Nervous about my layover-Only 50 minutes???

[pnelson]

Having read and joined in on the Delta thread, let me say I am very nervous about my flight to MCO in November. We are landing Thanksgiving morning and only have 50 minutes till our next flight takes off. Our connection is in Atlanta. Having missed this connection the last time we flew, I know the joys of flying standby. I'm especially worried because it is Thanksgiving morning. I would have booked another combination, but the other combos are very spread out. I'm sure there is nothing I can do now, but does anyone have any recommendations or assurances?? Is 50 minutes usually enough??

 

[CEDmom]

It really should be enough time. Thanksgiving morning is actually a good travel day since most people want to get to their destination by Wednesday.

 

[Chuck S]

If your flights are on time the 50 minutes should be plenty of time to change in Atlanta - we've caught connections on a 30 minute layover - but we had to hustle.

 

[DoeWDW]

First of all, I'd see if the Atlanta airport has a website with a map that lists the gates. Print it out & carry it with you.

Next I'd check Delta's website. Some airlines post which gate each flight uses. If the website doesn't list this, then call Delta a day or two before the flights and ask if they can give you the information.

If you have a map of the gates, and you know which gate you're coming into and which gate you're leaving from, you will be able to see exactly where you're going in the airport. It makes you a lot more confident about making a tight connection.

I'm sure you'll do fine!

 

[Luv2Roam]

Personally, having flown near Thanksgiving and with a layover in Atlanta (but not at the same time) a 50 minute layover would make me nervous.
When we flew Delta a few years ago, our layover was in Atlanta. We went from Delta plane to another -- at opposite ends of the airport.
Atlanta is not the easiest to get from one end to another. We hurried like crazy and made it with about 15 minutes to spare. And we probably just had over an hour layover.
Some friends flew from Atlanta to MCO on that same flight. They really pushed it. After landing and boarding the connecting jet, they had about 5 minutes to spare. (This was in early January.)
They were told by Delta the flight would be held for them if necessary. Luckily that didn't have to happen.
We had less than an hour layover last January in Memphis. That was no big deal at all. Same with Cincinnati one time on a return trip.
So it depends on the timing and the distance you have go to switch planes.
Anything under an hour, I get nervous about too. Esp since most flights are a Bring Your Own Meal. Travelers almost have to be prepared now and grab something to eat between transfers.

 

[ktglads]

The layover really depends on weather. If you get delayed coming into ATL, you may be in trouble. Depending if you are coming in on an actual Delta plane or one of its subsidiaries is what terminal you will come in on. The main Delta hub is in Terminal A of ATL, but I came in on ComAir in terminal C (We actually did not get our own gate and had to walk out on the tarmac to a ladder to the plane). If weather is okay, you have plenty of time. If not, you may be running to your next flight.

 

[caitycaity]

we've travelled on thanksgiving morining a lot and it's usually not that crowded, as someone previously mentioned.

 

[mcnuss]

We are landing Thanksgiving morning and only have 50 minutes till our next flight takes off.

Thanksgiving morning is probably the best day/time all year to travel. The airports are dead since most people have already gone wherever they're going, and are getting ready to gorge themselves.

50 minutes will be fine unless you hit a weather delay. If you do, the good news is that since loads will be light, you will without a doubt get on the next flight out.

No worries!

 

[ReadyForDisney2003]

To feel better, go to the delta website and check on the arrivals and departures of the flights you are on. You can see how those flights are doing *today*. Yes, six months from now the gates could all be different, but I am always interested in knowing my arrival and departure gate.

As someone said, you *could* be at opposite ends of the airport, but you have just a good of a chance to be right next to each other.

Check it out on the website. Even if you are at opposite ends of the airport, you can learn the tricks of getting to your gate faster.