klam_chowder

Trying to see if booking this flight combo works:

Kona to Las Vegas (Hawaiian Airlines)
LAS to Buffalo (Southwest Airlines)

These flights line up the best for me in terms of timing and saves me a lot of $$. However, since they are booked as separate flights, I will need to pick up my luggage from my HA flight. And then check-in & clear security for my SW flight, correct?

Wondering how much time is enough as I noticed HA lands in LAS T3 and SW departs from T1. The LAS website says the terminals are not physically connected - so I will be using the inter-terminal shuttle:
https://www.mccarran.com/Go/Inter-TerminalShuttle.aspx
Any tips for this?

How much layover time do you think would be safe for these 2 flights to&from LAS?

I've only been to LAS to head into LV so have no idea of how long this would take. Any insights/suggestions much appreciated.

Enjoy-la!

andrews98682

I'm not that familiar with the Vegas airport, but no way would I book the flights separately. If you miss the Hawaiian flight because the SW flight was delayed, you could really be screwed.

Rastaguytoday

You could have just googled the terminal map.

http://www.ifly.com/mccarran-interna...t/terminal-map

Note the detailed information below the map.

klam_chowder

andrews98682, thx for your thoughts on that. The flights from Kona to HNL to LAS are all through Hawaiian Air. The last leg is a direct flight on SW from LAS to BUF, and there are multiple flights after the SW one I am hoping to book. I just need one-way as the outbound flight has already been booked. It's saving us $700 so I'm willing to take a calculated risk but am planning cautiously (e.g., trying to leave enough time btwn flights).

Rastaguytoday, thx for the link! I did research before posting and used the official LAS website. I am not familiar with the website in your link. That's why this is a great forum - you get to learn from others who have different experiences. I was also looking for some insight that others may have had that isn't readily apparent from looking at a map. For instance, if someone asked me about Orlando, I'd say it looks easy with their modern, 68 second AGT/train but arrive very early for your flight as every time I've been there the security line is a madhouse...LOL! The detailed info on the LAS HA facilities was very useful.

Enjoy-la!

mrwunrfl

I would be comfortable arriving at T1 with bp in hand, carry-on only, one hour before departure. Add an hour to check-in at T1 and to get there from T3. Add an hour to get your bags at T3 and to get there from your plane at concourse D. So, 3 hours, with the last 2 hours being WAGs. Maybe add some time if it is a Sunday.

klam_chowder

mrwunrfl, thx for your input. I can see a later flight option that would allow for that much time.

Enjoy-la!

simpsonc510

I agree with mrwunrfl. The security lines at LAS can be very long and very slow. It has improved somewhat with the addition of the new terminal..... but I still would want to be prepared for a long(ish) line. You can always spend your extra time putting a few dimes/quarters in the slots!! Maybe you'll hit a jackpot... haha

mrwunrfl

I picked a date and took a look at the schedules.

Your HA flight is scheduled to arrive at 7:10AM and were thinking about the 8:50 nonstop to BUF? That is tempting.

Now you are looking at the 9:55 departure via BWI which is a 8h 40m trip, 4 hours longer than the nonstop, arriving 21:35.

The one after that at 13:25 via MDW gets to BUF only about an hour later than that first connecting flight, at 22:45. The 16:30 nonstop gets to BUF only an hour after that at 23:55.

Instead of the min 3-hour connection at LAS, you could have 9 hours in Las Vegas and arrive at BUF only 2 hours later. Rent a car to stow your luggage and you have about 6 hours on the ground L.V.

doug_stallings

You can check in for your Southwest flight the night before. Southwest check-in is actually pretty quick at LAS. Last fall I was checked in and at my gate in less than 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon around 1pm. LInes for security, however, were not very long at that time.

I've been told by PR people in Vegas that they routinely arrive for their Southwest flights less than an hour in advance unless they are traveling at a peak time. They say this gives them plenty of time to check in and go through security, but they don't typically check luggage. I think you need to check in at least an hour in advance if you check a bag.

So the amount of time probably depends on the reliability of the Kona flight.

mrwunrfl

Ok, assuming 7:10 on-time arrival and 8:50 departure. That is 100 minutes. Be at the gate 20-30 minutes before departure. Assuming it is not a Sunday morning, then 30 minutes to check your bags and make it to the gate (per Doug). That gives you 40-50 minutes to deplane, tram from D to T3, collect bags, and transfer to T1.

doug_stallings

It sounds a bit tight to me, but I think it's possible as long as you have already checked in for your Southwest flight. But I'd like to hear about how busy the airport is that time of the morning. That's something I have no idea about. I'd feel more comfortable if you were traveling with only carry-on luggage.

klam_chowder

simpsonc510, you can be sure I'll be tugging DH along as he'll want to stop at those machines *before* we check in!

Doug_Stallings, thx for sharing your LAS experience. Good point to check on reliability: Both HA flights had 0% 30+ minute delays, and:
- Kona > HNL is 96% on time
- HNL > LAS is 84% on time

I have an hour between those flights so hopefully, it'll be safe.

mrwunrfl, thx a mint for looking at flight options and possibilities! After thinking about all this, here's a pretty safe combo I've looked at where we get to spend the day in Kona, then take a night flight to LAS, arriving at 6:30am. The SW leg would be 10:10am LAS > BUF. That's close to 3.5hrs so we should have time for the many terminal transfers, plus handle our baggage (definitely will have luggage). If everything goes very smoothly and we have a lot of time left, we can get cleaned up, have a proper breakfast, pick up some snacks/food for the flight, and plug into my fave machine: progressive Wheel of Fortune!

Thx a mint all for the replies and thoughts on this - really helped me!

Enjoy-la!