What's better? Connecting through LAX or DFW?
 

My daughter and her boyfriend are meeting us in Maui a few weeks from now. They will be flying there from the East Coast, and can connect either in LAX or DFW. DFW has better connections and gets them in earlier, so I'm tempted to go with that over LAX, which I've always found prone to delays, etc. But which one do you think is best? Thanks!

Guessing... on American? In "a few weeks" DFW will overtake LAX big time on potential delays as T-storms roll through. If it's AA, there will probably be a terminal change at DFW; if at LAX there won't be.

OTOH, the flight from DFW to OGG is on a wide-body 767 while the flights from LAX are on narrow-body 757s, which in coach are referred to as "slave ships" by AA frequent flyers. In first class (and if there was ever a flight worth upgrading on, this is it) the 767 is tons more comfortable.

I'd probably roll the dice and go through DFW.

I can only say how many times I have been delayed in DFW during summer months due to T-storms...

If LAX has a lot of delays then that is news to me. Thunderstorms are rare, tornadoes don't happen, no snow.

Found a Travel & Leisure article based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics info.

Best for delays:
1) PDX - 16%
2) SLC
3) SAN
4) LAX - 20%

Worst for delays:
1) ORD - 35%
2) JFK
3) EWR
4) PHL
5) CLT
6) DFW - 31%

While DFW isn't my favorite airport, it is pretty easy to navigate and gettting between terminals isn't difficult. Considering the better connections and the aircraft involved (767 v 757) I'd take DFW. I agree with Gardyloo (and lots of others) - that 757 is a bear on long flights IMO.

GRRR... Looks like I should try to reroute them. They are coming from Boston. What do you guys think about in and out of San Francisco? Same issue with thunderstorms? The only reason I wouldn't route them through LAX is that the connections from there to Maui mean they'd lose almost a whole day of an only one-week vacation. Thanks, everybody!

BTW, the flight into DFW from Boston gets there at 10 AM, leaves at 12:15 PM. Still a big problem with thunderstorms or is it like the East coast where most of them occur in the later afternoon/early evening?

You worry too much.

I would go through DFW.

Book it and stop the "what if". Tens of thousands of flights occur every day and majority get to the destination on time or reasonably close.

If it's a total clusterf..k day, then so be it, but it's a 1 in a million odds that it will happen on the day you fly and at the airport that you are connecting. You have better odds winning few thousand$ on a scratch off ticket.

Also airports don't shut down for days because of summer thunderstorms. They may shut down for hour, 2 and then it's back to work. And if there is a shutdown, it effects both flights, meaning the second flight is not going anywhere either.

<i>BTW, the flight into DFW from Boston gets there at 10 AM, leaves at 12:15 PM. Still a big problem with thunderstorms or is it like the East coast where most of them occur in the later afternoon/early evening?</i>

More likely after noon. Plus the return flight also avoids the afternoon in DFW, so that would be my choice.

I'm from the midwest and have been flying in and out of DFW for 30 years. Most Dallas thunderstorms are in the late afternoon, and I've never found it a particular problem to connect there in the summer, especially if you are going through early in the day. Frankly, I think Chicago and Atlanta are more of a problem for thunderstorms; they certainly happen in Dallas-Fort Worth, but they aren't a constant, everyday thing in the late summer, as they are in the Spring. But when Dallas has thunderstorms they do tend to shut things down because of the wind-sheer crash there in the mid 1980s (that was in early August).

I would not plan around eventualities that could or could not happen. You know that the LAX connection will cause them to lose a lot of their vacation. So it seems the best course to plan on the DFW connection. My only hesitation is actually that American won't give them a free meal. So they will have to buy or bring food for the long long flight, which is considered a domestic flight with no real food service. In that respect, LAX would be better. But I'd suggest they bring some sandwiches. AA flights still run out of food often, and the offerings aren't that great.

Thanks for the helpful replies. To AAFrequentFlyer: Are you sure you haven't been talking to my husband? He just rolls his eyes when I plan trips. I do tend to overworry, but since flying is so much fun these days ( NOT), I try to minimize problems when I can.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the help. I'm upgrading the kids, and keeping their flights through DFW. Now I'm going to retreat to my closet and try not to overpack!!

Those morning DFW flights do have a better on-time performance than the later ones. Comparable to the LAX flights. 73% for the 10:30AM flight vs 61-66% for the afternoon flights. (travelocity stats, there may be better)

weadles - good choice. FWIW, I've been flying through Dallas (both DAL and DFW) for quite a bit longer than Doug's 30 yrs and the times I've had serious weather-related delays could probably be counted on 1 hand.

Enjoy Maui!

Thanks for the replies! I paid for the tix yesterday, so now we'll just hope for the best. I really appreciate all the advice.

I forgot that the destination is Maui. That 12:15 flight is 81% on time with an average 36 min delay (average over 60 flights). Actually, it doesn't matter much if the flight to Maui is delayed.

Thanks for the info, mrwunrfl ( love your screenname!).But of course it matters if the flight to Maui is delayed! Every second of vacation counts, doesn't it?!