Hello friends:
I have a layover of 12 hours of an international flight by Delta. This flight goes from Santiago to Atlanta, Atlanta and then to Europe, with a layover of 12 hours in Atlanta.
I have a relative who lives in Atlanta and would like to go to lunch with him. Is it possible to go out to lunch?
Obviously I have to get out there, and then, enter the international area. With visa I have no problem.
I also want to know if I can leave the luggage inside the airport, and about how long does it takes the enter to the country at this airport.
Greetings and thank you very much!!

I would think so, but this is a question best posed to the airline on which you are traveling.

If you check your luggage through to your destination in Europe, you won't need to worry about storing it (which probably isn't a possibility).

Might your relative meet you at a restaurant in the airport?

HTtY

We had an 8 hour layover and had our nephew meet us at the airport and had lunch there. Afterwards, we had to go back through security. The line was long, so plan accordingly.

With 12 hours and a visa it seems to me you'd have time to rent a car and meet your relative for lunch or have them pick you up at the airport and drop you back. I know the traffic can be bad in Atlanta and airport lines are long, but twelve hours is a LONG time, far more than I'd want to spend at the airport itself.

As the others have pointed out your luggage will be checked through and you'll have your boarding pass in hand. Sounds like the perfect time to see your family member!

Yes, especially if they pick you up AND you check your luggage. If you avoid rush hour traffic, you can easily go to and from Atlanta. There are a few restaurants within a few miles of the airport. Or they could come in and have lunch with you in the atrium area of the airport. If you don't meet up with them, one of the highest rated restaurants in Atlanta is at the airport - One Flew South. They can't go because they aren't ticketed passengers, but you can.

I strongly recommend that your friend simply meet you at the airport. If traffic or Metro problems slow down your friend, s/he will simply arrive home late that evening. If that happens to you, you're out the cost of a ticket to Europe. At the airport, you can gauge, with a fair amount of precision, when you have to end the lunch, or whatever you'll end up doing. Outside the airport, you'll have to make calculations on travel time, returning a rental, etc.

If your friend rides the Metro to Hartsfield-Jackson, you'll have hours to have lunch, talk, even shop. With friends, the important part is being together, not where the together takes place.