Layover in Atlanta Im nervous

[OhioCruiserDude]

We are flying down to orlando for our cruise on sunday on Freedom we have a half hour layover in Atlanta I have heard horro stories about delays and having to change terminals. How bad is ATL can someone help put my mind at ease. Any tips or advice will help. I have been to Chicago O'Hare, JFK, Miami, Tokyo, but ATL is making me nervous

[NorbertsNiece]

Hi. There is a wealth of info about most airports on the Cruise Air board here. Suggest you post your question there too, mentioning the airline you are with.

[OhioCruiserDude]

We are flying Airtran with and only have 40 min

[jwds]

40 min is very tight in any airport. That said, you have a better chance in ATL that the other airports you mention.

 

ATL is a very easy airport to navigate.

[BillB48]

IIRC the majority of Air Tran's gates are on C terminal with some also on D, those terminals are not quite as bad as T, A and B... but it's still Atlanta! Insert sermon about flying in a day earlier here ________________ . Seriously can you change to an earlier flight or are there other AT flights to Orlando that can work for you if you are delayed arriving at ATL?

[Tim,n,Sue]

Wow only 30 minutes. Iit would be my luggage more than myself that I would worry about. We always split out clothes in the suitcases so each case has some of our clothes. In that way we have at least a couple of changes of clothes EACH in case a piece of luggage goes walk about on us. Also, hand carry ALL of your meds just in case. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

[KristinTravels]

I have heard major horror stories, and my father without fault always gets delayed at ATL. However I have never (knock on wood) had a delay there and always had a wonderful time. They have lots of food options, a pretty decent book store (last time I was there).

 

I would suggest morning off looking up your flight to see where your connecting is flying to which gate. This will give you a good idea how much you need to book it to the connecting gate or not. If you are in same terminal that be awesome.

 

All terminals are connected underground and personally I generally just hoof it as I never seem to get there when the train arrives. If you can can on the train it is pretty fast to the next terminal.

 

Don't worry you will be fine. ATL is not as terrible as people make out to be, just a very busy airport.

[msmayor]

I'll admit, 40 minutes is pretty tight.

 

That being said, my daughter flies through ATL a few times a year going back and forth from college and most of her connections are about 50-55 minutes. She has never missed one (knock wood). She flies Delta and has had to switch terminals.

[ausofte]

I live in Atlanta and refuse to fly Airtran ever again. I will ALWAYS pay the $20 more to fly Delta. The service is just that much better. That said, you should be fine assuming no delays by Airtran on the first flight. Navigating ATL is super easy, with a train to hop on if you need it. Are you just going from terminal C to D or D to C?

 

More info here:

http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Airport/APM/

 

http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Passenger/Terminal/

[temple1]

With just a 30 minute layover you might not be changing planes. I'm not sure how you can find out but I think your reservation will have the info.

[newbiecruiser09]

I too was freaked when I booked our first trip (on AirTran) with a stop in ATL. 1) it was the day before Thanksgiving :eek:2) DH was on crutches:eek: 3) we only had 55 min time between flights. Turns out our connecting flight was at the gate right across from the gate we arrived in. I'd check and see for the next few days what gates your flight arrives at and departs from. That should give you a good idea of your scenario. Have a great cruise!

[BillOh]

We are flying down to orlando for our cruise on sunday on Freedom we have a half hour layover in Atlanta I have heard horro stories about delays and having to change terminals. How bad is ATL can someone help put my mind at ease. Any tips or advice will help. I have been to Chicago O'Hare, JFK, Miami, Tokyo, but ATL is making me nervous

 

I've had the least delays and problems in Atlanta than any other major airport. Now, I know you have special arrangements this time, but flying down the day before really does alleviate the stress of flying in the day before. We have done 3 cruise this time of year flying in the day of the cruise, and had good luck. You flying out of Cleveland?

[Ocean Boy]

I live in Atlanta and refuse to fly Airtran ever again. I will ALWAYS pay the $20 more to fly Delta. The service is just that much better. That said, you should be fine assuming no delays by Airtran on the first flight. Navigating ATL is super easy, with a train to hop on if you need it. Are you just going from terminal C to D or D to C?

 

 

In just a few more months you won't be able to fly Air Tran even if you wanted to.;)

[SpeedGeek]

We are flying Airtran with and only have 40 min

 

Are you sure it's not the same plane? If it's not, did you choose the connecting flights or did a ticketing company? Minimum connection time for a domestic to domestic flight at ATL is 55 minutes. Anything less is an "illegal" itinerary, meaning the carrier is not obligated to assist you if you miss your connection. Be aware of this and if your ticketing agency made this itinerary and didn't warn you about the potential issues, contact them immediately to fix it.

 

Considering that many airlines close their gate 15 minutes prior to departure, you're going to have 25 minutes to arrive, park, deplane, transfer to the new gate and check in and board on the new plane. Also hope that any checked luggage is able to do the same. You could possibly do it since the MCT is only 15 minutes more and ATL isn't that difficult to traverse, but there are no guarantees, and again, the airline isn't obligated to help you out.

 

Playing with 'illegal' connections can lead to a LOT of headache that I really wouldn't recommend (I did it with international flights which made it ten times worse).

[will773]

With just a 30 minute layover you might not be changing planes. I'm not sure how you can find out but I think your reservation will have the info.

 

Bingo. I only had a 30 minute layover in ATL one time. Got off the plane and got right back on again. Another time I had a short layover my flight got in at the gate right next to the train and it took less than 2 minutes to get to the next terminal. ATL is probably the easiest airport to get around in. I wouldn't worry, you should be fine.

[Ocean Boy]

Bingo. I only had a 30 minute layover in ATL one time. Got off the plane and got right back on again. Another time I had a short layover my flight got in at the gate right next to the train and it took less than 2 minutes to get to the next terminal. ATL is probably the easiest airport to get around in. I wouldn't worry, you should be fine.

 

Maybe one of the easiest BIG airports but hardly the easiest airport in general.

[Ocean Boy]

 

Considering that many airlines close their gate 15 minutes prior to departure, you're going to have 25 minutes to arrive, park, deplane, transfer to the new gate and check in and board on the new plane. Also hope that any checked luggage is able to do the same. You could possibly do it since the MCT is only 15 minutes more and ATL isn't that difficult to traverse, but there are no guarantees, and again, the airline isn't obligated to help you out.

 

Playing with 'illegal' connections can lead to a LOT of headache that I really wouldn't recommend (I did it with international flights which made it ten times worse).

 

When you check-in for the first segment of the flight that usually includes the check-in for the connecting flight also and that does cut down considerably on required time. As long as both flights are with the same airline it is doable. Changing airlines would be VERY unadvisable.

[mo&fran]

We connect a lot through ATL and my experience is if our flight is delayed, most likely the connecting flight is also delayed , and the airline will make a big effort to insure you make the connection. And our baggage , so far, has always made the connection.

Also, if your continuing flight is on the same plane, it should have the same flight number.

[seafish]

FWIW - I believe 50 minutes is the minimum "legal" time allowed between flights. Although ATL is easy to navigate - if e.g.-you happen to arrive terminal A and are flying out of terminal E ... you'll need to hustle...especially if your arriving flight is late. Airlines (usually) do not hold flights based on connection arrival times. Done that too many times in ATL.

[nyyhoneybee]

I did it like that this summer. Going we were fine coming home was a nightmare, bad weather in NY led to like a 5 hour delay.

[mo&fran]

FWIW - I believe 50 minutes is the minimum "legal" time allowed between flights. Although ATL is easy to navigate - if e.g.-you happen to arrive terminal A and are flying out of terminal E ... you'll need to hustle...especially if your arriving flight is late. Airlines (usually) do not hold flights based on connection arrival times. Done that too many times in ATL.

WE fly Delta and have never had them leave without us. WE have been sitting on the plane and been told we were waiting for connecting passengers and luggage.

[jst4fun715]

Are you sure it's not the same plane? If it's not, did you choose the connecting flights or did a ticketing company? Minimum connection time for a domestic to domestic flight at ATL is 55 minutes. Anything less is an "illegal" itinerary, meaning the carrier is not obligated to assist you if you miss your connection. Be aware of this and if your ticketing agency made this itinerary and didn't warn you about the potential issues, contact them immediately to fix it.

 

 

I just did a "dummy" booking from Akron to Orlando. Not sure if this is where the OP is flying out of, but there is a flight that leaves Akron around 6:30 a.m. and has a 30 minute layover with an arrival in Orlando at 10:16. Not sure from your above post if this falls into the "illegal" itinerary. I would think that if the airlines posts this, it would be legal. Just asking because I don't quite understand.:o

[PH8]

Im guessing they cant fly out earlier since the day before is their wedding!! Congrats!

[Marie51]

We are flying down to orlando for our cruise on sunday on Freedom we have a half hour layover in Atlanta I have heard horro stories about delays and having to change terminals. How bad is ATL can someone help put my mind at ease. Any tips or advice will help. I have been to Chicago O'Hare, JFK, Miami, Tokyo, but ATL is making me nervous

 

Yikes! Is there anyway you can change your flight to have a longer layover?

Yes, you may have to change terminals in Atlanta but my biggest fear if I were you would be that my luggage won't make it. The last time I had a short layover in Atlanta my luggage didn't make it and came in on a later flight. If you are flying in the same day as the cruise you may be in trouble. You may be boarding the ship without your luggage.

I am sorry..you ask if someone can put your mind at ease but you are asking for trouble with a short layover. I hope you have insurance.

[Loves_Dogs]

Hey fellow Buckeye. We have been through Atlanta a few times. Unfortunately I have to agree with everyone else, 30 minutes its not much time in THAT airport. Back in December we were there on our way to Orlando. Delta gave us only 48 minutes and we had to change terminals. We lucked out and as soon as we got to the underground train one was coming so we rode it to our terminal. I would suggest that you walk, if not run to your terminal instead of waiting for a train if there are none in sight. Coming back we had over 2 hours so we just walked it. On the bright side, the airport is very easy to navigate as there are signs everywhere. Good luck and have a GREAT cruise!