Connecting from British Airways to Air Tran or Delta at Atlanta
 

Hi everyone

can anyone advise what the procedure is if arriving from an international flight into Atlanta and wanting to connect on to a flight with Air Tran or Delta to Pensacola .
we have a 2 and a half hour layover so thats fine , but can anyone tell me if we need to claim our baggage and check it back in again at the relevant check in desk , or can we check it straight through ?

I'm not aware of any interline/other agreement between BA and DL (there is none with Air Tran), so you'll have to claim your baggage, go through customs, then recheck it.

Even if they have interline agreement, which BA-DL likely to, but BA-FL unlikely to, you still have to claim bags, go through customs, and then redeposit the bags.

Yes, you have to claim your luggage after you pass through immigration and before you go through customs.

When entering the U.S. you go through customs in the first city in which you land, which is a pain, but that's the way it is.

When you leave customs you can put your luggage on a conveyer belt if BA has tagged your luggage for Pensacola. Otherwise, you'll have to lug it over to Air Tran or Delta and recheck it.

You will go through security with your carryon and then leave the international terminal and take the shuttle train to the terminal from which your connecting flight will leave. You'll have plenty of time with your scheduled layover.

Hope this helps.

I don't think the OP has "plenty of time". Adequate time, but not plenty.

ATL is the world's busiest airport and gates may be very far, requiring a train ride plus pretty long walk.

Maybe Patty or others can give a more detailed description of international arrivial procedure, but ATL has centralized security, which can have a pretty long line.

If connecting to Delta, you need to:

1) go through immigration
2) claim your bags
3) go through customs
4) recheck your bags w/Delta
5) go through security screening
6) take the train that runs underneath the concourses from E to whichever concourse your Pensacola flight departs from

Provided your inbound flight arrives on schedule, 2.5 hours is enough time, but there can be long waits at the security check as all international arriving passengers (even those with ATL as their final destination) have to clear security before exiting. The trains are fairly frequent and efficient. You may have a longish walk to your gate as the concourses are long.

I don't know what happens with Air Tran. You might want to post this question on the Air Tran or BA board at flyertalk.com and see if anyone has experience there. <i>If</i> you need to check-in at the Air Tran counter, steps 1-3 would be the same. After customs, you have to put your bags on a conveyor belt for Atlanta arrivals, go through the same security screening as step 5, reclaim your bags at baggage claim, check-in with Air Tran, and go through security again. In that case, 2.5 hours may be cutting it close.

Yeah, Patty, that's what I thought. And ATL seems to be unique that passengers just going into Atlanta must go through security again, because the train from E to the Main Terminal is airside, and there's no separate train system for the non-connecting or those who need to go out to the main check-in counters.

If you still have a chioce, I would go with Delta over Air Tran - there always seems to be some computer, equipment or other mysterious delay with little info available when I fly Air Tran.

I have made the trip many times and it's as Patty said. Both my flights were with Delta but I still had to pick up my luggage, go thru customs, security and recheck them. You should have enough time, unless your incoming flight is late.

&lt;&lt;4) recheck your bags w/Delta&gt;&gt;

What do you mean when you write &quot;recheck?&quot;

The last few times I made Delta connecting flights through ATL I just put them on a conveyer belt outside customs. They had been tagged for my final destinaion when I checked in in Rome. I didn't have to go to a Delta desk and &quot;recheck&quot; the bags.

Has this changed?

That is what is meant by rechecking your luggage-putting it on the conveyor belt with the same airline because you have the &quot;checked through&quot; tags with the final destination.

Luisah,
Nothing's changed that I'm aware of. If your bags are already tagged to your final destination, you can just put them on the conveyor belt for connecting flights. If not, there are staffed counters in this area where I'm pretty sure they could check your bags in, though admittedly, I've never done this because my bags have always been through checked.

rkkwan,
Exactly, I'm just glad I only transit there ;)

Thanks Patty,

I remember having to stand in line at a Delta staffed counter and that's how I intrepreted &quot;rechecking&quot; and hoped the system hasn't reverted to that.