Anybody ever hear of this term?

My hunting partner and I have a one hour layover in Dallas between a flight from Albuquerque and a flight to Buenos Aires. (I know, it's not Africa.) Anyway, the travel agent says not to worry. Check all our stuff at Albq directly through to Buenos Aires. The flights from Albq to Dallas to Buenos Aires are "married." The airlines, in this case American, know several inbound passengers are booked on the Buenos Aires flight and it won't leave until the connecting passengers are on board.
Hmmmmmm? I'm getting a little nervous.

I hope you Have a plan B when this plan A turns to a oat f$&^$K

I think having baggage checked to your destination is smart, at least it will make it if you don't. DFW is a pretty big airport and one hour is not a lot of time if your arrival and departure gates are different. Hopefully, you have boarding passes for your connecting flight (DFW to Buenos Aires), if so the airplane probably will wait for you. I agree with ddrhook...make a plan B just in case.

Yes, airlines use this term, but only in regard to pricing tickets. It has nothing to do with holding a plane for you. They will not hold a flight with 200 people on it waiting for two guys who are arriving DFW late from ABQ. The only reason they would hold for connecting passengers is if there are a LOT of them arriving DFW late, and they won't hold for very long - their on-time statistics are too important to them. My guess is that more than half the passengers on your Buenos Aires flight connected in DFW from somewhere else, just like you. If your flight arrives DFW late and you have to RUN to make your connection, your bags probably won't make the connection, and will likely be on the same flight the next day 24 hours later. The best way to avoid a misconnect is to book a longer connection time - especially on an international itinerary.

If it is the same arline, arriving and departing from the same terminal, it could be doiable.

Two different airline, or having to get from one terminal to another, forget it.

Keep in mind, you must leave secured area, proceed to baggage claim and wait. Recover bags, find departure check-in, get in line for checking, then proceed to TSA since it is an international flight, proceed through security (another line)and run like hell to the gate. Not me, I would check them all the way. I have waited 45 minutes for bags at DFW.

With a two million mile card on Delta and a one million mile card on American my experience suggests that booking one hour layover to an international flight at DFW (Or anywhere else for that matter) is playing with fire especially if you have checked baggage.

One other note of "don't do it". I flew from Houston to BA, had a two hour layover in HOU, but my bags didn't make it to BA when I did. Since I was going dove hunting up north (Parana region), I had a connecting flight 5 hours after I arrived in BA. However there was not another flight into BA from HOU until the next day. So, I spend several days hassling with getting my bags to the lodge, and hunting in borrowed clothes.

What I learned from that adventure was twofold: 1 - fly in (or with) clothes you can live in for several days. 2 - at least be aware of when is the soonest the next flight can be there.

If you aren't on the plane when they shut the door, well, your "marriage" just got a divorce. THis "marriage" stuff sounds like unadulterated B.S.