Anybody here fly out of, or thru, Atlanta frequently?

[Wishing on a star]

We are looking at flying to Florida, on Delta, connecting thru Atlanta.
We have booked with Miles, and notice that there is a faster flight, with a 45 min. layover. I think that we would be able to switch to that flight???

We are flying out at about noon, so not the first flights of the day.
Would you be afraid of that short layover on a flight after noon.
Or could our aircraft be delayed getting to ATL, and cause a problem with that layover?

Does anybody here know if there is any good ON-Time info out there?

Thanks for any insight!

 

[J'aime Paris]

I fly through Atlanta about 5 times a year. That is a tight layover, especially depending upon which concourse your connecting flight leaves.

I had a 49 minute layover once.
I was in row 2, so I was able to deplane quickly.
Hopped on the train to 2 concourses away.
Quick stop at the restroom.
My next flight was already mostly boarded.

 

[loves to dive]

We live in Georgia so Atl is our home airport. It depends on if you are arriving and leaving from the same concourse. Atl is Delta's homebase so we call it Delta airport. If you are flying on other airlines you are going to be a long way away so there is that but because Delta is based there, you aren't guaranteed to be in the same concourse. Since it's our home airport, we have not had to deal with connecting flights there but at other airports when we have, if the plane is late, they know in advance that there are people on that plane that are connecting and try to get you off first and let the other flights know you are late. The Delta website does list how often their flights are on time but you have to take that with a grain of salt. I would go for it with a 45 min. layover but I know that airport like the back of my hand.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks!
This is all domestic, so the terminals are probably not too far apart.
But, for now we decided to stay with the longer layover.
You just never know!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Thanks!
This is all domestic, so the terminals are probably not too far apart.
But, for now we decided to stay with the longer layover.
You just never know!

It's one of those Murphy's Law situations -- if you have a long layover you won't need it. If you're in a time crunch, the plane into Atlanta will be late. We try to avoid changing planes in Atlanta (and other huge airports with several terminals), but sometimes that's easier said than done.

 

[bcla]

Thanks!
This is all domestic, so the terminals are probably not too far apart.
But, for now we decided to stay with the longer layover.
You just never know!

It's the busiest airport in the world and it's huge. Most of that is domestic flights as Delta's biggest hub, and domestic flights use six different terminals that can be over a mile apart while requiring use of their people mover system (the Plane Train). Good luck. I think you made a good decision by not cutting it close.

 

[morgan98]

I live in Atlanta and fly frequently. I think it is a bit risky, especially if you are not on the first flight of the day from your home airport. Anything can and does happen. That being said, 45 would be enough in a perfect scenario.

What time of the year is this? Mid summer like now, it is particularly risky with thunderstorms that pop up mid day through early evening and can screw the whole airport up for hours on end.

 

[sam_gordon]

Also keep in mind how well your traveling moves. If they're generally healthy and can walk at a brisk pace if needed, 45 minutes will work. If some moves slow, then probably not.

Or you can gamble on Delta making a change to your itinerary and then you select a flight you want.

 

[neverlandsky]

I would pull up the past flight history of your flight # getting into Atlanta. You're be able to see how often there was a delayed flight. We now aim for 90 min layovers.

 

[WDWBarb]

That 45 minutes is from wheels-down on your first flight to take-off from your next one. So you would be landing in Atlanta about the time your next flight would be boarding. And de-boarding (my LEAST favorite part of flying) can take a long time, depending on where you are in the plane.

I think 45 minutes is cutting it too close.

 

[Klayfish]

Atlanta is my home airport and I fly in/out about 6 times per year. It's a busy airport, but frankly I think it's far better organized/run than many other large airports.

 

[firecracker725]

I would only do a layover that short if I were traveling alone and didn't have any pressing place to be. It could go well, but it could also not go well. Domestic, same airline...doesn't matter at ATL. Delta flies out of every concourse, and only one is solely international.

Anything could happen. I once had a 4 hour layover coming in from an international flight and connecting to a domestic. Combine a delay out of Paris with a lengthy wait at passport control/customs, and we had to sprint to our gate...literally.

 

[tinatark]

Live dangerously. Take the shorter layover and get to your next flight quickly! You should be fine with that - it's the shortest layover Delta will let you "plan" for between flights.

 

[sam_gordon]

I’ve mentioned before, but I made a connection in about 5-10 min. I even went from A to B concourse.

BUT, both gates were close to the central point, I was by myself, and the plane train pulled up right as I got to it.

 

[jeff_h]

Live dangerously. Take the shorter layover and get to your next flight quickly! You should be fine with that - it's the shortest layover Delta will let you "plan" for between flights.

It's almost the shortest - my August flights got rescheduled by their system back in April and gave me a 38 minute layover on the way down and 36 minutes on the way back... I called and they rescheduled to other flights so there's now 59 and 56 minute layovers, which is better.

IMHO, 45 minute layover is barely enough, is doable if the first flight arrives in time since they normally build in a cushion in the schedule, but not a big one so it will be tight.

 

[kimblebee]

It's the busiest airport in the world and it's huge. Most of that is domestic flights as Delta's biggest hub, and domestic flights use six different terminals that can be over a mile apart while requiring use of their people mover system (the Plane Train). Good luck. I think you made a good decision by not cutting it close.

How do they decide that it’s the busiest airport? How many planes land/depart? How many people arrive/depart?

 

[kdonnel]

How do they decide that it’s the busiest airport? How many planes land/depart? How many people arrive/depart?

Passengers

Hartsfield-Jackson had over 103 million people pass through in 2017.

http://www.businessinsider.com/busi...al-airport-dxb-88242099-passengers-in-2017-18

By traffic movements Hartsfield-Jackson wins as well.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_aircraft_movements

 

[crazelion]

That's cutting it close. I would chose the long layover my self. I fly on ATL a lot for work and sometimes I run for my plane myself.

 

[bcla]

How do they decide that it’s the busiest airport? How many planes land/depart? How many people arrive/depart?

Atlanta-Hartsfield is easily #1 by passenger volume. Beijing Capital is #2.

http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Annual-Traffic-Data/Passengers/2016-final-summary

Hong Kong is #1 by cargo volume. Memphis (FedEx hub) is #2.

http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Annual-Traffic-Data/Cargo/2016-final-summary

By total takeoffs and landings, Atlanta is #1. Chicago O'Hare is #2. That doesn't necessarily affect how crazy it would be to transfer between terminals.

http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Annual-Traffic-Data/Aircraft-Movements/2016-final-summary

I remember seeing commercials that ridiculed the "cattle drive" nature of airport transfers. I remember one showing passengers packed like sardines at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport (which is notorious) trying to get to a connecting flight. But I think Atlanta is just nuts because it's just so big and if transferring on Delta Airlines it could be over a mile away.

 

[Klayfish]

Atlanta-Hartsfield is easily #1 by passenger volume. Beijing Capital is #2.

http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Annual-Traffic-Data/Passengers/2016-final-summary

Hong Kong is #1 by cargo volume. Memphis (FedEx hub) is #2.

http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Annual-Traffic-Data/Cargo/2016-final-summary

By total takeoffs and landings, Atlanta is #1. Chicago O'Hare is #2. That doesn't necessarily affect how crazy it would be to transfer between terminals.

http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Annual-Traffic-Data/Aircraft-Movements/2016-final-summary

I remember seeing commercials that ridiculed the "cattle drive" nature of airport transfers. I remember one showing passengers packed like sardines at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport (which is notorious) trying to get to a connecting flight. But I think Atlanta is just nuts because it's just so big and if transferring on Delta Airlines it could be over a mile away.

I know you're big into fact checking, but have you actually flown through Atlanta and experienced it? It's really not as "nuts" as you may think it is. As I said, having flown through many airports around the country, I'll say Hartsfield is far more organized than others. Even the security checkpoint line is incredibly efficient. When you walk up to it you get a moment of panic because the line is long...kinda like walking into the standby queue for FoP. But it moves constantly and is fast. Don't think I've ever waited more than 15-20 minutes tops...and I've gone out of Atlanta at least 20-25 times now. Other airports are far worse...I'm looking at you Logan Airport.