I flew up to DC on Southwest Airlines this week, but took American back. Southwest has (by law) the only non-stop flight from Austin to close-in National airport. Since it’s a 1,311-mile flight that’s over the 1,250-mile ‘perimeter’ flying limit from the airport, and so only specifically-granted exception flights can operate on the route.
Normally the 1 p.m. departure time from Austin doesn’t work for me with Southwest, but I recorded the Central Air podcast before heading to the airport.
For the return, I took a connecting flight back on American instead of the Southwest non-stop. I was able to leave earlier in the day, and it meant (if everything operated on schedule) I’d make it home for my daughter’s bedtime.
Since I barely made my connection, and a couple of things I did along the way always surprise people, I thought it made sense to share the choices I made that helped me get onto my original connection – and also to ensure I had space on a backup flight home that night in case I didn’t.
On the way out of D.C. I had some breakfast at Capital One Landing before my flight. Their cream-filled pastries are absolutely out of this world fantastic. There were three choices, and I was a little bit disappointed that they didn’t have the crema catalana, but they’re still good enough that I had two of them anyway (well, I actually ate one and a half).
I wasn’t really hungry after this, but on board I did take the cheese plate – I still need to also try the new Inflight Bites Box and the new sandwich that starts next month. It’s not crave-worthy for sure, but I thought that the cheese quality was better and certainly tastier.
Tillamook® Extra Sharp Cheddar, Tillamook® Smoked Black Pepper Cheddar and blueberry artigiano cheese. Fresh fruit, dried apricots and dried black figs. Walnuts, gourmet crackers, Bonne Maman honey and Toblerone chocolate
My flight from D.C. to Dallas pushed back 9 minutes early. Despite this, we didn’t get in the air for about an hour. And we were already looking at a longer than normal flight time because of significant headwinds enroute.
We were too heavy to take advantage of the shorter runway. Because of the direction of the winds the airport shifted the direction of takeoffs from primary runway 1/19, and it took awhile to taxi to the other end of the airport as they flipped operations.
All the while I was watching my connecting time in Dallas shrink. At one point we were slated to land in Dallas at the exact same time as my connection to Austin was scheduled to depart, although this bounced around quite a lot.
So while we were onboard, I sent a direct message to the @AmericanAir twitter team asking for a backup flight to Austin to be added to my itinerary.
- I did not want to move off of my original connection. I still wanted the ability to try to make that flight. Making it would mean being home before my daughter went to sleep.
- But I also wanted to make sure I’d get home the same night if I didn’t make that connection. There were only a few seats left on later Dallas – Austin flights. Those could be gone if I waited.
- Onboard I can’t just call American’s customer service, but I have found American’s Twitter team better with working on reservations than any other airline.
Adding flights to a reservation without giving up the flight you’re on is something that American will do at least for Executive Platinum (and ConciergeKey) members. They let you have ‘duplicate’ bookings without cancelling one out.
If you wind up needing the backup flight, you need to have the ticket reissued for it later. If you don’t need it, and there’s time, it’s polite to cancel out the space.
Things were looking pretty good. At one point we gained enough time that we were showing a gate arrival that would give me 33 minutes between flights in Dallas.
- At 15 minutes out, American can give away your seat to standby customers if you haven’t made it to the gate area. It looked like at least a mostly full flight, so there was a good chance that would be happening. So I needed to get there 15 minutes out, not just 10 minutes (doors close).
- And we were arriving at gate A37 in Dallas. My connecting flight to Austin was slated to leave from D40. That takes time.
It took a few minutes longer to get on the ground than the captain had predicted. My connection was already boarding. We didn’t have a super long taxi time, but when we arrived at the gate the alley was blocked and had to wait for an aircraft to move. We ultimately blocked in at 25 minutes to departure of my connection to Austin. Doors opened quickly and I had 8 minutes to get from A37 to D40.
Now, the usual way to get between terminals in Dallas is the Skylink. I was a bit worried about taking that because it had been under scheduled maintenance that was supposed to end about 3 hours earlier. Both A37 and D40 are good walks from Skylink stations, too. So this wouldn’t be fast.
But the terminals are also connected by walkways. A37 is very close to the walkway over to C2. And the C2 walkway is connected to the walkway over to D – that dumps you off right at D40! So I was definitely going to hoof it over to my connecting gate. I figured that gate-to-gate Skylink would be about 10 minutes (with greater variability risk) while walking should take about 7.
I was a bit demoralized to hit the A-to-C connector and see the moving walkway out of service! But forunately it was just one of them, the rest were working, which helped speed up my brisk pace.
I was in the C-D connector when I heard last call for my flight announced. It took me the exact 7 minutes I’d predicted, so I turned up at the gate at D-16, and saw several passengers huddled by the gate waiting to get on as standbys.
I made the connection. The flight pushed a minute early. I made it home, walking in the door about 15 minutes before my daughter’s bedtime even. If I didn’t, I’d have been home an hour later because of my backup flight and wouldn’t have gotten stuck in Dallas overnight.
At DFW it’s worth knowing or looking up where your gates are located before deciding how you’re going to change terminals. The Skylink isn’t always faster, and I might not have made it to my connection before losing my seat if I’d taken it.
And for top American AAdvantage status members, it’s worth knowing that they’ll add a segment to your reservation during even potential irregular operations. That’s saved me many times, and is probably the thing I still value the most about Executive Platinum
I’m exhausted just reading this. Still, you must have felt so good to have gotten home in time. Congratulations.
Why didn’t AA’s automated system give away your seat since it reasonably could have determined you wouldn’t make the flight? Don’t get me wrong I’m actually in favor of this since it provides the greater good even though it inconveniences some people. I’m curious if you, as an EP, let AA know you would be likely to make it before the doors closed and preserve your seat. I understand the back up option for EP and CK but was curious about their automated rebooking service and how to neutralize that if necessary.
Thanks
So the TLDR version is (a) check the airport map to figure out the quickest way between gates; and (b) if you have the status, use the Twitter AA team to book a backup. Got it. Thanks.
@rkt10 – my sentiments exactly!
@ Gary — Shocking to hear that AA is actually better than other airlines at something.
Thx very much for this post. I’m looking at a tight AA DFW connection for a trip later this month. This gate-to-gate advice comes in very handy.
AA Twitter team rocks. Miles better than the competition.
Yesterday, I flew Delta from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal with only a 1 hour layover in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the incoming flight was delayed so my new layover was shorted to about 30 minutes. Similar to your story, the metromover that was going to get me from Terminal D to A was having maintenance issues so I summoned my years of doing 5k runs and gave it my best shot using every moving walkway and a lot of “excuse me” shout outs. I made it to the gate just in time but my boarding pass was denied because Delta’s automated system already rebooked me on the next flight out which would have been another 5 hours. The gate agent worked quickly to reverse that and I was able to get on board without further delay. The one trick I can share here is that before departing, I asked the gate agent to move me up from row 33 to any seat closer to the front, even if it was the middle seat. He was able to give me row 10, middle, the first one behind first class. That probably saved me 10 minutes upon arrival as I was able to push myself as close as possible to the front once the fasten seat-belt sign turned off.
I don’t think AA backs up flights for EXPs anymore although you might find an agent/AC staff member willing to do it. CK they will proactively call you and offer flights to back up on, making sure that you end up in First. Although on that latter point you might need to be flexible.
One of the major reasons I spent the $2.5K and 250K miles to extend CK for another year. It has relieved the stress worrying I’d end up in 31B on my connection.
@ Gene
United will often hold planes for late arrivals.
Or, Gary, you could just fly IAD-AUS nonstop on United…
@L737 — Naturally, Gary went to the Capital One Landing! Mah man!
@Peter — At least they offered Gary MCE (even if it was a middle seat…)
The moving sideways at DFW are most always out of service!!! Especially the A to B ones!! If DFW Airport really cared about the passengers they would get a competent vendor to keep them running!! But DFW likes to outsource just about everything and it goes to the lowest bidder, and it shows!!!
I never ever, ever, ever, ever ride the SkyLink at DFW unless I have to go to E since there’s no choice. When F opens, I really hope they’ll connect it with D, C to E, and build a E/F flyover.
The last time I flew American (this was my breaking point) was DFW to SFO. It was second to last scheduled flight and we were delayed. After awhile they said there was an accident with baggage handling vehicle and freight door they needed to test. I was due at a client at 8am the next morning and tried to get switched or wait listed on later flight. They told me I could buy a full fair ticket. After another hour the later flight was boarding and we were waiting. I asked about getting wait listed on first flight out in the morning and was told I could buy a ticket. Finally we were told they were changing planes and the wheelchair crew started pushing people to the next game 20 gates away. As we start to walk the chairs come at us. They were putting us on a plane we had been told was damaged 5 minutes earlier. Finally made it home at 2AM and got 3 hours of sleep before I had to drive to my client the next morning. That was in 2019. I will not get on one of their planes again. Would fly Spirit before and I know they are out of business. I know you didn’t get f’ed by AA but I am done with them.
The Skylink at DFW isn’t faster when a person who’s enjoyed one too many airport Cinnabons gets stuck in the tram doorway because they can’t squeeze into the packed tram. The doors then open and close on them like a confused robot three times before the whole system gives up and needs a human airport worker to hit the reset button.
Piece was TL;DR
The travel and hospitality industries are making everything too complicated, too time consuming, and stripped of basic amenities and service. I get it, the race to the bottom.
But now that I’m retired and have plenty of time to deal with the hassle, life is too short. Unless it’s a family gathering, nothing is worth traveling for any more. I’m staying home as much as possible in my forever home, in my lovely neighborhood with walkable stores and services for all my basic needs and delivery for everything else. My entertainment needs and my intellectual stimulation are all available either at home on the internet or in a 15 minute walk.
Ensh1ttifcation will have to continue without my money, which I will leave to heirs rather than spending on travel and hospitality.
This coincidentally raises some of this same issues in today’s New York Times’ Tripped Up column.
Glad it all worked out!
@1990 — How wonderfully decadent! And being there during the breakfast/lunch menu shift is clutch
@Ken A — How deliciously absurd!
@ 1990 — Yep, pretty easy if you just hop on Metro to Dulles.
What a dumb story
@1990 – Dulles, oy vey!
We used to live in Dallas and I never had to worry about connections. Are you saying you can WALK from C over to D now? There is a walkway over International Parkway?
@Gary Leff — It’s worth it just to ride around on the ‘mobile lounges.’
Speaking of lounges, if anyone needs it, the password is ‘magnolia’… (honestly, I I kinda preferred ‘wheelsup’)
I agree with your premise. I have top tier status on Delta, not AA, but the better level of service you get for irregular operations and things like blocking a second flight are the single best reason to maintain that status.
Interesting story. I’m always bummed when they don’t have the crema catalana, too. But as someone who doesn’t accrue a massage amount of miles to travel for work, it’s hard for me to relate to the woes of being Executive Platinum. I’m glad he got to say goodnight to his daughter, though.
I mean, MCE is where it’s at, but @Rob is certainly on to something as well – sitting towards the front is key whenever you have a connection. Amazing how those 2 hour connections sometimes turn into a sprint to the next gate. If AA isn’t going to give status members free seat selection on basic economy tickets, the idea of flying basic on a connecting flight is a no-go.
When I had to fly, they kept moving my flight around gates. “Flight 123 boarding at Gate B5.” Few minutes later, “Flight 123 boarding at Gate E2.”. I hoof it there and when I got to the counter the desk person got on the mic “Flight 123 is boarding at Gate A7” so I was in a full run because I only had 10 minutes to get there. I got to the B section and heard “Flight 123 is Boarding at Gate B5…” and hit the desk with 3 minutes to spare.
They were handing out waters at the counter for Flight 123 due to the sprints.
Dulles definitely has a better on-time record than Reagan, and I often take that into account if it looks like the weather might be bad.
I met my husband on a American Airlines flight and we have been married for 15 years now. A long time ago, I was single and just graduated from UNCC Charlotte. I caught a flight to Washinton State on American Airlines. I met Jessy a plumber from Alabama and it was love at first sight. Once per year we catch a flight on vacation the day we met. Every year we take a moderate vacation on Dec 4th and American Airlines help us celebrate our Anniversary. You can find love at the airport or a flight or just waiting for a flight. I found LOVE on AMERICAN AIRLINES. The friendly airline. Fly American Airlines and find your next boyfriend or husband. At the minimum you will find friends.
AA is *always* offering me flights with a 30 minute connection (“Note the connection time”) or a short connection time PLUS a change in terminals. I refuse. It’s not that I don’t trust American, but I don’t trust American…for me personally, I’d rather arrive at my final destination a bit later than not arrive at all. And as for DFW, I don’t think I’ve ever flown out of DFW without my flight changing terminals at least twice and usually three times!