Expert: Roberto Gomes - 1/23/2008

Question
Hello,
I'm planning flights from SEA to BWI. I will be a first time flier and came across some terms I don't know. First, if a flight doesn't say layover but it does say plane change, what does that mean? Also, what is a ggod length of time to give myself for a layover? I have a couple of different options for flights ranging from a 40 min layover to a 3 and 1/2 layover. I will be traveling at peak times during the summer.

Answer
Dear Tara,

Since many factors can interfere with travel plans, my advice to you is to play safe.
First, choose only one airline to fly from SEA to BWI.
Second, allow you at least 1 hour to change planes.
Third, pre-reserve your seat on board when making reservations.

Plane change is like a connection. This means that on your first flight # 1234 from SEA to XXX, you'll need to disembark at XXX and go to another gate (or wait in the same gate) to board flight # 5678 to BWI.

If there is a delay on the first flight that causes a misconnection, the airline must accommodate you on the next available flight or on other airline.  

Pre-reserving a seat will guarantee your reservation in case of overbooking (generally airlines sell more seats over the aircraft capacity).

Hope this helps. If you need any additional information, please let me know.

Best Regards,
R. Gomes


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