Connecting flights Atlanta
 

I have only been on one trip before this one, and it was a nonstop flight. For the first time I am using a connecting flight. Do you go back through security when you get to the second airport? Is Atlanta airport easy to navigate? I only have 90 minutes between flights assuming the first flight is on time, and I am worried about missing my second flight.

90 min is plenty for Atlanta (as long as your initial flight isn't 2 hr late!). The airport is also pretty easy to navigate. There are a series of terminals that are all connected by an underground train.

When you check in the airline should be able to tell you which terminal you will be arriving at and which gate your next plane will use (be careful though, gates do sometimes change).

Also, you do not have to go back through security unless you have a desire to go outside. (On some international flights this may be different but not on any domestic flights I am aware of in Atlanta).

There are several connected terminals in Atlanta. If you are going to a distant terminal, there is a train system that connects them - do not worry, it is efficient and fast.

So you do not need to go thru security, check-in, or get your luggage. When you get off plane head to nearest arrival/departure electronic board and it will tell you your gate letter and number. If you are lucky and flying same airline on both legs of the trip, you will not have to change terminals. But even if you do, it is all done inside security area.

Atlanta's airport has a somewhat different setup than others, so the nomenclature is also different.

The airport has two main <b>terminals</b> north and south. But they're actually one big building, which you will not use as connecting passengers. This part is irrelevant.

This terminal is connected directly to Concourse &quot;T&quot;, and then there are 5 other mid-field <b>concourses</b>, A through E. Everything is connected by that underground train.

You'll probably be flying Delta, and DL uses every concourse at ATL. If your incoming and outgoing flights are in the same concourse, you don't need the train. If they are not the same, you have to take the train between the concourses.

Here's a map:

http://www.atlanta-airport.com/suble...al/termmap.htm

Thank you so much! I feel much better.

Underground train takes less than 1 min between terminals and it's continuous.

My experience at ATL is different. The trains between the concourses are very frequent, but the distance can be quite large, and up to 5 stops if you're going to E to T. It can take 4-5 minutes for those transfers.

And it's <b>deep</b>. The escalators can take close to a minute on either end to get to/from the concourses.

The furthest gates at each concourses are 1/4 mile from the train.

So, in the <b>worse case scenario</b>, you need to walk 1/4 mile, ride the long escalators down, take the train for 5 stops, ride the long escalators up, walk another 1/4 mile.

Or your flight can be next gate and it takes 30 seconds to walk over.

We connected through Atlanta just yesterday with time to spare, even with a late arriving flight:

With a 90 minute connection (domestic-domestic) our arrival was 30 minutes late coming into gate E3 (almost at the end of E concourse). Our departing flight was at A28(way near the end of A). Very crowded at 4 PM yet we still had well over 20 minutes of waiting at A28 for the on-time departure.

NoFlyZone - by your account, you have 90 minutes, minus 30 for the delay, you have 60 minutes. Yet, you only have 20 minutes to spare before boarding.

Just think about those who book with DL's minimum (unpublished) connecting time of 35 minutes. Even if their incoming flights are on-time, they'll have zero margin to get to the connecting gate.

...it took only about 15-20 minutes to get from the incoming flight to the departure gate (which was the main point). They started boarding about 20-25 minutes before departure leaving about 20 minutes to wait.

Personaly I wouldn't choose a 90 minutes space between flights...

Atlanta is VERY efficiently run, as far as connecting between terminals. But with what's going on today in the average USA airports, those frequent delays? It's just not worth it....

If the first flight was late and we miss the second flight, do they have to rebook us on the next flight out? How would something like that work? I was looking for a longer layover, but could not find one that worked.

They rebook you on the next available flights. If there's room, they'll confirm you right away. If that flight is booked solid, they'll usually &quot;protect&quot; you on the next one with confirmed seat, but you can go standby at the gate for the earlier one.

If it's international with only one flight or two, then your choices are much more limited. They may put you on the flight next day (if there's room), or they have to put you on a different itinerary or another carrier.

It can be a messy process. Good luck with your checked luggage when something like that happens. And you need to be flexible. For example, say you miss your flight to Rome, the choice given to you may be confirmed booking on a flight 2 days later, but they may let you standby on the next day. But you'll need to tell them you're flexible with routing. Have them book you through Paris, London or wherever and connect with a different carrier.

They can do a lot for you, but often YOU have to tell them what you want.

Well I am glad I am doing carry on then! Thanks for the info.

last month my agent booked me a Delta flight ATL to TLV, leaving daily at 10:40pm. Leaving Chicago, he booked me on the 5:30pm, arriving ATL at 8:30. I asked him to change it to the earlier flight, leaving at 3:45pm.

Getting to the terminal at ORD my flight was delayed to 5pm. Then it was 6pm. We ended up taking off at 6:30 pm, barely arriving to my flight --- which was delayed 3 HOURS, for technical reasons...

The &quot;original&quot; 5:30 flight left on time, btw....

So, YOU NEVER KNOW. Better safe than sorry.