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Is Early Bird check in worth with a tight connection?

jlw6031
Explorer C

I am thinking about changing my late day flight to an earlier flight, but this flight would have a tight connection.   The new flight is Pittsburgh to BWI, 6:15-7:20, and the connecting flight BWI-Tampa departs at 8:05.  We usually get EBCI because my husband is very tall and we try to get the bulkhead or exit row (at the very least an aisle seat for him).  I understand that EBCI is good for both legs of the flight, but assuming we get group A boarding, is 35 minutes enough time to deplane and get to the new gate before (or while) A group is boarding?  I don't want to spend the money if we're going to be at the end of the line anyway.  

2 REPLIES 2

Re: Is Early Bird check in worth with a tight connection?

dfwskier
Aviator A

Well, it would certainly be worth it for your first flight. The second flight depends on several factors:

 

1) are the arriving and departing gates close to one another.

2) will the arriving or departing plane be late

3) How many pre boarders will there be on the departing plane

4) How close to the front of the plane will you be on the arriving flight.

 

Pre boarders slow down the boarding process. So that means you really have more than 15 minutes  after your plane lands to get to the new gate before A group starts to board. The more pre boarders, the more time you have.

 

45 minutes s certainly enough time to normally make a connection. Whether you can board  at your assigned spot is  dependent on the answers to 1-4 above.

Re: Is Early Bird check in worth with a tight connection?

jksobonya
Aviator A

IMO the early bird doesn't matter as much for the connecting flight as it does for the initial flight, due to the reasons @dfwskier stated. 

 

And actually, a plane that lands at 7:20 with the connection departing at 8:05 is a 45 minute connection. It's plenty of time. Most of the time your connecting plane is very close to the gate you are deplaning from - if you're lucky it's literally the next gate over, or the gate across, which has been the case for me many times. Assuming there are no delays you should get to the gate right when A starts to board - but there are no promises or guarantees. 

 

--Jessica