4 years from my town to their DEN hub with one of them being an express though. Before there was one flight to in the morning (at 6:15) and one flight from in the afternoon landing around 4 PM if you missed the flight because your connecting plane was late well you got to stay the night in a hotel provided by the airline
Alaska/Horizon has added at least one flight as well though that one is not used as much due to the really long (6+ hours) for any flights going to places in Central or Eastern Time. They do have on of the best routes into HI and of course AK though especially since they are only one stop usually at SEA opposed to 2 (One of the above mentioned hubs) and another on the west coast usually LAX) at least to Honolulu-other places you have to fly there and then use a smaller plane.
We have also had an American flight added in the last 2 years though it currently is only to Dallas (no chance of hubbing due to the timing) and there is only one a day each way.
According to the local news sources in the past couple of weeks it is going to be getting more air traffic here in the next few years as the expansion to double the size of the airport is completed including it sounds like we are getting SouthWest.
Then there is Alligent which has not only limited destinations but limited days during the week (Phoenix and Vegas twice a week, LAX once a week-summer only) as well as the daily in state essential air service provider flights to 5 towns on planes so small they make the CRJ series look like huge planes. Literally 6-12 people depending on the route including the pilot and there is no flight attendant. You want a snack served bring it yourself and you better bring enough to share with everyone. Want a restroom well you should have gone before boarding you will have to hold it. Please limit your luggage in both size and number due to space.
 
they are both now flown with an Airbus A219 and 220 but don't ask me off the top of my head which one goes for which.
I'm confused. Are you talking about changing plane models? Are you talking about adding flights? They are not the same.
 
I'm confused. Are you talking about changing plane models? Are you talking about adding flights? They are not the same.
They actually did both adding some times as well as on some of them chaning the equipment

Current departures on Delta from my local airport with notes added next to them

6 AM MSP this used to be on a CRJ and is now on either an Airbus219 or 220 during peak times of year a boeing 737 during the slow times (Looking at the first part of October compared to in July)
6:30 AM SLC this was also on a CRJ and is now on an Airbus 319
1:05 PM SLC this is on an embraier but started out on a CRJ most days and a smaller boeing on other days
1:45 PM MSP this is a new time in last 5-7 years and has always been on a CRJ
5:30 PM SLC this is a new time in the past 2-3 years limited days and time of year

My local airport website which lists the arrivals and departures for the day does not list the equipment used but does list the gate used here as well as the gate the plane is scheduled to land at. along with the scheduled departure time actual departure time and the same at the destination (ones to SLC if there was a speed limit in the sky-there is but it has more to do with spacing the planes than speed-the pilots on that route would be getting tickets on a regular basis they are almost consistantly landing between 9- 12 minutes ahead of the scheduled time.
I have played around with the arrival and departures on SLC website which goes closer to 48 hours or more depending on what time of day your looking at it (Friday morning is going to show everything up to 10 PM on Sunday for departures, but if you look at it in the afternoon it is only going to give you the same information. Now if I am checking it in the 11 PM-1 or 2 AM time I can see Saturday-Monday checking on a Fridaynight wee hours in the morning on Saturday) though you do want to specify the airline because it is much larger numbers than the grand 59 arrivals and departures for passenger flights not including chartered flights or ones flown as medical flights on either the regional emergency helicopter or the plane (helicopter actually takes off from the roof of the hospital but does have a shorter range (I can't recall the exact number from a tour my oldest got to go on that I chaperoned but it is less than a 200 mile radius) than the planes. The airport tower also has control over the helicopter taking off or landing from the hospital and does give them top priority when tney can (obviously if a plane is at the point where they have to land and can not be sent into a holding pattern that is done first but everyone else will get told to go into a hold because the emergency helicopter is needing to take off or land. Same thing with the take offs) The helicopters flight crew consists of a pilot, a RN, and a paramdic and has room for the patient and there is a spot for a family member to ride in the co pilots seat-sorry no controls.
 

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