Layover question

[Poohlove]

Tomorrow we are flying home to Philadelphia out of St Thomas. We have a two hourish layover in Atlanta. When we checked in for our flight it was for both legs. What happens when you have a layover. I am assuming that we will disembark get our checked luggage and then go back through security but I have never done this before and don't know what to expect.

 

[bumbershoot]

The bags should be checked through so you see them at your home airport.

 

[Poohlove]

Ohhh, so we won't have to get them. That makes life easier. Will we have to go back through security?

 

[loves to dive]

If Atlanta is your first stop you will have to go through customs if you are getting off the plane. Used to you had to grab your luggage and go through customs and then put it back on a belt to go to your next flight. Not sure how they do it now. My son just got home from Costa Rica a few weeks ago and he said they no longer pass out the declaration forms on the plane, you do it at a kiosk.

 

[Poohlove]

We will be going through customs in St Thomas, do we have to do it again in Atlanta?

 

[kar915]

Your flight from St. Thomas will arrive like a domestic flight into Atlanta. Bags will transfer automatically just make sure when you check in your bags in St. Thomas that the bag tags say PHL for Philadelphia. You will not have to go through security again.

 

[Poohlove]

Your flight from St. Thomas will arrive like a domestic flight into Atlanta. Bags will transfer automatically just make sure when you check in your bags in St. Thomas that the bag tags say PHL for Philadelphia. You will not have to go through security again.

That is music to my ears (or eyed lol) I am hoping for as smooth a trip home as possible. Bad enough we are leaving the Caribbean during the peak of hurricane season to go home to a tropical storm

 

[kar915]

That is music to my ears (or eyed lol) I am hoping for as smooth a trip home as possible. Bad enough we are leaving the Caribbean during the peak of hurricane season to go home to a tropical storm

I assume you are on Delta, they usually run a pretty well run operation. The flight I'd be slightly concerned with would be your ATL-PHL leg.

 

[Poohlove]

We are on Delta, the flight here was our first with them and I thought it was great. I am concerned about our ATL-PHL flight. Originally we were supposed to have a direct to JFK which is where we departed from but they changed the flight to include a layover. Since we are way closer to PHL we are flying there rather than to JFK and having to drive 2 hours home.

We ended up renting a car and returning it at JFK and I have a friend dropping my car at PHL so we can get home. The transportation part of our vacation planning has been interesting.

 

[bumbershoot]

We will be going through customs in St Thomas, do we have to do it again in Atlanta?

St Thomas is part of the US though.

 

[Poohlove]

Right, another poster said we would do it when we got off of the plane so I was wondering if we had to do it again.

Doesn't make sense that we would since we would be in US Territory but what do I know

 

[OKW Lover]

If Atlanta is your first stop you will have to go through customs if you are getting off the plane. Used to you had to grab your luggage and go through customs and then put it back on a belt to go to your next flight. Not sure how they do it now. My son just got home from Costa Rica a few weeks ago and he said they no longer pass out the declaration forms on the plane, you do it at a kiosk.

Big difference between St. Thomas and Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a foreign country and you would need to go through customs/imigration when returning from there. However, St. Thomas is one of the US Virgin Islands and thus part of the US. Since you never left the US, there is no need to go through customs/imigration.

We will be going through customs in St Thomas, do we have to do it again in Atlanta?

You won't go through customs in St. Thomas either. You're basically doing a domestic US trip.

 

[Poohlove]

Big difference between St. Thomas and Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a foreign country and you would need to go through customs/imigration when returning from there. However, St. Thomas is one of the US Virgin Islands and thus part of the US. Since you never left the US, there is no need to go through customs/imigration.


You won't go through customs in St. Thomas either. You're basically doing a domestic US trip.

We actually do go through customs at the airport. We did in December and will again this trip. A lot of peoe visit the BVI while here. It only takes a few minutes while they ask a couple questions.

 

[Poohlove]

We are currently in the Atlanta airport and this process could not have been easier. After going through customs and security in St Thomas we boarded our plane. After landing we went directly to our gate for our flight to Philadelphia where we will meet up with our checked baggage. So easy!!!