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Home » United Airlines » United’s Connection Saver Fails Me In SFO
United Airlines

United’s Connection Saver Fails Me In SFO

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 23, 2024August 23, 2024 19 Comments

a sign on a wall

A “photo finish” thanks to Air Traffic Control delays in San Francisco created a stressfully tight connection at SFO. Unlike my trip to Tahiti, this one did not end well…

Connection Saver Does Not Save My SFO – SIN Flight On United

In 2019, United introduced its Connection Saver tool, which it describes described at the time as a “multi-faceted” technology:

ConnectionSaver is powered by new technology that automatically identifies departing flights that can be held for connecting customers, while ensuring those who have already boarded the aircraft arrive at their destination on time. ConnectionSaver also sends personalized text messages to every connecting customer (who has opted in to receive notifications) with clear directions to the gate for their connecting flight and information about how long the walk will take.

United’s ConnectionSaver technology automatically scans flights for customers who are making tight connections to determine if the connecting flight can be held without inconveniencing other customers. The ConnectionSaver tool takes into account factors such as the time it will take for late connecting customers to travel gate-to-gate as well as the impact the hold may have on other flights and customers.

United claims this tool has saved, at some points, thousands of connections per day.

Sometimes, though, it doesn’t quite work as you hoped…

My flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco was delayed thanks to poor weather in San Francisco. When the fog rolls in at SFO, one of the runways closes, which slows down all incoming air traffic.

a plane flying in the air

We did not push from LAX until 10:05 am.

a plane wing and a building

an airplane wing and plane wing in the sky

an airplane wing over a city

It was an anxious flight…many passengers had connections including several on my flight to Singapore.

a group of people sitting in an airplane

I was sure that United was going to hold the Singapore flight.

We landed at 11:34 am, but had a fairly long taxi to the gate, arriving at 11:42 am. I was in row 25, but managed to get off quickly and bolted from the E gates to the G gates. The Singapore flight was departing from G6.

an airplane wing in the sky

an airplane wing and city

a building with a large building in the background

Then this text message arrived:

a screenshot of a message

I smiled. Looks like I would make my flight after all!

Still, though, I ran to the gate, arriving at 11:54 am, 16 minutes before the revised departure.

But it was too late…

The flight was pushing back and there were no gate agents left.

a check in counter in a building
11:54 am…

Soon thereafter, the flight “closed” without me on it.

a sign on the wall

a sign on a wall

a plane on the runway

an airplane on the tarmac

a group of airplanes at an airport

As I stood there panting at the gate, several others from my LAX-SFO flight arrived.

From what I could tell, the SFO-SIN flight went out with opens seats and arrived 45 minutes early in Singapore.

Why the flight could not be held for a few extra minutes…will remain a mystery. This did not seem to be a case of the crew exceeding duty time if it waited a few extra minutes for connecting passengers.

But when life (or United) hands you lemons, you make lemonade. It was still early and I was determined to find another way to Singapore…in time to make my Singapore Airlines connection to Cambodia.

In the end, I was rebooked to fly via Tapei to Singapore. Even with an unexpected overnight in Singapore, I’d make it (just) in time for my connection on Singapore Airlines (I had given myself, wisely in retrospect, a day-long buffer in Singapore which suddenly became a 2.5-hour buffer).

So the moral of the story is two-fold. First, tight connections in San Francisco are foolish. Second, Conneciton Saver does not always work as you might expect.

A tale of two tight SFO flight connections indeed…


> Read More: I Received The Global Services Treatment On United Airlines…And I Loved It


This is part of my Asia trip report.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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19 Comments

  1. ReyL Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 10:29 am

    Yes, I have had many close calls connecting through SFO also. It seems like the regional jets flying into SFO suffer the most.

  2. Christian Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 11:18 am

    @Matthew – Was this a paid ticket since they rebooked you on another carrier?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 23, 2024 at 11:47 am

      Yes, it was a paid ticket (though I flew United from SFO-TPE, then BR from TPE-SIN).

  3. ed lewis Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 11:21 am

    it would be interesting to see if united can unpack all the assumptions contained in Connection Saver brain and see why it did not work here. Based on the early arrival at SIN, it seems like the flight was an ideal candidate to hold for 10-15 mins.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 23, 2024 at 11:46 am

      Indeed. And also, what was that text message about if the flight actaully pushed back on time?

      • Mark Reply
        August 23, 2024 at 12:05 pm

        With limited runway capacity it was probably a situation where they had to get the plane out to hit their takeoff slot or risk a much longer delay.

        • Matthew Klint Reply
          August 23, 2024 at 12:58 pm

          That’s actaully quite a reasonable point…and I did not even consider it.

          • 121Pilot
            August 23, 2024 at 1:29 pm

            SFO isn’t slot controlled and the fact they arrived 45 early also means that wasn’t the issue on the other end.

            This seems like the perfect time that the connection saver should have done its job. Multiple people, minimal delay to hold it, and a flight that will still arrive early. Shame it failed and though we will never know why it would be very interesting if we could find out.

  4. Al Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 11:39 am

    wow, you made a very rare landing on the 10’s! Yes, unless you have at least a 4 hour buffer, I would not dare to try to connect at SFO.

  5. MeanMeosh Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 11:47 am

    That sure seems like an egregious service failure. And also Exhibit A why I avoid D/I connections at SFO, even though in many ways I prefer the airport itself to LAX if I need to take a one stop. At least coming in from Dallas, schedules are pretty ideal to overnight at SFO and connect on the next day.

  6. Jeffrey Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 12:47 pm

    What’s United Connection Saver? I can’t find a single reference to it on United’s website at the moment. Are you sure this is still a thing? Maybe United sunsetted the program.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 23, 2024 at 12:59 pm

      • Jeffrey Reply
        August 23, 2024 at 1:05 pm

        I was being a bit cheeky with my post, but it does seem as though United is no longer promoting this technology and eliminating references to it on United.com. Maybe there’s something behind it, especially when your situation seems like a prime opportunity to demonstrate its utility, United seems to present as though it never existed (save for the YouTube clip you posted). Bizarre given how it would seem to benefit both United and their customers.

  7. Dave W. Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 3:27 pm

    I’ve flown twice to Australia on UA through SFO post pandemic. I would have again, but they moved the only N/S from my airport to leave 58 to 75 minutes of connection time for Australia and NZ flights. And, J prices when I was booking were 15%-20% higher than previous years. No thanks.

  8. Arthur Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 4:15 pm

    If you really have to get to Asia and are connecting on the west coast, adding a buffer of a day has always been wise.

  9. Nick Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 4:34 pm

    ConnectionSaver also considers whether the gate is needed to park a different airplane. If there were no spare international gates it may have recommended not holding your flight so as not to compound more delays onto another flight.

  10. Cy Reply
    August 23, 2024 at 7:18 pm

    Why in gods name would you fly UA on a route that is also operated by Singapore airlines???

    • emercycrite Reply
      August 24, 2024 at 7:46 am

      LOL because he loves United.

  11. BDAGuy Reply
    August 29, 2024 at 5:27 pm

    Recently on a San Juan-Houston flight, we were 2 hours late with multiple connections. Upon arrival at IAH, A gent in the seat opposite mine called the United premier folks to let them know of the many pax connecting at IAH to Phoenix and that we were sitting on the taxiway awaiting a gate assignment. The customer service desk told him they would try to reach someone at IAH to see about a short hold on the departing flight. Not sure if it helped, but about 12 people made their connection to Phoenix even though they only had about 15 minutes after debarking.

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