Any way around minimum connection times? (only 5 minutes off!)

[Ratherbeflying]

I'm trying to book a RTW F ticket on SQ, but I'm being told that the connection time between two of the segments is too short -- under the minimum connection time for that airport. The segments are SQ 376 DXB/DME, which arrives DME at 9:05am, connecting to SQ 62 DME/IAH, leaving DME at 10:00. So there is a 55 minute connection time and the DME minimum is 60. Missing by 5 minutes!

Since I'll be in F I will hopefully be one of the first off the plane. My understanding is that both flights leave from the same terminal, it's a relatively small terminal (12 gates?), and transit passengers do not need to go through immigration or security. Essentially, I would walk off one SQ plane and onto another in the same 12-gate concourse.

I've read in other threads that people have made this connection, but I suspect that the flight schedules were slightly different then and provided the 60 minute cushion.

In talking with SQ call center to book the trip, the rep said he couldn't book due to the minimum connection problem. I asked if he could escalate or somehow override. He put me on hold for a few minutes, then came back and said he had spoken with his supervisor and that person also said it could not be done.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to get around this, or whether it can be overriden?

[TerryK]

.....then came back and said he had spoken with his supervisor and that person also said it could be done.....

It could be done? Then you have no problem.

If it could not be done. Then you need to make two separate bookings. It should not be a problem as you are on RTW fare. The only issue is that you won't be protected if you miss your connection because of late inbound.

[Ratherbeflying]

Thanks for catching my typo, TerryK! I've corrected the original post. The supervisor did say that it could NOT be done.

. . . you need to make two separate bookings. It should not be a problem as you are on RTW fare. The only issue is that you won't be protected if you miss your connection because of late inbound.

Don't think I've ever done that before -- multiple bookings on a single itinerary? (assuming it has to be one itinerary to get the SQ RTW fare). Is it as simple as asking to have separate records on one itinerary?

I suspect it could cause a problem with trying to check a bag all the way through from DXB to IAH. May have to claim and re-check in DME. Then the 55 minute connection time could become a problem. I don't think I can do a three-week RTW with just a carry-on bag.

Thanks for the input!

[Bitterroot]

Since I'll be in F I will hopefully be one of the first off the plane. My understanding is that both flights leave from the same terminal, it's a relatively small terminal (12 gates?), and transit passengers do not need to go through immigration or security. Essentially, I would walk off one SQ plane and onto another in the same 12-gate concourse.

Not entirely correct: you do have to clear security before re-entering the departure concourse. You do not clear immigration. My experience is that it's not a long queue at the security check; I think you'd be OK if the flight from DXB is on time or close to it.

[TerryK]

........ multiple bookings on a single itinerary? (assuming it has to be one itinerary to get the SQ RTW fare).....

Bookings and etickets are separate computer records. You can have multiple bookings (PNR) for one eticket, or multiple etickets for one booking. Although the vast majority of bookings are one per eticket.

....I suspect it could cause a problem with trying to check a bag all the way through from DXB to IAH. May have to claim and re-check in DME. Then the 55 minute connection time could become a problem....

You can check your bag though with two PNRs. That's not a problem. However, depending on gate agent, some gate agents will not check your bag through if he/she notice that it is below MCT. Separate PNRs are not an issue, the issue with bag is still below MCT.

[NicholasNgian]

Its risky because there is always a slim chance flights will get delayed either on ground at DXB or DME, and you must also consider the very slim chance of diversions due to technical or medical issues.

Like what TerryK said, if something do happen to your DXB-DME flight, you will not be protected if you miss your DME-IAH connection.

Why not take EK's non-stop flight to IAH?

[Jamiegutz]

Also, if you do miss your connection you will be stuffed cos you will need a visa to enter russia (presuming you are not a russian passport holder) so will be stuck in the airport. Am not aware of any transit hotel or if it is open 24hrs

As far as airports go, DME is not too bad, but its certainly no Changi!

Why not get a visa and do an overnight stopover and take a look at Moscow (if you can get through the traffic that is!).

[stargold]

I'm sure it can be forced - at least from previous experience of other airlines. I'm sure the TA/airline can even keep the same PNR for both flights and "acknowledge" the under-timed transit by making a note that you were told it was your responsibility if there were any delays.

However, it's not really worth the risk - firstly, they may refuse to check you in at SIN because SQ will be liable for penalties if you do not make your connection and therefore break Russian immigration laws. All transit passengers that need to leave the airside area need a visa.

Also, you are leaving yourself open to headaches at one of those airports that are not really nice to be accidentally stuck in. 24h in Changi is one thing, but 24h in DME when you 1. don't have a visa, 2. don't want to be there and 3. didn't plan to be there, is quite another.

Why don't you just take the through-flight SIN-DME-IAH?

I think

[Ratherbeflying]

Thanks for all the input. A little more background -- overall my trip starts from the US and includes stops in NRT, SIN and DXB. Looking at that combo I thought an SQ RTW would be the most economical. But if the DXM/DME/IAH connection won't work, I may well skip SQ altogether (or at least on some of the legs) and go with a combo of other carriers, including EK for DXB/IAH as NicholasNgian suggested. Haven't priced that out, but I suspect it will be quite a bit more than SQ's RTW. Plus I was looking forward to SQ F! (haven't flown SQ F before)

I could do SQ RTW and do SIN/DXB/SIN as a separate ticket, and take SQ 62 SIN-DME-IAH as stargold suggested. Will have to look at the DXB/SIN schedule to see whether that will work.

Hypothetical question - I understand the risk of missing the connection and not being protected because of the MCT, but if SQ 376 was scheduled to arrive 5 minutes earlier (or SQ 62 was schedule to leave 5 minutes later) providing the 60 minute MTC, and 376 was delayed to the point that I still missed the connection, what would happen? What would "protection" provide? I don't have a Russian visa, and to make it worse SQ 62 only operates T/Th/S/S. I was planning on a Tuesday, so missing it would be a two-day delay. Perhaps SQ has scheduled the flights with <60 minutes between them so that people don't try to do what I'm trying to do, and avoid such headaches?

Bitterroot -- thanks for pointing out re-clearing security. I've not been through DME before and had not picked up on that in the other DME posts that I had found.

[Bitterroot]

Hypothetical question - I understand the risk of missing the connection and not being protected because of the MCT, but if SQ 376 was scheduled to arrive 5 minutes earlier (or SQ 62 was schedule to leave 5 minutes later) providing the 60 minute MTC, and 376 was delayed to the point that I still missed the connection, what would happen? What would "protection" provide? I don't have a Russian visa, and to make it worse SQ 62 only operates T/Th/S/S. I was planning on a Tuesday, so missing it would be a two-day delay. Perhaps SQ has scheduled the flights with <60 minutes between them so that people don't try to do what I'm trying to do, and avoid such headaches?

IF it were a legal connection, and SQ (or any other airline) ticketed it as on-line connection, they will still tell you that the passenger is responsible for the visa, if one is needed.

Consequently, what the carrier will offer to do for you in case you misconnect will be constrained by your right to clear immigration....and they won't be able to help you.

As I think a previous poster said, there's no airside transit hotel at DME; the lounges do not stay open overnight; and if you got stuck, you can't even get landside to an airline ticket office -- you'd have to see if LH or LX could sell you a one-way ticket to FRA or ZRH out of their lounge, and I'm not sure they could.

[TerryK]

...As I think a previous poster said, there's no airside transit hotel at DME; the lounges do not stay open overnight; and if you got stuck, you can't even get landside to an airline ticket office -- you'd have to see if LH or LX could sell you a one-way ticket to FRA or ZRH out of their lounge, and I'm not sure they could.

If the passenger is on a legal connection with one ticket, the passenger will be protected by SQ. SQ will be responsible for the costs of hotel, meals and other transportation. SQ will normally endorse the ticket to LH, LX, DL, UA or any other airlines to send the passenger to his/her destination. This is even if the ticket is restricted.

[stargold]

Indeed. Plenty of flights leaving to Europe after that time, then a connection to IAH. Not very complicated especially as SQ will most likely have sorted out the connection before you touch down at DME.

However, you need to have been on a valid connection in the first place...

[Kiwi]

... which lends itself to the logical solutions if the SQ fare is desired

a) make DXB a roundtrip from SIN on a separate ticket
or
b) have a surface segment between DXB and FRA or DME and FRA or CAI and FRA, and take a oneway separate ticket between those points

[SQ LPP]

How about doing a StarAlliance RTW? You said it starts from the US, I called the city as USA.

USA
SFO
NRT NH
xSIN SQ
DXB SQ
SIN SQ
(DME) SQ
IAH SQ
USA

But have not kept up with my readings on RTW. So hopefully others can give better opinion.

[Ratherbeflying]

Based on all your advice and my own desire to avoid conflicts with Russian authorities (which I suspect would make UA Y and even the SQ SKL DragonLadies seem pleasent!), I've been exploring many options including:

• Other carriers
• Staying on SQ for a west-bound RTW and adding two more days to my trip
• Going with a *A RTW would increase the ticket price quite a bit (even if I downgraded to C)
• Mixing carriers would likewise increase cost and bump me down to C

I decided to add two days to make the SIN/DXB/SIN work with the next available SIN/DME/IAH flight, and called SQ to get it booked. Thankfully SQ takes 24 - 48 hours to ticket RTW fares (more on that in a moment), because not long after I spoke with them I thought about changing directions: going east-bound IAH/DME/SIN/NRT/LAX with a separte DXB trip. Checked the schedules and found that worked and cut off the two extra days! It also eliminated one of the two rather lengthly layovers in SIN for my side trips, so overall it works out much better. I'll miss the chance to visit the *A F lounge in LAX, but I hear that is not all that great anyway.

So I called the CC back to reroute to eastbound. Thankfully I did, because the next complication came up during the call: my outbound leaves IAH on 2/15. SQ RTW requires 7 day advance purchase. I was on the phone with SQ CC Friday (2/6) to make the change and finalize, and the agent said "48 hours to ticket, and the fare desk doesn't work weekends, so it will be Tuesday (2/10) before tickets are issued." Well, I pointed out that that breaks the 7 day advance purchase requirement.

The CC rep asked if I could push my outbound to 2/17, which I could not. He said they could not ticket it in time, and something would have to change. I asked to talk with a supervisor. The rep put me on hold, spoke with his supervisor, and came back saying no-can-do. I asked to speak with the supervisor's supervisor, because SQ stands to loose a $7K ticket if they can't push it through. I really would have switched as I have some events in the first part of the trip that could not move, and my visions of my first SQ F trip were rapidly fading. He put me on hold again, and came back a few minutes later saying they could make an exception in this case and go ahead and ticket immediately. Said he would call me back in 30 minutes with the final details, which he did! So ultimately they did get it done!

So, overall, I would have to say I was pretty pleased with the CC experience. I was expecting the worst, given what I had read in some other threads about the CC in general and their handling of SQ RTWs in particular, but with a little pushing (not too much) they were able to bend their process to get the ticket issued. All the people I spoke with handled RTWs fairly well. One originally said I needed three stopovers for a RTW, but when I pointed out that was for *A RTW, not SQ-only RTW and asked him to use FEZSQ, he quickly corrected and was able to book it properly.

One other note: my SIN/NRT is almost full in F, and my NRT/LAX segment is completely full in F! Seen many posts about low load levels, so I was surprised to see that.

Anyway, now it is on to browsing the BTC threads to plan those where applicable.

Thanks again for the advice!