The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
More time to catch your flight? That’s good news
British Airways’ extended connection times may mean fewer low-cost fares – but less stress too, says Nick Trend
British Airways has increased the minimum connection times (MCTs) for its flights through Heathrow Terminal 5 – meaning that, as of January 9, you can only book a connecting BA service if your initial flight is scheduled to arrive at least 75 minutes (rather than an hour) before the onward departure time. “This,” says BA, “will give customers more time to make their next flight and reduce the risk of missing their onward service.”
MCTs are set by the industry body IATA, but individual airlines can override them – as BA seems to have done. Is it an example of sensible planning, or a sign of increasing congestion and a reduction in Heathrow’s ability to run an efficient and reliable service?
Certainly, the new MCT is on the long side compared with many rival airports. One of the shortest in Europe is 25 minutes for connections between Star Alliance flights through Vienna airport. Amsterdam Schiphol has an MCT of 40 minutes for flights to Schengen countries (50 minutes for non-Schengen), and at Singapore Changi, the minimum is 50 minutes.
The increase at T5 is hardly a vote of confidence in the reliability of BA’s services through the airport. And it is not ideal for BA, because it won’t be able to sell some flights as through tickets – most affected are departures from airports in Europe which connected to long-haul flights.
As far as UK passengers are concerned, it will mostly affect people flying from regional airports, such as Manchester and Edinburgh, connecting to other BA flights. But connecting flights are not booked only by people flying from regional airports. Airlines often offer cheap fares to those willing to put up with a change of plane.
So they are an integral part of air travel. And in my view, it is only sensible to be conservative with minimum connection times. Flights which involve a change of plane en route are one of the most stressful ways of travelling because of the risk of the first flight being delayed so that you miss the next. The tighter the connection, the higher the risk and the stress. Here are some strategies for smoother connections.
1. Make sure you have booked a “through ticket” – that is, a booked itinerary which makes it clear that your fare is to the end destination. If it involves more than one airline, the one with which you booked the first leg is responsible for looking after you if you miss the connection. Be aware that if you book two separate tickets, you are responsible for your connection and won’t have any comeback if you miss it.
2. Allow extra time. Personally, I would rather destress the whole experience and allow at least an hour longer than the minimum connection time. Perhaps have a meal in the departure terminal, or do some shopping. This is even more sensible if your onward connection has only a limited number of flights and if your arrival time is critical – for a cruise ship departure, for example.
3. Find out how the connection works. Your travel agent, or the airline/airport website, should tell you if you need to go through passport control before boarding the second flight, and if you have to change terminals. There will be a longer MCT in such cases.
4. Check the flight’s punctuality record, on sites such as flightstats.com, to gauge the risk of a missed connection.
5. Avoid checked baggage. With tight connection times, you may make the onward flight, but the chances for your bags are much lower. If you have no choice but to check in luggage, keep some essentials in your hand baggage.
6. Build in a stop-over if you can. You may well be able to do this at little or no extra cost (specialist travel agents can often offer special “IT” fares which include a hotel stay), and make a virtue of breaking the journey.