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Charlotte Douglas Airport: North Carolina: Anyone caught a connecting flight from her
Paul M C
Posts: 1,069 Forum Member
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Hi there
I am shortly travelling to Las Vegas from Heathrow with US Airways. Our flight stops at Charlotte Douglas airport where we have to swap planes to then fly onto Las Vegas. Our connecting flight is with the same airline (US Airways).
I am told that this airport is a smallish airport but I have never caught a connecting flight before. We have a 1 hour 40 min gap between the plane from Heathrow landing and the connecting flight departing. I am worried that this is cutting it a bit fine!
Has anyone been to this airport before and caught a connecting flight? Is it an "easy" process? I have been advised that as the stop at Charlotte is our 'first point of entry' to the US, we need to go through immigration and collect our luggage ready for the next plane (whereas when we get to Vegas we can go straight through and just collect our bags)..
As I say, never having caught a connecting flight before, I don't know what to expect or how "easy" it is? If our first plane is delayed and we miss the connecting flight (same carrier) do they have any obligations to us?
Thank you to anyone for your advice!
I am shortly travelling to Las Vegas from Heathrow with US Airways. Our flight stops at Charlotte Douglas airport where we have to swap planes to then fly onto Las Vegas. Our connecting flight is with the same airline (US Airways).
I am told that this airport is a smallish airport but I have never caught a connecting flight before. We have a 1 hour 40 min gap between the plane from Heathrow landing and the connecting flight departing. I am worried that this is cutting it a bit fine!
Has anyone been to this airport before and caught a connecting flight? Is it an "easy" process? I have been advised that as the stop at Charlotte is our 'first point of entry' to the US, we need to go through immigration and collect our luggage ready for the next plane (whereas when we get to Vegas we can go straight through and just collect our bags)..
As I say, never having caught a connecting flight before, I don't know what to expect or how "easy" it is? If our first plane is delayed and we miss the connecting flight (same carrier) do they have any obligations to us?
Thank you to anyone for your advice!
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Comments
You've been told correctly about your luggage.
I can't speak for Charlotte but I regularly fly to the US with connecting flights and it has to be the worst country in the world to get into. Their immigration and security is an absolute nightmare. I've been through Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Michigan to name a few. They are all as bad as one another when it comes to point of entry.
These days I won't go unless I can get a minimum of 3 hours between flights.
I have changed several times in the US, not Charlotte but usually the bigger cities, with an average waiting time between flights of 2 hours...but in all cases would have made those connections with even an hour and half between flights.
I've also been advised (hope this is right) that when we return to Charlotte Airport from Las Vegas (our connecting flight will be 4 hours later to Heathow, US Airways again) that we don't have to collect our luggage from the first plane to transfer to the onwards flight to Heathrow...
Does this sound correct?
Seems right to me, when I flew to the US via JFK last year, I had to collect my bags when I got there and re-check them for the connecting flight, but on the way back I didn't. Be prepared for a right grilling at immigration too!
Hope you have a great trip
I'm the same and allways find it easier at the final destination with security etc out of the way especially when going to Vegas
I think our layover period was just under 2 hours, as I recall it was more than ample.
Yes, you'll go through customs and immigration at Charlotte, but it's not a very busy point of entry, so you should be clear of there in 50 - 60 minutes, hopefully.
On your return, you'll check your bags in at McCarran Airport, Las Vegas, and they should be routed straight through to your U.K. arrival airport.