Only 30 min layover in ATL!

[marlaine]

We are flying Airtran from Midway (Chicago) to MCO in Sept. We've always flown Airtran, and not had any big changes. We've always flown non-stop. Now they've changed our flight home to a layover in ATL with only 30 minutes in between flights! I went ahead and accepted the change, because the only new non-stop was so early that we would have missed going to a park on our last day.
Since we've never had to change planes before, could someone please tell me how to do it? Do we land, grab our carry-ons and proceed to the next gate? I paid for priority seating already, so it shouldn't take a real long time to grab our bags and get off the plane.
TIA!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

You should be able to take your carry-on items with you to the next plane. If you are on a regional jet, they will give you your carry-on either plane-side or in the jetway. ATL is laid out plainly with a train that takes you to the next concourse if you need to change concourses. They will automatically take your checked bag from one plane to the next.

 

[cassandrap83]

This woud really concern me!

ATL is HUGE, so make sure you have your running shoes on, and all your essentials in your carry-ons.

Remember, if your first plane is late, chances are that your connecting flight will NOT wait for you.

 

[taylor3297]

Yes, Atlanta is a huge airport but it is laid out in such a way it is very easy to get around. Chances are your next flight will be in the same terminal. If not, it will be only one terminal over. I have had several 30 minute layovers and had no problem making most of them.

 

[cydswipe]

We only had a 45 min layover in Atlanta flying airtran.
Coming from MCO to Atlanta, we had an almost too short (in my opinion) layever. I was extremely worried about it. I even had a hotel in mind near the airport, in case we missed our flight.

As we taxied to the terminal, we watched the gates tick by, trying to locate our next gate.

It ended up being ok. We got off our plane ASAP and quickly found our next gate. We had to hustle up the escalator and go to the last gate (of course it had to be the last gate ) We had time to wait, go to the restroom and grab a drink before boarding was even called.



Like someone else mentioned, if you are delayed getting to Atlanta, things can change very quickly.

Who knows, maybe w/ airtran the times may change a little again. Keep watching!

 

[dudspizza]

It will be tight, but Airtrans gates are all close together. I believe, most are in C Terminal with a few in D.

Here is what I would do.
*choose seats as far forward as possible making it quicker to get off the aircraft
*track your flights the weeks leading up to your flight to see if there is a trend in gates. I always do this just to get a thought in mind how far I might have to go. Obviously anything can happen on the day of travel so make sure to check the departures board when immediately getting off the plane. I had an AA flight last month connecting in Dallas, another huge airport. They announced my connecting gate as we were landing, but I double checked just to make sure and sure enough the gate had changed. Good thing I checked. My connection had shrunk to 15 minutes due to a late departure...... I RAN and was one of the last to board.
*be prepared with other flight options in the unfortunate instance that you miss your connection. Also, have Airtrans reservations number programed into your cell phone. If there is a line at the gate, call them directly for rebooking.
*Familiarize yourself with ATL maps so you know where you are going. http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Passenger/Terminal/

Best of luck

 

[marlaine]

Now I'm really worried. Our seats are near the front already. What happens if the 1st plane is late and we miss the 2nd one? It's the last flight of the night!
If we miss the plane, will Airtran pay for our new tickets since the 1st Airtran plane made us late?

 

[dudspizza]

Now I'm really worried. Our seats are near the front already. What happens if the 1st plane is late and we miss the 2nd one? It's the last flight of the night!
If we miss the plane, will Airtran pay for our new tickets since the 1st Airtran plane made us late?

If you miss the connection, which is the last flight of the day, you will be stuck in Atlanta until at least morning. When flights are missed, Airtran will get you on the next available flight. Because it is Atlanta, there are many flights per day out of there, but it depends on where you are going... if it is a small airport you may only have 1 flight per day....

Best of luck

 

[dudspizza]

Also, I don't know your dates, but I just looked at Airtrans flight offerings from MCO to Midway and they show 2 non-stops on most days and the afternoon non-stop (4:19pm) was offered every day of the week, at least where I checked. They also had an am non-stop. This was in September.

On top of that, there are tons of connection options and you could call and ask to be moved to a better connection that offered more time for your layover...

duds

 

[Brian Noble]

If it were Delta, I'd worry more. But, as Duds points out, Airtran's gates are all relatively close to one another. You should make it.

But, as this is a flight change situation, I'd definitely call and get something that is a little more to your liking.

 

[Traveliz]

If you miss the connection, which is the last flight of the day, you will be stuck in Atlanta until at least morning. When flights are missed, Airtran will get you on the next available flight. Because it is Atlanta, there are many flights per day out of there, but it depends on where you are going... if it is a small airport you may only have 1 flight per day....

Best of luck

I have found with Airtran if it is the last flight out of the night they will often wait for all the planes that have connecting passengers. I don't worry about that too much - they usually explain to hurry but chances are if they are late so are all the other planes.

Liz

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I believe ATL has a legal connection limit of 45 minutes, so a 30 minute connection is actually against policy and unless you really feel comfortable in doing it, the airline must rebook you with a legal connection.

 

[dis-happy]

I wouldn't worry yet, your flight isn't until next Sept. and it's almost guaranteed they'll be more flight time changes (to your first flight and/or the connecting flight) before then. But if you can switch now to a non-stop, go for it.

 

[alwaysmom]

Don't worry your self sick. Our first adventure on Airtran with ATL layover was 30 minutes. I was a nervous reck. 30 minutes was plenty time and we had to go from concourse to concourse. They have the train that scoots you from point A to point B. We couldn't run (DH with mobility issues & 2 kids).

Take a look at past gate arrival and departures on the airtran site. It's under the flight times so you have a idea of where you'll need to go, it's not always perfect but you'll have an idea or 2. Take a look at the concourse map to get an idea of where you'll be.

ATL is large but it wasn' that bad.

 

[tinka-belle]

Since nearly all Air Tran flights are in the same terminal, you should be OK IF flight times don't change and your flight isn't late.

I just looked up the minimum connect time in ATL for Air Tran. For most domestic flights it's 30 minutes. If you see another time change even to 28 or 29 minutes, call and have the flights changed.

 

[marlaine]

I really appreciate all of the help!
Thank you all!