Missing a flight during stop-over/Virgin upgrade waitlist

[Deon]

I have two questions which are sort of intertwined

I have a MEL-LAX-JFK-LAX-MEL trip booked, but I just realised the LAX-JFK stopover is only 2 hours. Given I am arriving at the US border during a particularly busy time of the day and have to clear customs, immigration, etc... I'm concerned that 2 hours might not be enough.

I'm also on the waitlist for point-upgrade to J.

My questions are:

• If I miss that LAX-JFK flight, and just re-book it on the day through Delta, will that cause problems with the rest of my trip? Does missing a leg invalidate the ticket or similar?
• Last time I changed the flight, I needed to have the ticket reissued, which I presume will happen again. I know not a lot is known about the way the waitlist works, but am I likely to lose my place in the queue if I do this to move the flights a bit further apart?

Cheers.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

• If I miss that LAX-JFK flight, and just re-book it on the day through Delta, will that cause problems with the rest of my trip? Does missing a leg invalidate the ticket or similar?

As it's all on one ticket the airline will rebook you onto another available flight. Any of the Delta agents at the gate, lounge or ticketing desks will help you out. This isn't something you can do yourself, and the agent doing the rebooking will make sure the rest of the ticket is good for travel.

 

[clipped_wings]

Having faced this dilemma before, I feel your anxiety. 2 hours is a very difficult window to justify, as the variables that affect it are subject to everything else falling into place. For example - what is the historical "on time" record for VA23? Are you travelling alone, or with a group? Do you have checked luggage? And LAX is so unpredictable at the moment with it's redevelopment.

I'd play it safe and rebook now for peace of mind.

 

[NM]

2 hours is normally enough time at LAX. However, if you inbound flight is even just a little delayed, your "window" can close very quickly. Or if you are delayed by immigration entry or customs your window closes very quickly. So, if your inbound flight arrives on time and its juts normal queuing for immigration processing, customs arrival checks, baggage re-check and departure terminal security checks, then generally no issues and even possible a little lounge time might be possible if queues are short. It does not take much of an "event" to cause a delay at any one or more of the congestion points in the process.

I am happy to accept a 2-hour connection if I know there are multiple later flight options that can accommodate me to my final destination. Otherwise I generally aim for a 3+ hour transit.

As others have noted, if this is all one ticket then the rebooking and any need for re-issue will be managed by the airlines (Delta/VA) with no implications to other flights on the itinerary.

 

[Deon]

Thanks all. Any ideas around the waitlist part of my question? Will reissuing the ticket cost me my spot on the waitlist?

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

If you break the link of flights, does that negate your flight for return to Aust?
Best NOT to rebook on your own accord, and let the airline put you onto the next flight, thus following the chain.
On a lot of bookings, no show does negate the whole "kit and kaboodle", so I would not try and "rebook" just to cover your immediate needs, but then, the VA flight back to Aust could be negated, meaning you have to stump up with $$$ for a single (one way) fare back to Aust.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Another bit of advice... if anyone does miss a segment which the airline then 'fixes'... it's a good idea to call the airline once you reach your destination for the day to confirm the rest of the ticket is still good.

Sometimes agents at the airport will revalidate/fix the immediate sector, but not do the same for the rest of the coupons in the ticket.

We've had instances before where pax gets to xx_ via an alternative flight, but the trip back to Australia was still cancelled!

 

[Must...Fly!]

Indeed very very true, @MEL_Traveller

It's usually an easy fix if agents know what they are doing. But at the airport it can be an incredible pain in the behind. Sometimes you have to rebuild the whole remaining ticket.

 

[theblank]

I have a MEL-LAX-JFK-LAX-MEL trip booked, but I just realised the LAX-JFK stopover is only 2 hours. Given I am arriving at the US border during a particularly busy time of the day and have to clear customs, immigration, etc... I'm concerned that 2 hours might not be enough.

I think you will likely make it provided your first flight departs on time. If it doesnt you might be in for hell.

As it is a single booking then the airlines take responsibility for delays, and will reschedule you, no risk or loss to you, except that you could be left hanging for many hours to a day. Virgin staff will tell you that they are limited to what they can try because the next flight is Delta. Delta will tell you that they cant do anything special for you, like go on standby for earlier flights, unless you pay them.

I did a route like this in Sept with 4hr transit, and Virgin just us for dead in LAX after the flight from AU was delayed by 4 hours.

As I checked in for the original departure, some 6 hours before take off, BNE told me that I would automatically be rebooked as soon as we took off, she said it doesnt make sense to do it earlier, in case its delayed again, to which I agreed. As it turns out thats probably translated to 'I dont want to do any work'. Wont be making this mistake again.

on Arrival in LAX, Virgin had in fact done nothing, despite about 20 hours having passed since they knew I would miss the connection. Our name not even on a list a Virgin lady waiting in the baggage claim area. To make that even more pleasent, after waiting nearly an hour in the transit queue, with 2 Virgin Staff at the counter but only one serving a customer at time and at times neither serving a customer.

the next 3 or 4 flights out of LAX were full, so spent another 8 hours waiting there with a complimentary food voucher. I Iodged a formal complaint with Virgin over the mishandling of this, but they have blown me off, by not even acknowledging the actual complaint i made.

It comes down to you, if you are prepared to get shafted like that and arrive in JFK 24 hours or so later, then go nuts. A lot is going to depend on the day of the week. Friday afternoons/evenings are busy, just ask me!

Next time I get a delay like that I will be insisting on re-scheduling before takeoff.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Service agents can be powerless to deal with re-bookings on the spot. VA has a group in operations dedicated to this, they should be doing a better job than they are (and it has been that way for years).

I made a scheduled 2 hour connection by the skin of my teeth with a delay of about 40min on the inbound VA1. LAX is just unpredictable, but once you get off the aircraft look for the Delta staff handing out orange "express connection" passes. These will allow you to speed through security as quick as possible. There is also a dedicated express connection queue at immigration, but to be honest, gauge each queue and pick which one you think will go fastest. The processing is no quicker with the express card, and sometimes there are lots of people who have the orange ticket...

That said, once you are out of immigration, it should be very quick to drop your bag with the connecting baggage teams (before exiting customs) and your orange ticket should (from memory) get you through outbound security a bit quicker.

Basically...there are no guarantees! But there are some tools available to increase your chances, and luck does play in to it.