Re: [81attendees] The perennial air connection/ hub airport discussion (was: Re: are we getting complacent? Good job!)

[Randall Gellens <[e-mail]>]

At 9:36 AM -0400 8/4/11, John C Klensin wrote:

>  I've
>  often had to insist on earlier flights out to provide what I
>  consider a reasonable margin of safety against missing a
>  connection if the inbound flight is delayed but, at that point,
>  I'm to blame for the longer layover, not the airline or airport.

I wouldn't say you were to blame, even though the longer layover may 
be by your choice, since your choice is driven by the risks of late 
inbound flights and the costs of running through airports.  I usually 
select flights with longer layovers because the risk is too great 
otherwise (and of course, I prefer different safety margins depending 
on the airport).

>  I think it is reasonable to be _much_ more concerned about
>  intermodal changes.   Not only are, e.g., plane-> train changes
>  often time-consuming but, because there is rarely any schedule
>  coordination between carriers, it is hard to sort tickets out
>  remotely for some countries (but not others), and the change
>  often involves dragging luggage around (not merely collecting it
>  and redepositing it some meters away).  Note that is an
>  objection to the transfer process (especially when exhausted
>  after a long trip), not to trains (which are usually great in
>  countries in which they actually work -- opinions about which
>  countries those are differ somewhat).

Absolutely agree.  I love taking trains in general (and found the 
Quebec-Montreal trip very pleasant), but connecting from an 
international flight to a train is a different matter (especially 
when one has to lug suitcases up or down stairs).

-- 
Randall Gellens
Opinions are personal;    facts are suspect;    I speak for myself only
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I hold that the very purpose of existence is to reconcile the
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