Transfer DFW QF4702 to QF8 in 50 mins?

[Mike65]

Hi All,

Scheduled arrival from ATL at 19:10 for QF8 scheduled departure at 20:00. Qantas website suggesting it is OK but is it too risky?

Mike

 

[Dr Ralph]

I wouldn't have booked my travel this way. Two hours is the minimum connection time that I would allow.

I assume that your bags are booked through?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Hi All,

Scheduled arrival from ATL at 19:10 for QF8 scheduled departure at 20:00. Qantas website suggesting it is OK but is it too risky?

Mike

I wouldn't have booked my travel this way. Two hours is the minimum connection time that I would allow.

I assume that your bags are booked through?

Yep I agree. I don’t know offhand the MCT at DFW but I’d find this too close for comfort even if booked and protected in one ticket and would go on an earlier flight from ATL.

 

[Matt_01]

Agree with all above, DFW is an easy transfer but large. It is likely that boarding will be commencing at about the time you are scheduled to land.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi All,

Scheduled arrival from ATL at 19:10 for QF8 scheduled departure at 20:00. Qantas website suggesting it is OK but is it too risky?

Mike

Too fine. Take an earlier flight. All it takes is for the ATL flight to be delayed 30 minutes and you could miss the connection.

 

[madrooster]

It's a legal connection (MCT is 50 mins) however I would recommend taking QF3066.

 

[Himeno]

QF4702 is AA607. Flight history suggests it often arrives in DFW early (5-20 mins), but has also been known to arrive 20-30 mins late.

AA607 tends to use the mid C gates (C11 through C19). QF8 uses D15/D16 (the only A380 gates at DFW).

There is the skylink train and a skybridge between C and D. The train needs to go through A/B or E/'F' before reaching D from C.
The sky bridge crosses the airport access road on the A (north) side of C. This bridge enters D by gate D40. You'd need to walk to C1, through the bridge towards A and turn off towards D, then walk through 2/3rds of D to get to the gate.

Depending on walking speed or train timings, a 50 min scheduled connection is cutting it close.

 

[leadman]

That is really cutting it fine. I've had good, bad and very bad connections at DFW. The skytrain was out of action once because of a storm, boy was my shins sore after the walk. get an earlier flight if possible,

 

[dajop]

The thing is with cutting it fine like this, you know it is cutting fine. Most people therefore would take a conservative approach and almost certainly no-one will tell you "it's OK:.

However, you also know what your own threshold is for dealing with a) the stress of a missed connection, and b) the consequences (in this instance inconvenience of being late, and ability to cope with, via travel insurance or out of your own pocket - accommodation if it is a weather or ATC related delay). Also you know what your plans are in ATL on the day travel, and whether travelling earlier will impede those plans or not.

Then it is a matter of weighing those plans against the potential consequences of a missed connection. It's difficult for others to answer those questions for you. I would in some circumstances risk it and some circumstances not - depending on how critical my arrival day back in Australia was. But I'm the sort of person that sees these things as an adventure not a stress.

 

[serfty]

I have come across the term "minimum sensible time" or MST.

QF have one flight a day from DFW to Oz. If you miss it you won't be able to get to SFO or LAX to catch another QF flight to Oz that day.

2:30 is the minimum sensible time I would allow when on the same booking.

 

[BAM1748]

Not enough time, doesn't take much of a delay on the first flight to not have a hope for the second.

Having said that I did do a 40 min transfer at DFW once, just me only cabin luggage, I do not recommend it at all. I ran just made it as the last few people we boarding. Start multiplying the minutes if there is more than one of you and you need to carry a few things.

 

[DC3]

... Scheduled arrival from ATL at 19:10 for QF8 scheduled departure at 20:00. Qantas website suggesting it is OK but is it too risky?

Mike

The ATL-DFW flight is scheduled to arrive at about same time as the DFW-SYD flight starts boarding. You will probably miss that flight if there is any delay with the incoming flight or your ability to exit the aircraft quickly, assuming that you know exactly how to get between gates.

Sometimes, aircraft arriving at DFW are forced to wait on the tarmac for a gate to become available, so you are stuck on the aircraft, waiting. Also, weather around DFW can impact heavily on flights, summer and winter, and at any other time.

For my DFW-SYD flight next month, I'm arriving into DFW on the day prior. I find it easier that way.

 

[Hvr]

And I concur with everybody else. Nowhere long enough. Every possibility you'll be stuck on your arriving plane sweating on getting off. And your luggage wont make it.

Also, if you don't know the airport it is even harder to be sure you're going the correct way.

 

[leadman]

Or put it the other way, be the one the Captain announces "we are ready to push back, but we are waiting for one PAX", and as you rush on the plane you get the evil eye from many of the passengers. Had it the other day in BKK, but at least there was 5 of us.

Then really set them of off by "giving the bird"! (joking, but it would be funny to see)

 

[docjames]

Wouldn't risk is - any delay and you're either stuck in DFW for 24hrs or trying to make a transit in LAX unexpectedly.....

If missing the flight is an acceptable outcome, leave it as-is if connection protected.

 

[Mike65]

Thanks all for the advice. The trip is not booked yet and I suspected the connection time would be a problem so will look for an earlier departure out of ATL. I don't mind a bit of a run at the connection but the consequence of missing this one is just too high. Cheers, Mike

 

[BAM1748]

Normally we talk about the Swiss cheese model with regards to risk and likely hood, but in this case we might say you'll need the holes to line up to make it work.

Matt