Flight Connection (Minneapolis), E-Tickets etc....

[Jimbo]

Hello!

Going on a trip June - July, and i have an Internal US flight from Boston to Seattle. There is a connection at Minneapolis, so Boston - Minneapolis, Minneapolis - Seattle. I'm flying with Norwest.

Couple of questions of (mainly small, if not pointless things) i'm enquiring about;

1) NWA are giving me a 40min connection time in Minneapolis, do you think (from previous experience) that this time will be adequate?

2) E-Tickets: Am i right in thinking, that my WHOLE itinery comes under ONE E-Ticket Number, and i use this number to check in online 24hrs before? Any other tips/reccomendations regarding E-Tickets?

3) Northwest: Any prior experience with the airline, and what to expect?

4) Do i usually have to collect luggage for my connecting flights, or are they automatically forwarded to my next flight?

As you can agree, they're pretty pointless, if "un-needed" questions. But if you dont ask, you dont get.

Many thanks in advanced for any help and/or information given.

Cheers.

James 8-)

[Brett_Henderson]

Good questions...

Northwest lets you print your boarding pass, too, when you check in online.

Minneapolis is NW's major hub. That in itself isn't a problem. The problem is how that airport is laid out. It can take you 30 minutes just to get from some gates to others. Some of the distances are ridiculous. So take the time to see how far your arrival gate is from your connection gate.

[Jimbo]

From my Itinery i can see that i land at the LINDBERGH terminal from Boston, and my connection also departs from the LINDBERGH. So no hassle of changing terminals, and there is also a Concourse Tram linking the different concourses within the terminal. With a bit of luck i should be able to connect.

Cheers!

James

[Chris_F]

My guess is that you'll land in Boston and go through customs, which involves getting your luggage.  After customs you'll re-check your luggage and fly to Minneapolis.  At some point you'll have received your boarding passes (either when you initiailly check in for your international flight or when you re-check in at Boston for your US domestic flights).  Either way, by the time you depart Boston you'll have boarding passes for your Seattle flight.

When you land in Minneapolis you'll find the gate for your next flight and be on your way, no need to check in or deal with your luggage.  I've only flown in to Minneapolis, never connected through, but it's not an enormous airport and if you're in the same terminal then 40 minutes should be sufficient.

But what will really happen is this:  You'll get delayed in Boston and worry about your connecting flight the whole time.  You'll land in Minneapolis with only 5 minutes to get to the next gate.  You'll rush to the next gate, almost have a heart attack, and find that the flight there is delayed 2 hours for a mechanical issue.  :)

[Wii]

Never flown with NWA but my dad has, he didn't have any complaints other  than he hoped he wasn't flying on their old DC-9 likewise with AirTran's 717's....40 minutes...plenty of time, perfect actually. I had a connecting flight (and never again hopefully) that the waiting time was 2 hours (give or take 20 minutes) (AirTran) and other things. That was our last flight on AirTran. Mom hates flying and will not fly unless a family member is dying in another state. She flew in Denver with AirTran... need I say more?

[expat]

All I can tell you about NWA, is my wife and I flew with NWA once and got an upgrade to first class.........absolutely outstanding service

Matt

[Jimbo]

All I can tell you about NWA, is my wife and I flew with NWA once and got an upgrade to first class.........absolutely outstanding service

Matt

8-)

[Craig.]

Northwest are my personal choice for airline, I loved the fact they still used the DC10 up until recently. I've never had a "bad" experience with them, had a days delay but they covered the hotel cost and gave me the option of booking flights through a seperate airport the following morning to save hanging around in Memphis. I chose to hang around as I like Memphis.
40 minutes is pleanty for an internal connection as minneapolis is a NW hub you'll find all the flights should be in the same terminal.
Internal to internal flights your luggage is transferred for you.
As chris said if your doing a straight connection from boston to minneapolis you'll need to collect your luggage and they have curbside check in once your into the terminal, Boston is one of the most confusing airports in the world. But if your stopping in Boston for a few days you only need to check your bags the once and you pick them up again in seattle..

[beaky]

Never flown overseas except to the Caribbean (where it's "you got US dollars, mon? come on in, right this way..."), so all I'll say about streamlining your encounter with connections, US Customs and the delightful TSA  (based on my routine experiences flying within the US) is to pack light, make sure you have nothing-NOTHING- on the prohibited list (ask NWA if you don't know it), put your toiletries in the checked luggage, smile and use your most charming accent, and rest assured: if you arrive early in Minneapolis, your connection will be delayed. If you arrive late, the connection will be on time or better yet they'll have changed the gate assignment (assume nothing! Check when you get there).

Are you flying into Boston from the UK, then connecting directly for Minneapolis?

Good luck, and have fun in Seattle!!

And don't mind the NWA DC-9s, if you get one... I feel very secure aboard the tank-like DC-9... terrific airplane.

[Craig.]

The Dc9's are the second reason I fly northwest
I had my first powerback experience on their dc9 from detroit to memphis, talk about noise.

[Jimbo]

[quote]Never flown overseas except to the Caribbean (where it's "you got US dollars, mon? come on in, right this way..."), so all I'll say about streamlining your encounter with connections, US Customs and the delightful TSA

[beaky]

Three days in Boston, eh? More than enough time to get stinking drunk.

I don't know Boston very well at all, but it's a fun place to go out for a bite and a drink, especially if you're a young feller like yourself.

The only reason I mentioned the prohibited item list (for carry-on stuff) is not so much because you will be locked in a room with an unpleasant person with rubber gloves (although you might) as because if they pull you out of the line to dig thru your stuff, it will just take longer. Generally if they find some silly thing that's on the list, they just take it away, or you can leave the line and go ship it home or check it... meaning more delays. But the hand grenades and Bowie knife should probably stay at home...

[Chris_F]

3 days in Boston?

[Hagar]

Three days in Boston, eh? More than enough time to get stinking drunk.

I don't know Boston very well at all, but it's a fun place to go out for a bite and a drink, especially if you're a young feller like yourself.

Hmmm. He might like a pint or two at home but unless they suddenly changed the law I don't think Jimbo is old enough for that in the US.

[Chris_F]

Three days in Boston, eh? More than enough time to get stinking drunk.

I don't know Boston very well at all, but it's a fun place to go out for a bite and a drink, especially if you're a young feller like yourself.

Hmmm. He might like a pint or two at home but unless they suddenly changed the law I don't think Jimbo is old enough for that in the US.

How old is Jimbo?  He could always claim that his age on his ID isn't accurate because it's in Metric years and you have to multiply by 1.5 to get it in to American units of measure.  :)