I am flying back from Las Vegas and have to connect in Philadelphia. I arrive at terminal C, and then catch my connection at terminal F. There is actually only about 1/2 in between connections, which was my only alternative on the US Airways schedule. Will I be able to make the flight? I looked at a map of the terminals and it seems it is a long distance between C and F. I have never missed a connection before; will the airline try to get me on the next flight for and extra charge? How much? Thanks

You have a long run in store for you. You have no time to stop for anything. There may be a shuttle to go between terminals but not sure. Your best shot is to hope for a delay, which in Philly and being US Air is quite likely.

They will put you on standby so you may have a long wait for the next available flight.

Wish I could be of more help but this is the reason I don't fly through Philly anymore.

USair does have a shuttle bus that goes from Terminal C to F. I have never taken it, but half an hour is to close for comfort for me. If you booked the flight thru US and they allowed such a short layover, they will try to put you on one of their later flights (with no fee) if you miss your connection.

As long as this was booked as a single ticket and it's a legal connection it's up to the airline to fix this - as in getting you on the next flight out on which there is room.

If it's 2 separate tickets then you are on your own to figure out where to go next. And you will have to find a flight and pay any fare available.

In either case I would have information on the flights from that time onward - since it may be easier to fix on the phone than standing in a line of a lot of other people who have missed their flights.

We've had to rush from Terminal C to catch the shuttle to Terminal F for a connecting flight. Don't depend on USAir to hold the flight for you. Also don't depend on the boards that your flight is on time. After complaining to USAir about that board, I was told it was posted by the city of Phila. and not USAir. You need to go to your departing gate in Terminal F to be sure of your flight. If no one is there, ask someone at another terminal to check on your flight. We've had terrible experiences with the USAir people at Terminal F. They definitely have a care less attitude.

Thanks for the intel. US Air had this as a valid connection on my return flight, so it's good to know that if I do miss the flight, they have to fix it. I am pressed for time to catch a commuter train to go home, that's why I was sort of stuck with this schedule. How often does the shuttle run? Is it possible to hoof it from C to F?

The shuttles run frequently. We've never had to wait more than a few minutes. It's a fairly long walk to Terminal F.

I am a frequent business traveler and unfortunately I often have to make a connection in the F terminal.
Take a look at the map on the phl.org website.

The gate to catch the connecting bus is at C 16, just beyond the Au Bon Pain restaurant. It is not on the long C concourse which many find confusing. You will take an escaltor down to street level (at C16) and board a bus for the 5 minute trip to the F terminal. The shuttle departs about every 10 minutes. Do not try walking because you will be leaving the secure area and will have to re-enter security.

If your flight is early in the day, you may have better times to deal with. The later in the day, the more delays there are for both arrivals and departures.

Tips to enhance your success- Sit as close to the front in your first flight as you can so that you can exit quickly. Do not take bags that you are expecting to Gate check as this will cause you to have to wait at the gate for your bag to be delivered.
Be aware of what the other flights are that you can use(both before and after your flight) - is there an earlier flight that you can switch to or standby on? Do you want to consider changing your ticket? Obviously this may incur a fee.Another issue lately is that planes are full and you cannot expect to get on the next flight because it may be full.

I would say that I make my connections, which are the same as yours, about 80% of the time. What happens generally is that if your incoming flight is delayed, there is a good chance that your next flight may be delayed also if weather is the problem.

US Air will get you on the next available flight without penalty but remember that it may not be the next flight!!!

I'm sure you don't have to go through security again if you want to walk from Gate C to Terminal F. angelize would have already been through security in Las Vegas.

I can't understand why you would have to wait for your bags at gate check if you've already checked them through.

I do agree that angelize doesn't have much time to catch a flight in Terminal F as we've always had a delay in landing in Phila.

If you take the official shuttle from one terminal to another you are considered to be air side - and don;t have to go through security again. If you leave the secure area - for instance by walking out side of it to another terminal - you are considered to have gone land side and would have to go through security again.

Many airports operate this way - and the effect is to make you a "new" passenger - who has to go through security before entering the secure area.

You do have to re-enter security at the Philadelphia airport if you try to walk from erminal A, B, or C to connect with Terminal F. The only way to remain in the secure area is to take the bus.

A gate checked bag is taken from you at the gate because there is not enough room in the overheads even before you board. This is common practice on many smaller aircraft. The gate check bag is then returned to you planeside at the gate at your destination.

This is different than a bag that is taken from you because the overheads are full and actually checked as if you had "checked" it when you arrived at the airport.

Ok, I made it! Talk about being stressed out. The flight from Vegas was a bit delayed, but it made it into Phili ok. I had to walk from C27 to C16; I just followed the signs for the shuttle to Terminal F. There was an escalator that takes you down to where the bus is, and I just made it onto a full bus that was about to leave, with little room to spare. I got off and had to go from F10 to F7. When I got to the gate, they were just boarding. I was very much out of breath. US Air really should be more aware of what they make people do when they do these itineraries. I would never do this again. Thanks to everyone!

Glad you made your flight. Definitely had to be stressful