Continental Question

Angel_04 · May 12, 2005

Hola everyone! I am going to the DR in July and was planning on booking my flight with Continental airlines (taking a flight from Toronto to NJ and then from NJ to POP). My question is this--of those of you who have flown Continental, what did you think of their service etc... I ask because I recently heard someone state that they would "never, ever" fly with Continental again because of the tremendous delays etc. and I am a bit concerned --especially considering that the time I have between flights is only 58 minutes. *If any of you would rather just PM me that is fine..(I understand if you'd rather not BASH continental online!)

Thanks in advance. Any comments are appreciated. Have a great night! xx

lilcanadiangal · May 12, 2005

Angel_04 said:
Hola everyone! I am going to the DR in July and was planning on booking my flight with Continental airlines (taking a flight from Toronto to NJ and then from NJ to POP). My question is this--of those of you who have flown Continental, what did you think of their service etc... I ask because I recently heard someone state that they would "never, ever" fly with Continental again because of the tremendous delays etc. and I am a bit concerned --especially considering that the time I have between flights is only 58 minutes. *If any of you would rather just PM me that is fine..(I understand if you'd rather not BASH continental online!) Thanks in advance. Any comments are appreciated. Have a great night! xx

I flew from Buffalo to Newark to Santiago last October and had no problems at all. I had a short connection time as well and I had enough time. However, since you're flying from Canada to the USA and then to the Dominican, you're going to have fun going through customs. You're going to have to pick up your baggage in NJ, go through customs and everything in that short lay over time. That sounds like its tough and it is, but it has been done. I flew from Santo Domingo once with an hour layover in San Juan once and I somehow made it, but it was a little bit of running and a lot of stressing. Anyways, I had no problems with their service, not that I remember anyways. It was a pleasant trip.

Angel_04 · May 12, 2005

lilcanadiangal said:
I flew from Buffalo to Newark to Santiago last October and had no problems at all. I had a short connection time as well and I had enough time. However, since you're flying from Canada to the USA and then to the Dominican, you're going to have fun going through customs. You're going to have to pick up your baggage in NJ, go through customs and everything in that short lay over time. That sounds like its tough and it is, but it has been done. I flew from Santo Domingo once with an hour layover in San Juan once and I somehow made it, but it was a little bit of running and a lot of stressing. Anyways, I had no problems with their service, not that I remember anyways. It was a pleasant trip.

Thanks for the input! I spoke to a rep from Continental and he told me that I would go through US customs in Toronto airport and that I will NOT have to recheck my luggage --ie. it will go from plane to plane. So, that being said, it should be much easier for me...I would hope. Thanks again.

RandyE · May 12, 2005

Continental's great

Flight in Jan. landed on time- return trip in Feb. was about 30min. EARLY. Flown both ewr to pop and sti (Santiago) for the last 4 or 5 years and am very happy eith their service.

apdomini100max · May 12, 2005

I have flown on CO and like all airlines had maybe one time where i wished i hadnt fly the airline. That was only once overall i would pick CO over some others. Their flights are always on time and their crew is nice.

MommC · May 13, 2005

I flew Continental home in April ..........

Thanks to Delta's codeshare because they'd changed their schedule.
It was a great flight......good food, on time and generally pleasant!
I've flown the YYZ/EWJ/SDQ route several times and never had any problems.

Angel_04 · May 13, 2005

MommC said:
Thanks to Delta's codeshare because they'd changed their schedule.
It was a great flight......good food, on time and generally pleasant!
I've flown the YYZ/EWJ/SDQ route several times and never had any problems.

Thanks everyone. You've helped alleviate a bit of stress for me.. LOL.. *I won't worry about booking with Contiental--sounds like they are generally a good company to go with. Have a super day! xx

rellosk · May 13, 2005

apdomini100max said:
...Their flights are always on time and their crew is nice.

No airlines flights are ALWAYS on time. The on-time percentage depends on the airport and the time of day the flight arrives/departs. Continental used post that information when booking an online reservation. It looks like it is no longer provided on-line but you can call 1-800-231-0856.

58 minutes cuts it kind of close, especially since now they require you to be at the gate 1/2 hour prior to departure (I don't know if that rule is actually followed). You might also want to check which gates your flights arrive and depart from. If the gates are far apart, you may be able to convince one of the people who drive the golf-carts for the invalids to give you a ride.

ricktoronto · May 13, 2005

lilcanadiangal said:
However, since you're flying from Canada to the USA and then to the Dominican, you're going to have fun going through customs. You're going to have to pick up your baggage in NJ, go through customs and everything in that short lay over time.

All flights out of Toronto to the USA pre-clear INS and Customs in Toronto prior to security for all 3 terminals. You have nothing to do in the connecting US airport but go to your next gate, regardless of airline.

58 minutes is adequate in most cases, excapt for for MIA which is the worst connecting point there is in the USA for LatAm flights. There 90 minutes is safer. You need to check your facts before posting.

Note for early YYZ departures you need to be there at 4:30 or so to get in the appaling queue for INS though they have at least started the process 1/2 hour earlier than in the past - it used to be the airlines givieng out boarding passes starting at 4:30 and the INS not opening until 5 a.m. - apparently they have seen the light.

And it is to the DR, not the Dominican.

Angel_04 · May 13, 2005

ricktoronto said:
All flights out of Toronto to the USA pre-clear INS and Customs in Toronto prior to security for all 3 terminals. You have nothing to do in the connecting US airport but go to your next gate, regardless of airline.
58 minutes is adequate in most cases, excapt for for MIA which is the worst connecting point there is in the USA for LatAm flights. There 90 minutes is safer. You need to check your facts before posting.
Note for early YYZ departures you need to be there at 4:30 or so to get in the appaling queue for INS though they have at least started the process 1/2 hour earlier than in the past - it used to be the airlines givieng out boarding passes starting at 4:30 and the INS not opening until 5 a.m. - apparently they have seen the light.
And it is to the DR, not the Dominican.

Hey thanks for the info! I appreciate it. Sounds like I should have no problems with respect to my connection time (if our plane arrives on time etc). Yes, I too have noticed that in Toronto the wait time used to be ridiculous--I plan on arriving sometime around 3am (just to be safe!).
Thanks everyone for your input. xx

apdomini100max · May 13, 2005

rellosk said:
No airlines flights are ALWAYS on time. The on-time percentage depends on the airport and the time of day the flight arrives/departs. Continental used post that information when booking an online reservation. It looks like it is no longer provided on-line but you can call 1-800-231-0856.

58 minutes cuts it kind of close, especially since now they require you to be at the gate 1/2 hour prior to departure (I don't know if that rule is actually followed). You might also want to check which gates your flights arrive and depart from. If the gates are far apart, you may be able to convince one of the people who drive the golf-carts for the invalids to give you a ride.

Rellosks i dont know about you but all the times which i have flown CO i have left on time.

ricktoronto · May 14, 2005

Angel_04 said:
Hey thanks for the info! I appreciate it. Sounds like I should have no problems with respect to my connection time (if our plane arrives on time etc). Yes, I too have noticed that in Toronto the wait time used to be ridiculous--I plan on arriving sometime around 3am (just to be safe!).
Thanks everyone for your input. xx

The airport is closed until the first flights around 6 a.m. for the scheduled airlines. Arriving at 3 a.m. is silly. For the first flights, e.g. AA to MIA at 6:45 arrive no earlier than about 4:30. For flights around 9 a.m. you can arrive even Saturday at about 7 a.m. - I was there this morning and between 6:45 and 8 a.m. there were about 10 people in each line (except the Canjet one to Sarasota) and the line preceding INS had maybe 20 people in total.

ricktoronto · May 14, 2005

apdomini100max said:
Rellosks i dont know about you but all the times which i have flown CO i have left on time.

Ed's advice is accurate and your one experience is not representative of typical delays, if it is true.

jrzyguy · May 14, 2005

i ALWAYS fly continental...and have only once experienced a delay (departing newark....the traffic was just heavy).

The worst experience i ever had was on US AIRWAYS...horrible horrible horrible...13 hrs it took for a 1.5 hr flight!!!! and it was totaly all their fault.

ANyways...back to continental. last trip on the way down i was on a smaller craft..but coming back we had the air bus. The airbuses are very nice. Good entertainment system etc.

I have never had a problem with the staff etc...

soooooooo....take a big deap breath...and relax...if you miss the connection...call me and i will take you out for dinner and drinks in nyc and you can catch the next flight out in the morning

Malibook · May 14, 2005

Angel_04 said:
Hola everyone! I am going to the DR in July and was planning on booking my flight with Continental airlines (taking a flight from Toronto to NJ and then from NJ to POP). My question is this--of those of you who have flown Continental, what did you think of their service etc... I ask because I recently heard someone state that they would "never, ever" fly with Continental again because of the tremendous delays etc. and I am a bit concerned --especially considering that the time I have between flights is only 58 minutes. *If any of you would rather just PM me that is fine..(I understand if you'd rather not BASH continental online!) Thanks in advance. Any comments are appreciated. Have a great night! xx

Why would you want to do this?

Is the service really so important for a 3.5 hour flight?

Isn't this route going to take significantly more time (US customs, flight, wait, another flight) and money?

Angel_04 · May 14, 2005

jrzyguy said:
i ALWAYS fly continental...and have only once experienced a delay (departing newark....the traffic was just heavy).soooooooo....take a big deap breath...and relax...if you miss the connection...call me and i will take you out for dinner and drinks in nyc and you can catch the next flight out in the morning

Muchas Gracias Jrzyguy! lol. *(Breathing deeply....lol). If I miss my connection, I will be rest assured that I have other options till my new flight!

Angel_04 · May 14, 2005

Malibook said:
Why would you want to do this?
Is the service really so important for a 3.5 hour flight?
Isn't this route going to take significantly more time (US customs, flight, wait, another flight) and money?

Hola Malibook! (hope to see you on later this month at the meetup!).
In response to your question--Why would I want to do this?... because it's CHEAPER.. I've done extensive searches on flights to the DR (not including charters) and this seems to be the cheapest and best flight for me. No, this route won't take a significant amount of MORE TIME--it is supposed to only take me a total of like 7 hours (from Toronto to POP--including my stop over etc.) As for the service--I meant the service in terms of EVERTHING not just "in-flight". Thanks again everyone! You all are fantastic.

xx

ricktoronto · May 14, 2005

Malibook said:
Why would you want to do this?

Is the service really so important for a 3.5 hour flight?

Isn't this route going to take significantly more time (US customs, flight, wait, another flight) and money?

Beats sitting in a charter with 27" pitch and departure times that change a dozen times, and random stops added along the way without notice. Charters are the Greyhound buses of the skies.

To be fair to the charter fans Skyservice non-stop is $807 with taxes. 4 hours door to door. Until they add Punta Cana of course. It is $48 less than CO.

Malibook · May 14, 2005

Hola Angel.
I will see you on the 28th unless I am in the Dominican Republic.

I always go last minute charter and the price for the flight alone would typically be around $550 CDN including taxes.
I like to have some idea what the weather forcast is.

Unless I was going for an extended stay or absolutely had to book well in advance for a wedding or such, I don't have a problem with the charters for such a short flight.

Another plus for the charter flights is that the chances of getting shaken down by Dominican customs is much less likely.
Actually, I have never seen anybody hassled at all in 5 trips but I have heard it is quite common for most other flights.

rellosk · May 14, 2005

jrzyguy said:
ANyways...back to continental. last trip on the way down i was on a smaller craft..but coming back we had the air bus. The airbuses are very nice. Good entertainment system etc.

I have never had a problem with the staff etc...

I don't believe Continental flies any Airbus jets; I believe they only fly Boeing jets (except for Continental Express which fly Embraer ERJ's).

Continental is my airline of choice and I agree with you about their staff.

Continental Question

New member

New member

New member

New member

Bronze

On Vacation!

New member

Silver

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica

New member

Bronze

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica

Bronze

Bronze

New member

New member

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica

Bronze

Silver