Connecting flight rules
If a person is travelling from A to B on X airlines , with a short layover at place Z , and his original flight is delayed, will the connecting flight(tickets issued by same X airline but second leg operated by different airlines under codeshare) wait for the passengers?
I am looking for Mumbai, Cambodia, Vietnam tour. I checked multi-city routing, originating and ending Mumbai. 8N/9D trip covering Seim rep, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.
Best Answer
In general the answer is "no". But it depends a lot on the circumstances, details and the mood and attitude of the agents involved.
- Airlines tend to run a pretty tight schedule and keep the planes in the air as much as possible, there isn't a lot of slack.
- There is more slack if the plane goes towards and airline hub. There are typically cleaning and maintenance cycles build into the schedule
- Airlines may get fined for delays above a certain point.
- Holding a flight may mean missed connections for new passengers, which creates a more hassle and headache.
- You may get some slack if you have checked baggage. If your bags made it but you don't, the airline either needs to wait or unload your bags.
- Status and class of service may help too: if you are high enough up the food chain, you may get an escort to your connection and the escort can communicate with the gate agent.
- It varies a lot from airline to airline and also sometimes from one gate agent to the next. Some variability based on airline policies and enforcement, other just on personal preference.
So it's impossible to predict and you really can't rely on it. I have certainly seen some horrible cases where just two minutes more would have saved both the airline and the passengers a lot of money, time and inconvenience.
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Quick Answer about "Connecting flight rules"
Do you have to check in again for a connecting flight?
In most cases, you'll receive your boarding pass for your connecting flight already when you check in for your first flight. This means you don't have to check in again for your next flight. If you haven't received it, you can go to the transfer desk or kiosk of the airline you're flying with to collect it.What happens when you have a connecting flight?
A connecting flight is two or more subsequent flights. To put it simply, having a connecting flight means you will have to change planes. You will not be flying directly from A to B, but there will also be C. You will fly from A to C, and then from C to B.What is minimum time between connecting flights?
Pad Your Schedule for Airport Connections That's why many travelers deliberately pad their schedules by booking a longer layover than the minimum at a connecting hub. Consider allowing at least 60 to 90 minutes for a U.S. domestic connection, and at least two hours for an international connection.Do connecting flights wait for passengers?
No, if your first flight is delayed and you won't make it in time to catch your connecting flight, the plane won't wait for you. However, if you're travelling on a through-ticket, the airline must rebook you on their next available flight to your destination, provided that there are seats available.Flying Alone for the First Time | Connecting Flight Procedure | How to Catch a Connecting Flight
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Answer 2
Non of the cities you mention is known as one of the rare ones where planes usually wait for late arrivals.
Most airlines have responsibilities for the other passengers, already on their plane, and those waiting for the plane to arrive so they can leave on time.
A few minutes wait for passengers is sometimes possible but on the other hand, sometimes a one minute late push off from the building can result in missing its spot in the take off line and having to wait for an other spot, which can be an hour or more later, resulting in a later arrival where it may have to wait extra long to land, as other planes which are on time have more rights.
Waiting more than a few minutes is very unlikely, only a last flight of the day to an airport which will allow the plane to come in after its usual arrival time and then only when there are many passengers in that incoming plane that need to make the same connection, which is not common.
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