Flying with Delta, luggage

[hsc3boys]

Flying in October from Heathrow to Orlando via Atlanta with Delta. My first mistake, I booked on line, have an e-ticket with no information other than flight time etc. Tried contacting the company I bought from but not a lot of help. So I phoned Delta, found out I could go online and choose seats ( most helpful as there are 5 of us).
Having looked on the website I then phoned back with a query regarding luggage, I was told we can take one suitcase each free of charge, however it has to be a certain size. Having since looked again on the website the size stated is different from what I was told on the phone. Either way the size seems very small and it looks like I will have to buy 5 new suitcases (this trip is getting more expensive by the day).
Has anyone experienced this flight, did you have any issues with suitcase sizes? The website also tells me that the flight does not have the individual flight entertainment For each seat, but the chap on the end of the phone told me it does, I am very confused and apprehensive about these flights.

 

[wayneg]

We have used Delta a lot over the past few years. Not sure why you are getting conflicting info, always go with their website as it should be the correct info.
They allow 23kg and a total dimension of 157cm (62") http://www.delta.com/content/www/en...p/checked.html?icid=Policy_Ck_Baggage_Ongoing

IFE depends on the plane allocated to your route. I believe the London route usually gets the seat back tv's, we fly from Manchester and never had them but they might have changed planes by now and also get them on that route also. Even if you are on a route with good IFE they can cange last minute for operational reasons.

I always prefer to book direct with Delta, going thru an agent can be a total pain as we found out last year.

 

[Rainforest]

I am doing the same journey in September, and have done so several times before with Delta (in and out of Atlanta both ways is best, in my experience).

How long is the layover for going out and coming back? I have found that 2 hours is ideal, but then again, I have often travelled with a relative/friend who needs a wheelchair.

I don't have access to my suitcases at the moment (someone has borrowed them!) so I cannot measure them for you. Unless the regulations have changed since December (which I don't believe they have), a regular sized suitcase is ok. We even had a bigger than normal one when we went (on Delta) in December, and that was fine, too.

Looking at this Debenhams suitcase (Height: 76cm, Width: 49cm, Depth: 33cm) :

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_36536+T42392_-1


and then from the Delta website :

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en...p/checked.html?icid=Policy_Ck_Baggage_Ongoing

which says the suitcase should not exceed not exceed 62 inches (157 cm) when you total length + width + height, and the Debenhams one adds up to 158 cm which is going to be ok. Make sure the suitcase doesn't weigh more than 23 kg either going out or coming back, otherwise they will sting you with excess luggage charges!!

There is IFE (in flight entertainment) for every seat on the LHR-ATL segment (and vice versa). Have a look at the Delta website for info on food, IFE, etc. Select you seats now, and pay around £60 extra each way (if you want/can afford) for "Economy Comfort" which is just a seat with more legroom; this can be very useful for people with mobility problems.


No need to panic, stress, or worry - you'll have a great holiday!

 

[Rainforest]

Thanks wayne!

Took me ages to type up my post and in that time you had already replied! Loving your trip report, BTW.

 

[hsc3boys]

Thank you for your help, you don't think they measure the suitcases then, so as long as its about that size, the odd cm over should not be a problem. Fully understand the weight part and that shouldn't be a problem as I have a handy little thing to weigh the cases.

 

[arieliwish]

We're doing the MAN-ATL route with Delta in 9 days and I found the case info on the Delta site. Didn't know we might not have seat back IFE though.

I upgraded to the bigger seats a few weeks ago and I think it worked out at £58 each outward and £65 each on the return flight (or the other way around!).

I have an iphone and have the Delta app which shows our seats and flight times etc.

I think I'm right in saying I can check in online the day before, I selected our seats online previously.

Any info on what to do at each airport would be useful though, with check in, baggage, tickets, immigration, etc.

 

[Rainforest]

hsc3boys - I have never seen any airline counter people measure the bags! I don't think they'll bother for 1 cm!

arieliwish - I have already selected my seats (no E/C this time - too costly) and will check in 24 hours before the flight (both ways).


Bags will be checked in at LHR (or MAN in your case), and at ATL, you will have to collect them and re-check in, but you don't "go out and come in back in again" if you see what I mean. Lots of people will be doing the same ie transferring onto other flights, so just watch what others do, or ask someone. Coming back, bags will be checked in all the way through to your final destination - so you pick them up in your UK airport.

At ATL, you will get off the plane, and have to clear passport control; you should have gotten your ESTAs done by now, and filled out all the info required on Delta's website including address where you're staying in USA. So at ATL, you will present your passport, do a fingerprint and eye scan, get your passport stamped and then do the luggage thing I mentioned above.

There is a new international terminal now at ATL (I don't think it was open in December when I was last there), and you will have to get the internal plane-train to your terminal (A, B, C, D) - you will see the terminal + gate number for your connecting flight on the screens at ATL.

There is a food counter at ATL international terminal (terminal F) - McDonalds, Panda Express, Arbys, etc. so you can grab something there. Make sure you've got enough time to get to your plane - you don't want to be running to catch the plane, which I had to do once (whilst pushing a wheelchair!!!).

 

[arieliwish]

hsc3boys - I have never seen any airline counter people measure the bags! I don't think they'll bother for 1 cm!

arieliwish - I have already selected my seats (no E/C this time - too costly) and will check in 24 hours before the flight (both ways).


Bags will be checked in at LHR (or MAN in your case), and at ATL, you will have to collect them and re-check in, but you don't "go out and come in back in again" if you see what I mean. Lots of people will be doing the same ie transferring onto other flights, so just watch what others do, or ask someone. Coming back, bags will be checked in all the way through to your final destination - so you pick them up in your UK airport.

At ATL, you will get off the plane, and have to clear passport control; you should have gotten your ESTAs done by now, and filled out all the info required on Delta's website including address where you're staying in USA. So at ATL, you will present your passport, do a fingerprint and eye scan, get your passport stamped and then do the luggage thing I mentioned above.

There is a new international terminal now at ATL (I don't think it was open in December when I was last there), and you will have to get the internal plane-train to your terminal (A, B, C, D) - you will see the terminal + gate number for your connecting flight on the screens at ATL.

There is a food counter at ATL international terminal (terminal F) - McDonalds, Panda Express, Arbys, etc. so you can grab something there. Make sure you've got enough time to get to your plane - you don't want to be running to catch the plane, which I had to do once (whilst pushing a wheelchair!!!).

Thanks for that! I will probably have DH in a wheelchair too as I've requested assistance due to his mobility problems. However, we are due in at 4.40pm and the connecting flight leaves at 7.05pm, so we'll have around 2 1/2 hours to get across, hopefully that will be enough time!

I have our ESTA's and can't remember if I did put our hotel info on Delta's site but I'll check that now.

Thanks again!

 

[Rainforest]

arieliwish - you will have to fill out the address info on Delta website for the US immigration/visa waiver/advance passenger info thing.

 

[arieliwish]

arieliwish - you will have to fill out the address info on Delta website for the US immigration/visa waiver/advance passenger info thing.

Thanks for the heads up, I hadn't included the address info but have done so now for all of us. I don't have to add this to the ESTA site too do I?

 

[Rainforest]

No, arieliwish - leave the ESTA alone now.

You just fill in the hotel info on the relevant airline page whenever you travel. In this case it's Delta.

 

[isabelle25]

I am doing the same journey in September, and have done so several times before with Delta (in and out of Atlanta both ways is best, in my experience).

How long is the layover for going out and coming back? I have found that 2 hours is ideal, but then again, I have often travelled with a relative/friend who needs a wheelchair.

I don't have access to my suitcases at the moment (someone has borrowed them!) so I cannot measure them for you. Unless the regulations have changed since December (which I don't believe they have), a regular sized suitcase is ok. We even had a bigger than normal one when we went (on Delta) in December, and that was fine, too.

Looking at this Debenhams suitcase (Height: 76cm, Width: 49cm, Depth: 33cm) :

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_36536+T42392_-1

and then from the Delta website :

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/baggage/before-your-trip/checked.html?icid=Policy_Ck_Baggage_Ongoing

which says the suitcase should not exceed not exceed 62 inches (157 cm) when you total length + width + height, and the Debenhams one adds up to 158 cm which is going to be ok. Make sure the suitcase doesn't weigh more than 23 kg either going out or coming back, otherwise they will sting you with excess luggage charges!!

There is IFE (in flight entertainment) for every seat on the LHR-ATL segment (and vice versa). Have a look at the Delta website for info on food, IFE, etc. Select you seats now, and pay around £60 extra each way (if you want/can afford) for "Economy Comfort" which is just a seat with more legroom; this can be very useful for people with mobility problems.

No need to panic, stress, or worry - you'll have a great holiday!

Hi again rainforest i have just found your thread. Oops didnt know there was a uk board.
Thank you for the explanation about delta , i still didnt know what layover to chose : in the us with delta or in frankfurt with lufthansa. I just afraid of immigration time at mco, versus atlanta or Jfk? The big question..1 month left to make a choice xxx

 

[Rainforest]

Hello again isabelle25.

I don't understand why you are apprehensive about immigration times at MCO! You only need to be worried if you're somewhere where the layover is 1 hour, and the place you're clearing immigration/re-checking bags has long lines (such as LAX or JFK in my experience!).

The people on the UK Board are the ones who have cleared immigration at MCO, DUB (Dublin), FRA, etc, so they will be able to best answer the queries you have (hence my suggestion for you looking at this board). Anyway, try this recent thread :

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3150636&highlight=immigration+mco

However, my advice would be to try and avoid JFK unless you have a min of 3 hours layover. The reason is that's it's a bigger, busier airport than ATL or MIA (or CLT - Charlotte, for example), so there's bigger lines at immigration. This has been my experience.

Once you've arrived at MCO and are going to clear immigration (I have never done this, btw), and if immigration takes 1 hour or 2 hours does it matter? You will be staying onsite, I think, so you will be able to use DME, which probably runs 24 hours a day. But t looks like it may only be 30 mins, according to some of the postings on that thread above!

 

[isabelle25]

Hi again rainforest, its quite difficult for me to explain in english and forgive me if i cannot be as clear as i would like.
Concerning awaiting at mco( in the case i take lufthansa and a frankfurt layover) its because of jetlag and our journey which will begin at 5 am in france, and an arrival at 6pm. I will travel alone with my 2children and i m very anxious( im a widow mother and its the trip of a lifetime for us) ;-) anyway, with delta i have the choice of : 2hours and a half layover atlanta or 3 hours and a half with an arrival at 18.30 or 19.30pm(without immigration in this case of course) .
I need to be "ok" and not "topsy turvy" at time of checking at POR. )
Sorry again for being so "boring" and thank you for being so patient with me. Xxx isabelle

 

[Rainforest]

isabelle25 - I see what you're saying now.

I think you will be okay whichever option you choose. After all, you cannot even book your flights (on the other thread you said you were staying onsite at WDW, but not going til August 2014) for another month or two! So you have plenty of time to do research - no need to get anxious or worried.

There is a very helpful member on these boards called "chmurf", who is based near EuroDisney (I still call DLP that), and will be be able to give better advice re flights from France. Maybe chmurf can also suggest which of your options is better, or even when to purchase flights originating from France!

 

[hsc3boys]

I already booked all my seats on the delta website just after booking the flight, the helpful lady at Delta sorted the meals for me.
However had no idea I had to do anything else on line. My e-ticket says I need to confirm my flight both ways a minimum 72 hours before departure, what's that all about?
I see you can also check in on line, when is the ideal time to do this, and does this change what happens when you get to the airport, my ticket states I need to be at the check in desk a minimum of three hours before departure.
Only experience of on line check in has been via easy jet etc going to Spain, with only hand luggage.

 

[2Tiggies]

I'm not sure what the experience of others is with online check in with a US airline but I have not been able to do it to date. When we went with CO I got an email reminding me with a link to do OLCI and it let me go through the whole process and then when i hit submit it flagged a message saying that I couldn't do it online as I had to show my passport at the check in/bag drop desk at the airport. Not sure if that was just the airline. I've had similar happen with American Airlines (not to Orlando though) and another US carrier but I'm not clear if it was just coincidence or if its policy.

They usually say on the website when OLCI opens (normally 24 hours before the flight departs) so see if it says anything on there.

Regarding confirmation I've always ignored that and nothing has ever come of it.

 

[isabelle25]

isabelle25 - I see what you're saying now.

I think you will be okay whichever option you choose. After all, you cannot even book your flights (on the other thread you said you were staying onsite at WDW, but not going til August 2014) for another month or two! So you have plenty of time to do research - no need to get anxious or worried.

There is a very helpful member on these boards called "chmurf", who is based near EuroDisney (I still call DLP that), and will be be able to give better advice re flights from France. Maybe chmurf can also suggest which of your options is better, or even when to purchase flights originating from France!

You are absolutely right rainforest. For everything.
I know chmurf , he is so kind and helpfull, as for him its best to have immigration in usa. He flies Us airways through charlotte. It seems good except for return hours. Thats why i was looking for delta airlines recent data. But its right i must calm down as i have to wait somes weeks ahead before booking. But its easier said than done, lol, im too stressfull.. ) xxx