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Tight connection at SEA-TAC

A forum FAQ deals with what is a tight flight connection time. I had a scheduled 58 minute connection yesterday at SEA-TEC. My flight from MSP was delayed by 63 minutes (mechanical) but the pilot made up about a half hour arriving at the SEA-TEC gate only 34 minutes late. That gave me 24 minutes to make the last flight of the day to my home city. Of course it take about 10 or so of those 24 minutes to open the door and have 18 rows of passengers closer to the door exit. The crew suggesting that passengers not making tight connections let us through letting me get a couple of rows forward before passengers starting unloading the overheads.

Of course the MSP flight arrives at the end of Terminal D and my connecting flight is at the end of Terminal C and a regional turboprop at ground level without a jetway. Having a RS Classic backpack and holding my cross-body strapped messenger bag I could sort of run/jog. I made my connecting flight with about 5 minutes to spare and wasn't the last to board.

Interesting side note is both of my checked bags, including my oversized ski box, made the connection and were out for pickup less 15 minutes after the aircraft's doors opened.

Lesson is that a hour connection at SEA-TAC with a hour's departure delay is possible with a tail wind and running. And your checked bags can make the connection too.

Posted by
5697 posts

Great run through the terminal! Best part of having this on your last flight is that your checked bags would have caught up with you at home the next day if they had not made it to the flight -- something that you can't count on if it's a mid-trip connection.

Posted by
10194 posts

I had a great connection this summer -- I believe we were 40 or 50 minutes leaving Tulsa, which was pretty much the entirety of my layover time in Phoenix, and I figured that meant I was toast for my connecting flight to LA. I went to see the gate agent about rerouting me the best way so that I could make it to LA, my destination that day. She said she had already checked and thought it would be fine. I thought this was just about insane, but she sounded so confident, I thought, well I guess I'll trust she knows what she's doing if she says she thinks it will be fine.

And do you know, it was? When I boarded (this was all on Southwest), I sat up front, even though I had to take in a middle seat. I got off the plane quickly and my connecting flight was literally just right across and about 10 feet down from my arriving flight. It was incredible, and a great feeling! (and yes my baggage made it too).

It's great when things work out isn't it!?

Posted by
11877 posts

Good to hear about 'happy ending stories', but would you really want to plan on that being the norm?

Not all of us are likely to have Edgar's jogging/running skills!