American Airlines’ 25-Minute Minimum Connection Time

I was surprised to find out that the United States has the shortest minimum connection time.

American’s 25-minute minimum connection time in Austin

Minimum connection times are published by every airline. This is the minimum amount of time that you need to plan for a connection at the airport as an airline won't sell you a shorter connection than that.

Depending on the airline, the airport and whether or not you make an international or domestic connection, the MCT can be different. The MCT in Mexico City for an international to international connection takes 120 minutes, whereas the one in Helsinki for a domestic to domestic connection takes 20 minutes.

Even though you can book an itinerary with the minimum connection time, it doesn't mean you should. If you book a really short connection, you increase your chances of misconnection.

I stumbled upon a pretty good option on American, which was both the cheapest and the fastest, when I was looking at an itinerary from Albuquerque toTampa. Austin is a new focus city for American.

The connection time in Austin was not long at all. It seemed like it was short.

There is a domestic to domestic connection on American that takes 25 minutes to complete.

Why do airlines sell connections like this?

Most hubs have a minimum connection time of 40 minutes and that is already pushing it. I avoid Phoenix because it has a 25-minute MCT, but it is the exception.

It seems crazy for Austin, where all the gates are close to one another, and crazy for Phoenix, where you have a huge terminal.

It's on the most basic level.

• It can easily take 10 minutes to get off a plane, especially if you’re seated toward the back
• American Airlines advises customers that “boarding ends 15 minutes before departure”

Zero minutes to make your connection. The DOT considers flights to be on-time if they arrive less than 15 minutes late. The DOT still counts that flight arrival positively toward American's on-time performance.

On the other hand, there is a 25-minute MCT in Austin. I would view a 25-minute connection in Austin the same as a 40-minute connection in Dallas because of the risk of mis connecting. When things go wrong in Dallas there are more flights you can take to get to your destination.

It's time airlines changed their minimum connection times. I understand that airlines only make money when they fly, and that customers want itineraries that look like they have the shortest possible travel time.

There is a long line at the customer service desks when things go wrong.

Bottom line

There is a minimum connection time at the airport. I can appreciate that the American gates are close to each other, but the same MCT applies at Phoenix Airport, which is more spread out. I also avoid 40 minute connections at other hubs.

The minimum connection time for American is 25 minutes. Is it possible to book an itinerary like this.