Atlanta Airport Question

[AppState2336]

My fiance and I will be going to Disney World in September for our honeymoon. Flying Delta from Norfolk and connecting to another Delta flight in the ATL airport on a Sunday afternoon.

Neither one of us fly very often and neither one of us have ever been to the ATL airport. We only have a 39 minute layover, and I've heard horror stories about dealing with that airport. Is 39 minutes going to cut it? Any tips/tricks for navigating that airport?

 

[DebbieB]

My fiance and I will be going to Disney World in September for our honeymoon. Flying Delta from Norfolk and connecting to another Delta flight in the ATL airport on a Sunday afternoon.

Neither one of us fly very often and neither one of us have ever been to the ATL airport. We only have a 39 minute layover, and I've heard horror stories about dealing with that airport. Is 39 minutes going to cut it? Any tips/tricks for navigating that airport?

See this diagram. With any luck, your connection will be on the same concourse. If not, follow the signs to the middle of the concourse and go down the escalators to the level below (watch the signs for which escalators, each side is a different direction). Then you have the choice of either walking to the next concourse or taking the train. I think it's one of the easier airports to navigate, there's only one terminal and the concourses are in a straight line. 39 minutes is cutting it close, it's fine if your first flight is on time, if not you are going to have to hussle. There should be a monitor after you exit the jet bridge showing all the connecting gate information.

 

[AppState2336]

Great, thanks Debbie!

 

[maxiesmom]

I hate to say it, but you need to be a little concerned. 39 minutes is a very short amount of time to try and make a connection in Atlanta. I have made a 47 minute connection on Delta, and there was not any time left to spare. By the time I hussled to my second gate I only had maybe a minute before they started boarding. And that was with my first flight landing early.

Hopefully you have a seat towards the front of your first plane. If not, ask the FA if they can ask the rest of the passengers to remain seated so that those with a short connection can disembark first. Sometimes they will do that, but no guarantees other passengers will listen.

Also, once you disembark, do not stop for anything! No bathroom breaks, no snacks, nothing! Your only objective is to make your connecting flight. If you have to change concourses, use the subway system, do not try to walk it. The subway is faster.

I would also keep your carry-on bags to a minimum. You don't want to be weighed down with a lot of bags. You also don't want to risk having a bag gate checked.

I wish you luck!

 

[bumbershoot]

Doesn't sound like a fun start to a honeymoon to me! I dislike rushing.

Beyond knowing the layout of the airport, be sure your carryons are easy to carry and easy to rush with.

Also, know your options should you miss that plane. Find out the next flights out and make a tentative plan.

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

I would be mildly concerned, but as this connection is regularly scheduled, I wouldn't stress over it.

 

[DebbieB]

The thing I like with connecting in Atlanta is there are usually alot of options. Orlando fights are about once an hour. If you are in an airport with 2 flights a day and your first flight is late, you have a problem. I've been through there many times and I don't think I've ever missed a connection, although my luggage has (it was on the next flight).

 

[sam_gordon]

Just to make you feel a little better, when we went on vacation in June, our first flight "docked" at the T concourse. Our connecting flight was on E. There were five of us (including a 6 & 8 yo). We had a bathroom stop on T, then proceeded to our E gate. We made it in about 20 minutes.

One suggestions... go to http://www.flightstats.com. You can put in your airline, flight number, and date, and it will show you on time history, and you can look at what gate it's been going to/from. That can give you a general idea (no guarantee) of what you'll have to do.

Also, I disagree with maxiesmom. Even if FA's made an announcement for people to keep their seats, I don't think enough of them will to really make a difference.