Atlanta Airport Connection

[kwhite7]

Hi, I am booked on the Carnival Victory out of San Juan in February. I am looking into booking my flights. It looks like one of the few airlines that flies from Detroit to San Juan is Delta/NWA. We are flying down the day before the cruise is set to leave, just to give us a piece of mind. There are basically two flights down to San Juan. One leaves DTW at 7:40 am and has an 8 hour lay over and gets in SJU at 11:20. I really dont want to sit in an airport for 8 hours so I dont really want to do this. The other flight leaves at 9:40 am and gets into Atlanta at 11:45 and then departs ATL at 12:30 for an arrival at 5:00 pm. This is a much better flight plan but I am concerned that there is only 45 minutes to make the connection. I have never flown into or been to ATL, but I have heard its a big airport and can be hectic. Is this too close of a connection? Should I just take the 8 hour lay over? Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Sherrybaby412]

Depending on how close the gates are, you may literally have to run.

I once went on a field trip from Alabama to DC and had to make a connecting flight in Atlanta. We had 45 minutes. WE literally had 75 people running through the airport to make it on time.

I'd hate an 8 hr layover though. That's ridiculous.

Good luck in whatever you do.

[jenms2000]

i go through atlanta all the time. they have a subway to take you from one concourse to the other if your gate happens to be at another concourse. if you are staying with the same airline, chances are you will leave out of a gate in the same concourse you arrive in. i think you can make it. you may not have time to even go to the bathroom but being in a hurry beats an 8 hour layover. hope this helps.

[NCTribeFan]

I wouldn't trust that short of a layover in Atlanta.

You should probably ask this over on the Cruise Air board. There are several extremely helpful frequent flyeres over there that can give you some good advise.

[salty dingo]

I used to live in the Atlanta area, and have made many a flight there. I think you have plenty of time. Many times connecting flights are in the same concourse, and in that case it is a quick walk.

If your next flight is on another concourse, you have to go to the middle of the concourse, down a big escalator, and onto a train. Be careful to pick the correct side so you don't get on the train going the wrong way! There are signs and it is easy to see.

The trains run very frequently, so you can get from one gate to another in 15 minutes. I would stick with what you have rather than an 8 hour layover. Plus, going the day before you have a lot of options if there is some delay.

[kayjo]

That is a pretty short time at the ATL airport. I have run through there many times, and while you might make it, your luggage might not. It all depends on which concourse you come into and which concourse you leave from. Also if your first plane is a small commuter type, you might sit on the tarmac for a while waiting for a gate. Make sure you have seats near the front of the plane if that is where the boarding door is, but remember some planes load and unload from the back. Good luck!

[Kurbanfan]

You will have to take weather into consideration for February.......Atlanta is notorious for late arrivals.........
I would never take a flight with a 8 hour connection........I would check other flights maybe different day......

[eastoftheboston]

Just doing a simple Orbitz search, there are MANY more options flying down to San Juan other than NW/Delta, so I'm not sure why you're set on flying that airline. I could see if it was a direct flight only taking NW but you're having to make a connection anyway, so why limit yourself to one airline unless you're just doing it because you belong to their frequent flyer program.

When you say "one of the few" airlines that flies to San Juan, those "few" airlines include AirTran, Spirit, US Airways/United, American, NW/Delta, and Continental. I'd say that's a pretty good selection!

If you're absolutely tied to NW/Delta, assuming both of those routes bring you through ATL since they're both Delta/NW, why not take the 7:40 out of DTW and connect to the 12:30 out of ATL to SJU. If for some reason your internet search isn't showing that as an option, then call a travel agent (or even the airline direct) and have them enter it manually. The small service fee you might pay for that is better than waiting for 8 hours in ATL.

But I go back to my first point and say to just go on to Orbitz or Travelocity or basically any plane ticket site and you'll get a ton of options, many of them cheaper than NW.

[Goplayball]

We had a connecting flight in Atlanta (9-09). Layover time was 1.5 hrs and just barely made it with 10 minutes to spare and they were already loading at that time. We were on Delta for both flights and had different concourses. Also our gate changed from the time we left to our arrival in Atlanta. I think you will be cutting it very close.

[kimcruiser]

When we flew into San Juan we took Spirit. We had a layover in FLL but never had to get off the plane. total flight time was 5 1/2 hours. Now you have me worried though because I am flying into Atlanta then on to Jacksonville and I am pretty sure it has 45 minutes between flights.

[alcpa1]

I don't go on many flights without a stop in Atlanta and I am almost as familiar with Hartsfield Jackson as I am in my own kitchen...and I cook a lot.
45 minutes is the "legal" minimum connection for Delta in Atlanta. If you are on a small CRJ you will probably come into C concourse gates 32 - 50 which is at the north end of the concourse. The full size jets can leave from any of the five concourses. You will have to hike to the escalators/elevators located around gates 18-19. The escalator and elevators are clearly marked overhead. You will board one of the frequent trains onto your new concourse and find your gate.
Please be aware that Delta is forever tweaking their schedule and changes are annoying and complicating.
While a flight from Detroit may handle weather better than many northern airports Atlanta has a poor record with weather delays.
The Delta web site is also quirky so check FLIGHT SCHEDULES and try to book via that means. Other booking venues will probably have additional flights.
We have taken the SJU flight a number of times. We have generally left from both the B and C concourses but there is no guarantee on your gate.
One additional tip is to book your first flights as far forward in the cabin as possible to cut down on the disembarkaion time. This does make a difference when you have a tight connection.
Good luck.

[gizmo]

I live in the Atlanta area. 45 minutes is cutting it VERY close especially if you have to change terminals. You might make it and you might not.

So much is going to depend on weather and where the terminal gates are.

Why not take a look at Air Tran ? I plugged in some random dates in Feb. and saw Air Tran leaving at 5:45 AM, arriving in Atl at 7:44, the connection leaves at 9:25 arriving in San Juan at 1:53.

I know its early

Check out all your options. As someone else mentioned there are a lot of other airlines that fly to San Juan with 1 connection.

I don't know when you are leaving in Feb, but keep in mind Presidents week. Seats don't hang around forever at a reasonable price.

[cruzngal54]

I was also worried about my connection time in Atlanta. I have already booked my Delta flight from New Orleans to Atlanta then on to Seattle. I have 55 minutes inbetween flights once I get to Atlanta. We are flying out at 6 a.m. from New Orleans and I don't have to be in Seattle until the next day so I am allowing us extra time just for those reasons. There are other flights to Seattle out of Atlanta. I just hope we don't run into any problems. I just want to make it in time to board the ship to Alaska on Sunday afternoon so that is why I booked an early Saturday morning flight.