connecting at ORD
 

My friend and I are considering a vacation booked through AA to London. On the way there, we have 4 hours to connect in ORD, surely plenty of time.

On the way back, though, we have just under two hours to connect. Should this be a sufficient amount of time to clear customs and make the way to the AA terminal? Please advise.

Congratulations on being so brave. Here are a few comments you may want to read about AA's service.

www.airlinequality.com/Forum/am_aa.htm

Yes, you should have time unless your airline misses it's slot at Heathrow--or are you flying out of Gatwick?

I assume the "brave" remark was about the AA reviews and not about the time making the connection? I've flown AA many times.

The possible flight package does have us flying out of LHR.

The other possible vacation package (that is about the same price) is through US Airways. It has us flying in and out of Gatwick.

I know, American carriers are not known for the service compared to their Euro counterparts. But, we're two "poor students" so we can put up with it.

You'll be fine. 2 hours is enough time unless something extraordinary happens.

You'll land in terminal 5 which means a loooong walk Immigration and Customs but usually the process is no more than .5 hour. Then you need to catch the train to terminal 3 and go through security again. If you have checked luggage then you need to collect it before you go through customs but you can "dump" it right outside the customs door so no need to "check in" again. You will have BPs all the way through.

btw, I wouldn't take Wally's drunken stupor too seriously. JMHO.

Have a great trip!

AA, it's time for your meds.

Signed, Betty Ford Clinic

If AA will sell you the ticket, then the connection back through ORD is legal. If the plane is late AA will take care of you.

<b>Wally</b>

it takes one to know one.......:-D

Going from terminal 5 to t3 what are BPs ?

I'll drink to that!

BP=boarding pass (you check in at LHR and they'll issue the connecting boarding pass as well)

I've flown connecting flights through ORD to/from LHR and CDG many times and have not had a problem with a two-hour connection. I've often made it in under an hour.

One caution, though, is what time of year you are traveling. If it's winter, you might run into weather problems.

According to the information on the following page, the minimum connection time at ORD when traveling on American and making a domestic to international connection is 35 minutes:

http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php...Times_%28AA%29

A domestic to international connection is a bit different than international to domestic connection.

For domestic to interantional connections, as described above by AAFF, you are not required to collect your luggage, clear customs, clear security and change terminals. You simply walk from your arrival gate to your departure gate.

My last post isn't very clear. Sorry.

The point I was trying to make is that AAFF described the international to domestic connection very well and my point is that type of connection will take longer than the 35-minute domestic to international connection that cococola posted.

I've come close to a 35-minute connection when returning from LHR, more like 45 minutes, so I'd be comfortable with your two-hour connection time.