Do you think a 32 minute layover in Houston is enough?

[Skittl1321]

Would an hour be enough (asking for a friend)....

It is until it isn't. I had a 3 hour connection in Miami turn into a nightmare run through the airport when a serious of unfortunate events caused delay upon delay. And that was with no snow involved.

I'd feel OK about a 60 minute connection (not in the winter, my airport is always delayed) as long as it was GOING to Cozumel. Coming home, with immigration and customs, that would be too tight for me.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

I'm not sure when you are leaving, but it looks like United has a 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30 to Cancun if you do miss your connection. Our first "Bag Drag" was under the same circumstances when American canceled our flight into CZM. We did it with only a vague understanding of the option and it worked out fine. We do it 2-3 times a year now.

It's easy and you have several options to get from the Cancun Airport to Playa to catch the ferry. Private vans are an option as well as cabs, but we take the Ado Bus for about $10 US. The bus takes about an hour depending on traffic and the ferry over about the same. It runs right at $10 as well. The total trip takes about 3 hours from off the plane to off the ferry in Coz.

If you take the bus, it adds $40 round trip to the trip. Often we can save 200-300 on airfare this way. Occasionally, we will catch a great deal on airfare into Coz and book it, but it's good to know about the bag drag option so you don't lose a day of diving.

Safe Travels,
Jay

 

[outofofficebrb]

Would an hour be enough (asking for a friend)....

It's the minimum that I would consider acceptable.....90 minutes has me feeling a little better. Some things that may factor into your analysis of this is whether it is the last flight out or how many available flights are there after the one that you may possibly miss? Also, my home airport hub (San Francisco) is notorious for fog and wind delays so I always have to think about that. Are there things around your home airport that you should take into consideration? Lightning/thunder/torrential downpours in summer, heavy snow and visibility/de-icing issues in winter for connecting airports, etc.

Honestly, the answer to the question of "is it enough time" is generally this: If you were to miss it, how would it affect your trip and are you okay with that? For some, it may only mean missing out on a morning or a full day of diving. If it's pre-paid, that's definitely not ideal, but if it's not, and you're okay with it, no big deal. If someone were to miss a cruise ship or liveaboard, that might be the dealbreaker - a 30 minute or 60 minute connection time will not be okay. That person may want to shoot for a 3 hour connection and maybe even fly in a day before. Consider the worst case scenario when making your decision.

 

[outofofficebrb]

They should eat the change fee if it breaks their own minimum connection time rule.

I wonder if the flights changed after you booked them. That happens too.

If the flights changed after initial booking, there is a formal process with United where you have to accept the changes or if not, you have the option to change/re-book without change fees.

 

[Skittl1321]

If the flights changed after initial booking, there is a formal process with United where you have to accept the changes or if not, you have the option to change/re-book without change fees.

Really? I fly United all the time and just get an email that says my times changed.

 

[mcohen1021]

United has one flight per day into Cozumel from Houston. We arrive 32 minutes prior to its departure & I'm worried about making the connection. Seems like there's a terminal change involved.

If we miss that flight, it's a 24 hour wait until the next one (or bag drag).

Has anybody else made that tight of a connection there? Any tips?

Thanks!

NOT possible. Been there enough times to know. Sorry.

 

[mcohen1021]

Can you do American out of Fort Worth instead?

For almost $800? OUCH!

Try Sun Country from DFW if it's before the end of August - about $475 direct non stop DFW to CZM

 

[outofofficebrb]

Really? I fly United all the time and just get an email that says my times changed.

It obviously does not happen very often (schedule changes) but when it does happen, I get an e-mail notice and then when I sign in to view the itinerary, it usually gives me an option to accept or not. Also, if the change doesn't work for you and you don't have that option to pick a new flight online or to accept/reject your options, call in - they will help.

 

[KeithG]

Really? I fly United all the time and just get an email that says my times changed.

We generally get email notification of flight changes less than half the time. Most of the time they never notify us. This is especially nasty when they bump the flight forward or backwards by a day which often happens for weekend vacation travel trips.

We generally re-check any United tickets every few weeks...

 

[Skittl1321]

We generally get email notification of flight changes less than half the time. Most of the time they never notify us. This is especially nasty when they bump the flight forward or backwards by a day which often happens for weekend vacation travel trips.

We generally re-check any United tickets every few weeks...

Yeah, I have definitely had surprises on ALL airlines. But I'm obsessive about checking times the few weeks before my trip. I travel frequently for work, and I assume all ticketed times are just suggestions until the flight boards... It is rare to fly the same times I booked. They change so much.

And it totally sucks when good layovers become horrible ones.