Flying from Seatac thru DTW to FLL! Advice!

We are from Seattle and looking at flights that have layovers in Detriot...yikes!! I expect delays coming out of Seatac but how does DTW deal with winter weather and getting flights out on time? I am nervous that if we book a flight thru DTW, we will have further delays and may miss the cruise. We cannot fly out until late 12/12 due to work conflicts.

[Laurie S.]

I grew up in the Detroit area and never remember any problems. They're used to winter conditions and are prepared to deal with them. Blizzards are rare in southern Michigan and usually the heavy snows don't come until January. I remember many "brown" Christmases.

[klfrodo]

Originally Posted by Mike+Matoka

We are from Seattle and looking at flights that have layovers in Detriot...yikes!! I expect delays coming out of Seatac but how does DTW deal with winter weather and getting flights out on time? I am nervous that if we book a flight thru DTW, we will have further delays and may miss the cruise. We cannot fly out until late 12/12 due to work conflicts.

Why not fly Alaska Airlines from Seattle straight to Miami? No changing planes. No layovers anywhere. Might be a little $$ extra, but surely that extra $$ has value due to the possible risks involved with plane changes and layovers and the increased possibility of lost or delayed luggage.

[DanJ]

I agree that I would pay extra to simply fly non-stop if such an option exists. That said, Detroit is a good airport in dealing with weather. And it's a nice airport to spend connection time at.

[kitty9]

DTW is one of my most favorite US airports. I hope you're flying in the day before your cruise.

DTW is great at keeping their runways clear. They have a great monorail system to take you from gate to gate. And there are more shops and restaurants than you can count. If you're a member of the NWA club, the one at the center of the terminal is huge and a great place to stay if you have a lot of time between flights. They also have clubs at each monorail stop.

[fideauxdon]

There are dozens of daily flights from SEA to FLL which don't stop in Detroit. Just go to a site like Kayak (www.kayak.com), plug in your Origin and Destination, and take your pick. MIA will offer even more choices.

[FlyerTalker]

I regularly take the SEA-DTW flights. DTW has 4 parallel runways (allowing for simultaneous ops), and an excellent reputation for handling bad weather. Also, with the NW/DL merger, if you have "issues" there are multiple reroute options available, both from SEA and from DTW.

If you have the time, stop by the "water feature" near the center of the A concourse. If much time, a trip through the tunnel to the B/C concourse will be an "experience" of sounds and colored lights. And if on a tighter connect, DTW is an easy airport to navigate....one long A concourse for your SEA and FLL flights. Just check to see if the tram or the moving sidewalks is the fastest way to your gate (there are large signs indicating that info).

[6rugrats]

Originally Posted by Mike+Matoka

We are from Seattle and looking at flights that have layovers in Detriot...yikes!! I expect delays coming out of Seatac but how does DTW deal with winter weather and getting flights out on time? I am nervous that if we book a flight thru DTW, we will have further delays and may miss the cruise. We cannot fly out until late 12/12 due to work conflicts.

Not sure why you would expect delays flying from SEA; this year I've had the most delays from ORD, SFO, IAD and PHL, not SEA. The last time we flew through DTW headed back to SEA, which was the middle of December, we sat on the ground in the plane for almost three hours because of weather.

This was on the way home though, so while inconvenient, was not the end of the world. Just prepare for how you will deal with it if it happens.

[mjesf]

I am guessing that you are considering flying on NW from SEA to FLL via DTW; and you will be spending the night flying across the country to arrive at FLL the morning of the cruise.

In the same time frame AA does it through DFW and CO through IAH, so think about those options as well.

[steve20832]

Originally Posted by mjesf

I am guessing that you are considering flying on NW from SEA to FLL via DTW; and you will be spending the night flying across the country to arrive at FLL the morning of the cruise.

In the same time frame AA does it through DFW and CO through IAH, so think about those options as well.

Northwest/Delta has several flights that do not involve spending the night in Detroit
There is a 9:00am flight that lands at 9:23pm (switch planes at DTW) as well as several other flights that go through the Northwest/Delta hubs that are not overnight flights. If DTW is closed due to weather(rarely happens because they get a lot of practice clearing snow) there are SLC, MSP, and ATL connections they can be put on.
Please do some research before posting false information.

[FlyerTalker]

Originally Posted by mjesf

I am guessing that you are considering flying on NW from SEA to FLL via DTW; and you will be spending the night flying across the country to arrive at FLL the morning of the cruise.

Originally Posted by steve20832

Northwest/Delta has several flights that do not involve spending the night in Detroit.
Please do some research before posting false information.

If you read the post from mjesf, he described taking the redeye from SEA to DTW (flying overnight), then connecting to a morning departure to FLL to make the cruise that day.

Nowhere was it talking about having to spend the night in DTW.

It's a fact of life....from the west coast, if you want to arrive in Florida sometime before late afternoon, you likely will have to overnight ONBOARD the aircraft on a redeye. Both distance and timezone changes work against you.

So, as far as I can see, there's been no false information in this thread.