tableist

Can anyone tell me, if my flight from VCE lands at 12:00 and my flight to Boston departs at 1:00pm, is that even a possible connection at Zurich? Or is the turnaround time too short?

Thanks!!!!

Jean

Same airline both flights? This is very tight for a worrywort like me, but if it's the same airline you're probably OK. And if it's the same airline, it allowed you to book this itinerary, so this must be a "legal" connection.

Ask the airline(s) where the flights arrive/depart and then look at the Zurich airport website to see if you can determine how far apart the gates/terminals are. You can also ask the first flight airline to tell you that flight's "on-time record" which will give you an idea of your chances of leaving on time.

tableist

Jean, thank you. I'm viewing the itinerary prior to purchasing. It is from Expedia, but my comparison shopping is showing tight 1 hour-ish turnarounds on all the various sites for my selected departure window.

They are both the same airline. Maybe I should just bite the bullet.

Cicerone

Is the airline selling you this ticket? If so, then they feel it is an OK time, although I personally like to have 1.5 hours. However, if you are buying this ticket off a website, AND if the flights are on two different airlines, then I would have some concerns. Some things to think about:

1. In my experience, intra-European flights tend to be late, so you may not in fact have even the 60 minutes you are counting on.

2. If you will already have your boarding pass for your Boston flight then that would be another big time savings. If you are flying the same airline for both flights then you should be able to get a boarding pass in VCE for your Boston flight. If you are flying different airlines, however your airline in VCE may not be able to issue you a boarding pass for your Boston flight, and that means that in Zurich you will have to go to the transit counter and get a boarding pass, this will take more time and there could be a long line of others waiting for boarding passes as well.

3. Your bags will be automatically switched, even if you are flying different airlines. Airlines have baggage handling agreements by which they agree to transfer baggage, don't confuse this with code shares. Whether the bag can make it with only 60 minutes is another issue, even with the vaunted (and overrated IMO) Swiss efficiency. You will not have to go through customs or immigration in Zurich, as you will be in transit.

4. Finally, you may have to change terminals, this may involve a longish walk or taking a train. Not long or hard, but will take some time, and security lines at Terminal E can be long, but should be OK at Noon. However, if your flight is late, and if you have to get a boarding pass, then all this would be cutting it close. Be prepared to spend the night. The website for the airport is at www.zurich-airport.com, it will give you the terminals for the flights you are considering. It will also list nearby hotels.

tableist

cicerone, it's expedia/travelocity et al. Both legs are on United operated by LX /SWISS EUROPEAN. It's part of a larger itinerary and paper tickets coming in the mail. I would hope to get boarding passes in venice, assuming I can communicate that desire.

Thanks for your advice!