Anyone familiar with connecting through DFW to Cozumel?

[Jackie]

I am doing a connection in DFW in less than two weeks. As a previous poster noted, worst case, you can catch a flight to Cancun .
Do yourself a favor and carry on all the things you must have (short list for cozumel). If you have a prescription mask, carry it on. If your wetsuit and BCD are a day late, you will be fine,
BUT as everyone has said, it seems to be easier for luggage to make a short connection...
I hate layovers and understandf your concern but you should be just fine!

 

[jd950]

Thank you all for your helpful information. Although I feel silly asking for advice and then "ignoring" it, that's what I did.

Although most of you felt things would likely work out, I found similar discussions on some travel and frequent flyer forums that were less encouraging. I also checked and saw AA only had a 68% on-time record for the flight to Dallas, and on-time means up to 14 minutes after scheduled arrival. The flight is at least 30 minutes late 18% of the time.

So, I called AA and asked if they would waive change fees if I changed the reservation due to the short time between flights and they agreed. They were actually quite nice. They also gave me a number to call to get discounted hotel rates for people who miss flights, or have connection issues.

The small downside is that I will need to get a motel for one night somewhere near DFW airport. Suggestions welcome...The upside is that I don't have to get up before dawn to get to the airport by 4:30 AM on the 30th. I will now even have time for a little breakfast on the day I fly to Coz and can check out the duty free shop rather than racing to the gate.

As I thought about this I realized that my personality is such that I would have been worried about the connection issue all night before leaving and during the flight to Dallas. A crappy way to begin a dive trip. I always feel bad for the people freaking out about their connections and racing through the airport when their flight arrives late, and I try to avoid being in that situation.

The one hour connection would probably have been okay, but since I found an easy and cheap alternative, I took it. Had they not waived the change fee, I would have stuck with the original reservation.

 

[cxg31s]

I'm glad you decided on an option that works for you. I agree that it will be great peace of mind to fly in, get a good night's rest then head to the airport the next day for VACATION! Terminal D is the best terminal at the DFW airport, there are tons of restaurants, a great wine bar and many shops including several duty frees. If we are staying overnight, we usually get there 4 hours early so we can eat a great meal and shop before our flight. The security line can be long, especially if a lot of military personnel are flying out that day, but they are so efficient, it moves pretty quickly.

Trip Advisor is the best place to research hotels. If you are looking for cheap and clean, I can personally recommend the Days Inn DFW North and the Red Roof Inn DFW North. Both have airport shuttles, free wi-fi, etc. There is also a Motel 6 DFW North that gets great reviews but I haven't stayed there. There are many other options as well but those are among the cheapest. Whatever you do, stick to the north end, the hotels on the south end of DFW are questionable.

 

[gbray]

This is for anyone else with a similar question.
I just returned from Cozumel yesterday on AA thru DFW. Going we had a 2 hour layover and that was way more than enough time. One hour would have been fine. we came in on C and left on D. They are the longest distance possible from each other but the new rail system is really very efficient. Going we did not need to go thru security at DFW and no customs until you land in cozumel. Returning we had to pick up our checked luggage at DFW, go thru customs then give our luggage back to the airline and go thru security again. It wasn't as bad as standing at a ticket counter but did take a bit of time. One hour is questionable on the return leg.

For the record the hassle is well worth it for the amazing diving in Cozumel.