How long before connecting flight?

[Billyo]

Ok, I haven't given up on AC yet. It can't possibly be this hard to get to AC. I found several flights from Chicago to Airports serviced by Spirit Air which flies to AC. The problem is, there are really close in times. So my question to you experienced (connecting), flyers is, how long do I need to allow between connecting flight? If a flight arrives at an airport at 1:00, what is the soonest connecting flight I could reasonably make? I mean, you're at the airport already... Do you need to go through security again?

I'll only have carry-ons, so nothing to check in. Is 15 minutes between flights enough time? Something tells me no... I understand if my first flight is delayed I'm screwed. Once again, it is boggling my mind that it is this hard to get there. The cab/limo fare from Philly is over twice as much as the airfare from Chicago to Philly, and I'm not keen on the 1 hour drive. So I've eliminated that as an option. It's either fly into AC somehow, or forget the trip. I'd appreciate any info on how dangerously close I can cut connection times. Thanks.

[noflyingfan]

I would not cut it any closer than an hour, personally, but I'm sure some of the more seasoned travelers here can tell you if time of day and day of week matters.

But I would say that 15 minutes is definitely not enough time. If your first flight is delayed, you're screwed, like you said, and depending on the size of the airport you fly into and whether you fly the same airline on both flights, you might have to get from one end of the airport to another to catch your second plane. (You won't need to go through security again, FYI, and whether you check bags won't matter as far as time goes, because the airline will take the bags in Chicago and give them back to you in AC regardless of stops -- the only issue with that is whether the bags actually make it onto the second plane, but since you won't be checking things, it doesn't matter).

[WillFlyToDisney]

If you are switching airlines then I would allow longer than an hour - 90 minutes or more. If you are on the same airline then I still like an hour cushion. Yesterday I had a 2 hour layover but my inbound flight was 30 minutes late landing due to weather re-routing. That gave me enough time for a bathroom break and a few minutes in the Crown Room to recharge the Ipod and check emails (and get hit on by drunk traveling salesmen - the only downside of the Crown Room I have found).

Delta has booked me with super tight connections (20 minutes) where I literally walked off one CRJ and immediately onto the next one with no time even to hit the ladies room. Delta routings thru CVG (Cincinatti) are sometimes scheduled that way.

[Agne]

I would say one hour or even more. For example, I had a connection in Amsterdam where I had to walk 20 minutes to get to the gate. The flights were both in the same terminal, but I had to walk from EU flights to non-EU flights, and the boarding time 30-40 minutes before departure.
Once we had a connection in Frankfurt where we got off a plane and got on the other without even seeing the airport, because our first flight was very late. You won't have to go through security or check your luggage again.