shelleyk

What is the minimum connection time you would accept when connecting at ORD in winter. I know that if there is a blizzard, the airport would shut down completely. But if there is light or moderate snow then how long are average mid morning delays for incoming flights. I've tried to get this info online, but have had no sucess. So I hope some Fodorites who travel through ORD in winter might give me some help. Thanks.

mjz_kc

I used to do this weekly. Domestic or internation? If domestic, I'd recommend atleast an hour. Mid morning is definitely better than late afternoon / evening. Once flights start backing up at ORD, it gets troblesome.

shelleyk

International. Boston to Hong Kong connecting in ORD. If I keep my current reservation I arrive into ORD around 10:50am and leave for Hong Kong at 12:30pm. I could try for an earlier flight out of Boston, but that would mean leaving my house at 2:30 am instead of 4:30am. I have a 26 hour flight to Saigon once I get on the plane I am scheduled to take now, and the flight would be that much longer if I lenghthened the connection time. From your experience, what is the average delay in domestic arrivals and international departures in snow? Is an hour and forty minutes connection time cutting it too close.

DonTopaz

Light or even moderate snow in Chicago would not affect your flight. However, light/mod snow in Boston could affect your flight because your plane would need to be de-iced before departure. This might delay you by only a very few minutes, or it could delay you by a half-hour or more, depending on how many other planes require de-icing and how many de-icing trucks United has made available.

It's relatively rare for either Logan or O'Hare airport to actually close: even in fairly heavy snow, they do a good job of keeping at least runway open. However, it's actually the airlines, in most cases, that preemptively cancel flights when snow is forecast. When an airline cancels only some of their flights, it's typically the longest-haul flights that operate.

So, let's get to the case in hand. Going from Boston to HKG and changing in ORD, you can give yourself (roughly) a scheduled 1:45, 2:45, or 3:45. If I were doing this for myself, I'd take the 1:45. I bet that there wouldn't be more than 3 or 4 times, tops, during the entire winter when giving 2:45 or 3:45 allows me to make the flight that I miss with 1:45 on that routing.

That said, if I <u>absolutely</u> had to maximize my chances of getting to HKG on time, I would fly out the previous night to ORD and stay in an airport area hotel. That's not exactly an appealing prospect, but it does allow you to sleep in a bit and relax before the long flight, and it removes lots of angst.

shelleyk

Hi Don. Thanks for the reply. Youv'e given me a lot to consider. Have a great time in Japan. Hope both our flights go smoothly.

J62

I would be ok with the 1:45 layover as well, unless I absolutely had to be in Saigon at a specific time.