Connecting to Atlanta Airport....should I pick another flight?

[chanty]

The flight that we like connects to Atlanta Airport...any comments about that airport?

Thanks!

Chantal

 

[YachtClubWoman]

I connected through Atlanta once for a business trip and I said I would never do that again. It was a very long walk from the last gate to the middle of the terminal, I had to change terminals and take a shuttle (like MCO but inside). I thought it was a huge hassle. I was flying from Philadelphia to San Antonio on Delta ( not direct flights from PHL to San Antonio).

just my opinion

 

[UNCCLaw]

Other than it is the busiest airport in the US, it is fine.

Seriously, I fly there every two weeks or so as a final destination or connecting. The terminals are connected by an underground "subway" and it is pretty easy to get around. The only issues that I have ever had is landing at a gate in one terminal with a short amount of time to reach a connecting flight in another terminal. Believe me, this can be an issue at almost any airport (Dallas, are you listening?).

Hartsfield handles a lot (I mean, a lot) of traffic daily. I am sure that some have horror stories but it is fine to me. Delays have increased a bit more in the last few years, but that's because of so much air traffic.

 

[poohbear2]

I have no problems with the airport. However, my mother thinks its too big.. Then again I could walk forever. The subway is great for saving steps. I have had problems connecting in other airports. I would check the connection time that you have set for yourself. I mean if you have only 30 minutes between flights it might be hairy. You have to set yourself up for anything. One flight we took we ended up waiting on the plane for 30 minutes because the door couldn't open at the gate. I guess our gate was being used by another airline so we had to land at another gate.

 

[CarolA]

I have connected via Atlanta hundreds if not thousands of times. Compared to some airport connections it is easy. (I'll take Atlanta over Dallas any day!) If you live in Nashville you connect via Atlanta for most of the world.

The underground train is quick and runs VERY often. You can walk to, but the shuttle is always faster.

 

[safetymom]

I agree that ATL is not hard to connect in. It's busy but easy to find your way.

 

[pamlet]

Where are you flying from?

Atlanta is big - there MAY be other options. I've flown through there lots of times... can't say it's my favorite.. laugh... The reason I don't like it is that I have a very weird little "nervousness" about escalators - and the ones down to the subway are long and steep ... eeyuck...

Seriously - most airline hubs have their pros and cons... so any airport you'd have to fly through can be a pain in the neck without a lot of connecting time. Depending on where you are flying from you could see if there are flights that give you more connection time.

 

[philaround]

last Dec we flew AirTran from NY to MCO connecting in ATL down and back. On the way down our connecting flight was 1 gate over from our incoming gate and on the way back our connecting flight was 2 gates over. Several years ago we flew Delta thru ATL and had to traverse the entire terminal to get to our next gate. Due to that and several other problems we had with Delta we have never flown Delta again.

 

[gw_lit]

The flight that we like connects to Atlanta Airport...any comments about that airport?

Thanks!

Chantal

It depends which airline you're on. If you're flying AirTran, your connection will mostly likely be in the C Concourse (gates 1-20). AirTran also has a few gates (3 or 4?) in the D Concourse though.

If you're on Delta, you're flights could be on pretty much any concourse. But as an earlier poster indicated, the subway connects all the concourses and travel on it is pretty quick with frequent trains.

The best advice is, as soon as you deplane, head to your connecting gate immediately. Once you get to your connecting gate and see how much time you'll have until boarding, then you can make your potty or food runs.

 

[chanty]

I'm flying out of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The flight we are looking at...gives us only 40 min... I guess it will be too tight??? I don't feel like being overly stressed!!

The flight is with Delta airlines.

Chantal

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I guess people have not heard the old joke: When you die, it doesn't matter whether you go to heaven or the other place, you'll end up changing planes in Atlanta!

I've flown through ATL more than I care to remember, sometimes with barely 30 mins. to make a connection. Never had a problem; never missed a flight, even when I had to go from one end of the terminal to another (different) terminal.

40 minutes is close, but possible to do. Probably won't have time for a potty break and if you have to change terminals, you'll need to walk fast.

 

[clkelley]

I have changed planes in Atlanta many times!! I usually don't have a problem, but then if my transfer time is less than 1 hour, I try to force a longer layover.

I have found Cincinatti, OH airport to be a pleasant transfer point, especially if you are using commuter planes. That is a Great! terminal.

Carol

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Hartsfield-Jackson is the World's largest airport and usually has the highest passenger load in the US/World. With that being said, as an Metro Atlanta resident and a very frequent flyer out of this airport, I really think it is one of the most efficient and functional airports in the world.

I would not think twice about flying into and through this airport.

As the saying goes....."When you die...if you go to heaven or hell....you have to change planes in Atlanta!

 

[Cara]

Atlanta is a huge airport, but it is very easy to navigate. I would have no qualms connecting through Atlanta as long as there was a reasonable period between flights.