There is nothing more stressful than making a tight connection. We have all been through it: the stress to grab your bag and run off the airplane, white knuckled as you consider doing a few lunges to prepare your body for that embarrassing sprint through the airport that no-doubtedly ensues. Some people will chuckle to themselves and others will cock their head to the side and give you a sympathetic look because hey they have been there. And for twenty minutes you forget all dignity you once had because if you don’t make this flight you are stuck at the airport for a good five hours or possibly worse- over night.

Is there anything you can do to make sure this never happens to you? No, but there are a few things you can do to help make that connection run a little smoother:

1. Study the airport map and try to get an idea of what terminal and gate you are flying into and where your next flight is leaving from. This will save you a little time as you are already familiar with where you need to go. Usually the inflight magazines have terminal maps in the back of them of their major hubs. Always double check the monitors or with an airline representative as gates are subject to change and they often do.

2. If you are flying into a major connection airport such as ATL, ORD, LAX, etc. always allow yourself at LEAST an hour between flights. Really two hours would be ideal. You never know if your first plane will be delayed and it’s not worth the heart attack or panic that will set in. Plus, it’s always nice to be able to stretch your legs and get a snack in between flights.

3. Try to book the same airline for connections. This will help you a lot with a tight connection because they are usually in the same terminals or at least adjacent terminals. However, sometimes as with the case with Cincinnati and San Diego, if one of your connections is on a regional airline they may have a separate commuter terminal that will take a little time to get to because you need to ride a bus. So keep that in mind and don’t be afraid to talk to airport personnel and find out what exactly you need to do make it your gate.

4. Talk to the gate agent if you know you have a tight connection and are worried about making it on time. Sometimes if there is availability they will be able to reseat you either towards the front of the plane or an aisle seat for a quicker escape. If that doesn’t work you can always talk to the flight attendants and see if they can help you make your connection by either switching seats or making an announcement. I’ve been on delayed flights with harried passengers and a nice flight attendant has made an announcement to let them get off first. Although it really only works 50 percent of the time, it’s worth a shot.

5. Pray. I really don’t know what else to tell you, except I have been in your shoes and it’s not that much fun. Connections can be stressful but they really don’t have to be. Just be calm and level headed and things will hopefully go according to plan!

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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 13th, 2009 at 4:31 pm and is filed under Travel Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.