jeamon

My husband, my son and I are flying Delta into Atlanta in December and then flying Delta to Stuttgart, Germany from there. Originally, our layover in Atlanta was to be a little over 2 hours. I thought that was probably ample time to make the connection since it will be on the same airline. I got an email the other day telling me the airline changed the flights and we will now be arriving in Atlanta at 5:00pm, leaving us only 50 minutes to make the connection. My first thought was that there will probably be addtl changes in the meantime, so I wouldn't worry about it for a couple of months. Of course, now I am second-guessing myself, so here I am asking, Do I call the airline now and try to re-arrange things and, What would the ideal layover time be in this situation?

slangevar

If you're flying the same airline in and out of Atlanta, 3 hours is safe, 2 - 2 1/2 pretty safe, but 50 minutes isn't (I think) a "legal" connection.

I would call now and change your flight into Atlanta... domestic flight times change all the time, but your flight to Germany is likely to remain the same. If you miss it, Delta will automatically put you on the next flight, but judging by their schedule, that will be the next day at the earliest (the 5:55 is the last Delta flight to Stuttgart of the day). Your chances of getting great seats on your flight into Atlanta also go up if you rebook early.

Btw, there shouldn't be a change fee if their schedule change has resulted in a non-legal layover time.

panecott

Definitely change your flight into Atlanta. As suggested in the previous post give yourselves several hours.
There are many delays in and out of Atlanta due to weather issues. I found this out the hard way when I had to change planes in Atlanta on my way to Alaska two years ago, also on Delta. The airport can be chaotic in these situations and the Delta customer service is uneven at best.

freeman0819

Call DL now to get an earlier connecting flight. ATL is one of the busiset airports in the US and it will probably be a madhouse in December, especially of you are going to be there close to holiday time. If you wait, there might not be seats on earlier flighs to change to.

ira

Hi J,

I agree, change your domestic flight to ATL.

janisj

I second (actually - fifth) the recommendation. CHANGE YOUR FLIGHT INTO ATLANTA ASAP. Sorry about the all-caps - but it is really important you change the flight. ATL can be an absolute madhouse.

AnnMarie_C

Hi jeanmon,

Delta recently changed our connection time, too, for our flight to Madrid. We went from a 2.5 hour connection time to one hour which the agent on the phone said would be plenty of time to which I countered if everything goes well. We now have a four hour connection time which gives us peace of mind. This happened last year with our flight to Rome--we would rather have the long connection than the stress of "what if".

No additional charges or fees were assessed as this was a change initiated by the airline.

jeamon

Thank you to everyone for the advice. I will get on the phone with Delta ASAP. I was pretty sure 50 minutes wasn't enough, but can you tell me what a "legal" connection is and why it's referred to that way?
Again, thank you for the input.
- j

Linda431

A legal connection is what the airline considers enough time for you to make the connecting flight. If it's "legal" and you miss the connection, they will get you on the next flight with an available seat.

If you book a non-legal connection, you are on your own if you miss it. In other words, you will have to pay the difference in fares to get you to your destination risk having the return portion cancelled as well.

Larryincolorado

We took the Atlanta to Stuttgart flight (BTW, it is the only flight from No. America to Stuttgart) a few years ago. I just looked at my tickets. We had 1:45 to make the connection, but made it with plenty of time to spare. Seems to me the international flight left from the same concourse.

However, our flight was on time and we had only carryon luggage. I would be concerned about a late flight into Atlanta with checked luggage.

I just made flight arrangements for a trip to Munich in October, and US Air has a 1:25 scheduled connection in Philly. I check the arrival over the last few days, and they were consistantly late into Philly, sometimes more than 1:25, so I booked that part of the flight with United with a 4 hour connection. I will probably sit around bored in Philly, but at least I won't miss my connection to Munich.

jeamon

We, too, are planning on only having carry-on luggage. But better safe than sorry, I suppose. I'll be on the phone with Delta first thing tomorrow.

bob_brown

Another problem is that domestic flights do NOT arrive at the same terminal as the international flights depart!

The international terminal is E which is well out from the normal Delta gates.
True, there is a subway that will take you out there rather quickly, but 50 minutes is pushing it, particularly for your luggage to make the flight as well.