I have a flight booked with Poland Airways to leave San Francisco and arrive in Warsaw. Then Warsaw to Munich.
there was originally 1 hour between flights and now it is 50 mins. Will this give me enough time to get thru customs and get to the new plane? I spoke with Poland Airways and they said that 40 minutes is enough time. I could change to a later flight to Munich where I would have a 3.5 hour layover in Warsaw and pay $120.
thoughts?
Do you mean LOT, the Polish national airline? I see the first leg is likely JetBlue to JFK, LOT to WAW. Warsaw is a small airport. but $120 is not much for peace of mind.
To me, it depends a bit on the time of year you're flying.
As long as both flights are on the same ticket, the airline is obligated to get you to
your final destination. If you miss the connection due to delays on the outbound,
they will get you on the next available flight. Plus, as long as the delay is not due
to weather or issues outside of the airline's control, you may qualify for EC261 compensation.
But, if your flight is in the middle of the summer, for example, and you miss the
connection, it could be a while until they can get you on another flight if the
flights are all fully booked. However, in winter, and on a weekday, the flights are
not as likely to be booked up.
Warsaw is not that large an airport, so the question is whether your inbound is on
time (or early), and what the line is at immigration. Neither of these can be known
until the day of arrival, so you'll have to decide on the basis of the smaller amount
of information you have now.
Also, if your travel date is far out in the future (say, January), there is a non-trivial
chance the airline will change the schedule themselves and rebook you. Which
then gives you a chance to change to what you want, if the airline didn't get it
right, for free.
Picking a random date in June on LOT , SFO-WAW-MUC, shows a 1hr 35min layover in WAW.
Apparently LOT is not consistent with the flight times on that route.
I wouldn't pay extra for the later flight. Assuming the entire journey is a single ticket, if you miss h the connection because the 1st flight is late, LOT has to get you to MUC at no additional charge.
And this --- https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm -- provides incentive to not schedule risky flight connections.
I spoke with Poland Airways and they said that 40 minutes is enough time.
First, I’d call the airline back and see if a different agent does anything different. Tell them that the time of your flight was changed and you are concerned about being able to get through passport control in time to make the flight to Munich. See if they will change you for free. Sometimes a different agent will do this.
I wouldn’t pay extra to change. I’d just take my chances. Would it be a problem if you were delayed? Your airline is obligated to get you to Munich. If you miss the connection, the airline has to rebook you on a later flight. Odds are, it will be the same day. I’ve made some very short connections in the past. You do need to plan on heading straight to your gate without stopping for a restroom or to buy anything.
Will you do passport control at Warsaw or Munich?
Travel date is Thursday June 25. Arriving Warsaw at 12:25pm and Munich flight leaves at 13:15. I noticed that United has the same flight times so maybe it is United and not LOT from San Francisco.
I do not know about the passport control - when I spoke with the agent he said that LOT would not do anything if customs is the reason I miss the flight..
Since Poland is in Schengen I’m sure immigration control is in Warsaw. Your flight arrival time has changed by only ten minutes. I would certainly not pay extra for a much longer connection to the flight LOT would almost certainly put you on at no cost if you are too delayed to make the first flight, which you likely will make.
Of course there is also some risk that if you have checked a bag with a tight connection, the bag may not make it even if you do. This has happened to me. But again, if a one hour connection was originally ok with you, a 50 minute one is a pretty minimal difference in this context. And if this happens your bag will catch up with you in Munich.
Will you do passport control at Warsaw or Munich?
Passport control (immigration) will be in Warsaw because that is the entry point to Schengen. Customs (your stuff) will be in Munich. The agent may have been confused if you used the term ”customs” since most people have nothing to declare and just walk through the ”green” lane. It is the line for passport control that will take time depending on how many other planes from outside of the Schengen area arrive at about the same time as yours.
Travel date is Thursday June 25. Arriving Warsaw at 12:25pm and Munich flight leaves at 13:15. I noticed that United has the same flight times so maybe it is United and not LOT from San Francisco.
I cannot find on the UAL site a SFO-WAW flight. All UAL flights from SFO-to WAW are one stop, not non-stop.
Did you buy the ticket from LOT or some 3rd party source?
For June 25 I see the LOT flight with the 50 minute layover.
Is June 25 the departure day or the arrival date?
Travel date is Thursday June 25. Arriving Warsaw at 12:25pm and Munich flight leaves at 13:15. I noticed that United has the same flight times so maybe it is United and not LOT from San Francisco.
Your flight from SFO to Warsaw is operated by LOT. The United number you see is a codeshare (United selling the ticket but LOT flying the plane).
Your flight at 1:15 (LO4907) is operated by Lufthansa.
There are later flights to Munich at 5:10pm and 8:40pm so if you miss your connection, LOT should put you on one of thise flights.
Noting that you can fly United codeshare with Lufthansa to Munich, skipping the Warsaw leg.
how would i use a codeshare and go direct? I already paid for my ticket.
I just meant to say that there are non-stop flights from SFO to Munich on United some of which are codeshared with Lufthansa. But if you've already booked tickets on LOT it's too late.
I think what Stan is saying is that there is a daily nonstop from SFO to Munich on United (codeshare with Lufthansa), but you are correct that if you’ve booked that route via Warsaw and purchased your ticket, that’s what you’ve got unless your flight is cancelled entirely, which it isn’t — just a 10 minute schedule change.
When I look at ITA Matrix by Google, it says your flight arrives at 12:05 pm, giving 1 hr and 10 min to make the change.
Passport control can be quick or it can be long. The new EES system is being implemented and that adds a wildcard into the mix.
