I am booking our family vacation and have a question about the connection time in Denver and if I have enough time. The flight is from London, to Toronto (3.5 hr layover) then a 60 minute layover in Denver to Sacramento.
I have been to Denver many times but never internationally and am nervous we will not have enough time.
There is another flight but it is $700 more and gets in later. Of course, I’d rather pay and not miss a flight.
Some things of importance.
Our kids are 10 and 7 and the youngest isn’t as helpful with her own luggage.
The flight will be booked through Air Canada but the Denver to Sacramento is operated by United.
We might have 1-2 checked bags, depends on how much shopping we do.
I greatly value everyone’s input on this. Thank you.
Posted by
Chicago
8158 posts
If you miss the connection due to first flight arriving late then the airline will put you on the next one with available space. If the next flight Denver to Sacramento with available space is the next day then the airline is supposed to give you hotel vouchers.
Posted by
Reading, PA, USA
1637 posts
I believe you will go through US customs and immigration in Toronto. That means your connection in Denver is a domestic connection.
Posted by
New York, NY
4057 posts
If the next flight Denver to Sacramento with available space is the next day then the airline is supposed to give you hotel vouchers.
Only if the airline is specifically at fault for missing a connection will there be vouchers at Denver. If there is a delay for which the airline had no legal responsibility, all overnight expenses are paid by the passengers.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8312 posts
You don't say when you're going. From SMF to LON has a number of flights comparable in airfares to United making connections in various airports. You might want to avoid connecting in Canada if at all possible.
Depending on the date, JetBlue has connections in JFK about $300 cheaper than the other big legacy carriers.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2534 posts
If this is the flight coming home from Europe, and the fare includes checked bags, I would check as many bags as possible. I would carry on the souvenirs, a change of clothes, medication. And whatever I might need on the flight (phone charger, etc). Everything else gets checked. Make it easier on yourself if you have to run to make your connection.
Posted by
1006 posts
Why would anyone think that you go through customs and immigration in Toronto and not also have to do it in the US? Canada is another country.
Posted by
Amman, Jordan
173 posts
That is a pretty tight connection for Denver but others are correct- you shouldn't have to go through immigration or security again. (I used to live in Korea and would fly through Vancouver every summer. We always did US immigration/ security on the Canadian side, which was awesome).
Posted by
Bay Area SF & Uppsala Sweden
966 posts
Unless you're saving a lot of money, I would suggest non-stop on UA from LHR to SFO, where you would go through immigration & connect to a flight to Sacramento. If you want, you can put the miles on Air Canada as it's part of Star Alliance. And I wouldn't consider flying via JFK, it adds a longer flight across the US, rather than over Canada.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6914 posts
Why would anyone think that you go through customs and immigration in
Toronto and not also have to do it in the US? Canada is another
country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_border_preclearance
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2568 posts
If you do have to go thru immigration/customs and n Denver, it is very, very quick
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1600 posts
You will go through immigration in Toronto and not in Denver as pointed out above. The Air Canada flight will be treated as a domestic segment. 1 hour should be enough and I would not pay 700$ more for a safer connection. United is using both A and B gates at DEN. I’m assuming you will arrive at the A terminal - just recheck the UA app for your connecting gate and then take the train if it is in the other terminal.
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon, USA
957 posts
Booking for when? Spring and Fall are not good times for any sort of connecting flight in Denver. Due to micro burst weather events. Is this your outbound flight from London to Sacramento, or is it your return flight to the USA from London? Personally, I would pay the extra money and avoid Denver all together for any connection flight. Especially a 60 minute window. The extra money, is after all, split up four ways. $175 each. It really depends on what is waiting at your destination. If its HOME, then the risk is lower. However, if you are vacationing in Sacramento, and miss the Denver connection, you could be in for a bad time.
Posted by
Paris
10104 posts
Why would anyone think that you go through customs and immigration in Toronto and not also have to do it in the US? Canada is another country.
Because they know what they are talking about. Because the U.S. has set up immigration stations in certain Canadian (and Irish) airports, so that you deal with U.S. entry there. This has been the case for more than 15 years, as I can remember traveling that way -- via Montreal-- before I got married.
Posted by
OP
California
63 posts
Thank you everyone for your reply. Given the tight connection time for Denver I am booking the other fare since the flight to Sacramento is our return home and my husband only has one day to recover before going back to work. Thank you also for the info about immigration in Canada. We did that once and it made things a bit easier once we were at our final destination. This is my fight international vacation with kids and easy and stress less beats low cost.
Special thanks to Francis about the ‘if you are vacationing in Sacramento’ comment, funniest thing I’ve heard all day. 😀
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23600 posts
....Why would anyone think that you go through customs and immigration in Toronto ..... Because that is the way it is done. Basically pre-immigration/customs so that any flight from Toronto can go to any US city and not just a US city with an immigration center. Been that ways for years.
PS Someone from Eugene, OR, is telling you what the weather is like in Denver. I have never had a flight disrupted by weather in the summer in Denver. And I live here. Yes, we have occasional thunder storms in the summer that can slow down operations - like maybe one or two a month. Very random and not enough to worry about or to alter plans. Denver can handle weather better than nearly all airports in the US. You will be fine. I would not spend the extra money.