Unrealistic connection time at IAD?
 

Heeeeeelp!!!

Looking at a great flight on United from MSY (New Orleans) thru IAD to LHR (Heathrow) on a Thursday, arriving at IAD at 9:18pm. BUT, the clincher is that the connection time is only 44 minutes. Is this even in the ballpark of realistic? I've never connected at this airport, but I've never even considered any flight with this small a window of time to connect for an international flight.

Any experts here that can help me with this? Thanks!

From domestic to international at Dulles is no different from domestic to domestic. Use the flight numbers to check where they land and take off today -- most United international flights depart from the same terminal with domestic flights.

The return through Dulles is when you need lots of time.

I disagree in hits instance -0 it looks like the evening flight MSY-IAD is on a United Express flight - these flights are on the regional carriers and are NOTORIOUSLY late. Plus if the regional jets land ina different area and need ot be bussed in (as thuy are on many airports, don;t know about IAD) you are really cutting it too close.

@mztery - re the MSY-IAD leg:

Flight: UA3445
Operated by Shuttle America Airlines dba United Express

The IAD-LHR leg departs at 10:02PM as Flight UA924

right, and what I am saying is that the UA Express flight is VERY OFTEN delayed as they often are. If it were the earlier flight, on an Airbus, I'd [probably be OK w/ the connecting time.

Thanks for your input. I figured it was too good to be true - LOL!

FWIW, UA had nonstops today and yesterday from MSY scheduled to arrive at IAD at 9:10 PM and operated by Go Jet. Both arrived at gate C8X. Thursday night it was 11 minutes late. Looks like it is still flying tonight and sched to arrive at 9:53PM - 43 min late.

The flight status for 3445, Shuttle America, was for IAD-CMH.

Yesterday, UA 924 used gate C28 and departed 6 minutes early, at 9:56PM. It is on-time and C28 for tonight.

YMMV

A long flight in Japan would be 900 miles, e.g. CTS-FUK or CTS-KOJ. CTS-OKA would be less than 2000 miles.

From Tokyo Haneda: HND-CTS (Sapporo) = 509 miles, HND to Kyushu under 600 miles. HND-OKinawA less than 1000 miles.

So, I would not mind, much, 3x3x3 in Japan. Most Japanese don't my shoulders so a middle seat would probably be ok on a domestic Japan flight.

All of those flights would be shorter than LAX-IAD (2288 miles) and other than CTS-OKA they would all be shorter than EWR-HOU.

Still, the 787 will be better than economy in a UA 757.

sorry, wrong thread

What are your options if you miss your flight? That's always my question when people are considering a too-tight connection.

For missing a 10PM TA flight from Dulles there would be many options: Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt, ...

suze, as usual you and I are on the same page. :-)

If more flights are running later to your final destination then I would go ahead and take the chance. But if it's the last flight of the day out of IAD then I wouldn't think of it. For an international connection I never never never accept a brief layover.

Looks like the next earlier nonstop would leave 6-hour layover.

I wonder why this flight is so "great". UA/CO has close to hourly flights MSY-IAH, with two IAH-LHR a day. Those are much better connection options than via IAD.

rkkwan, maybe the price is great.

Good guess, P_M. Could be the schedule, if the OP really meant "the clincher" and not "the hitch". OP got a later afternoon departure from MSY, good arrival time at LHR, and the short connection time was the clincher, but OP may have realized that the clincher is a hitch.

I would never take a flight that had that short of a layover, in that big of a airport. I went to St. Lucia in August. I was going from KC to Atlanta and then only had a 40 minute layover in Atlanta to connect to the St. Lucia flight. And it was not like they had flights going to St Lucia every hour if I missed the connection. So i flew in the evening before and stayed at a nice cheap holiday express and caught the 10am flight the next day. No stress. Nothing worse than booking a trip 6 months in advance and worrying if you’re going to make your connection for that whole 6 months. When it comes to airports i would rather have way to much time than not enough!!!!!!