Atlanta. Domestic to International

Check with Delta but if you fly in first on the domestic segment that boarding pass will probably give you access to their lounges that day. In which case it would be a no brainer to pay for the upgrade!!

Domestic F as a one-way itinerary gets you no SC entry, especially if making a separate transfer to BA for across the pond. Why would you think that F from FLL to ATL is some kind of exception?

In my opinion, even at $59, the pass is worthwhile if there is a long wait between flights. I was at DTW over dinner time and there were two soups, several salads, sandwiches, crudites/dips, etc. The comfortable seating, good food, open bar, newspapers/magazines/TV, and, if needed, agents on site to help make it worthwhile for me.

With a 5:30 connect time, the OP can make their own assessment as to the worth of the club. For me, with that much time, I'd likely be buying, but I believe in giving facts and C/B evals come from the individual. YMMV

Check with Delta but if you fly in first on the domestic segment that boarding pass will probably give you access to their lounges that day.

Nope.

Sky Club entry:

Sky Club membership

Flying Delta One (business class)

Flying coach for selected international flights with Sky Team Elite+ status

Purchase a single visit pass

Possess a platinum Amex card (not the Delta branded one)

Possess a Delta reserve credit card

As Flyertalker said, flying DL domestic first class does not give you Sky club access.

Globaliser- I looked back and saw that you also asked which was better, T or F. IMO, F is the far better place to wait. It is much newer than T, and the space is designed to be much more open feeling. Also, the Sky Club there is large, and also has the outdoor Sky Deck; depending on the weather that can be a nice alternative, so if you're thinking about buying a pass or have access through an Amex Platinum or reserve card, the club in F is definitely better than the one in T. But even if you're just waiting in the main concourse, F has a much more open feeling. Go to E to eat at OFS, then back to F for the remaining time.

I am still wondering, though, whether there's anywhere landside in either the domestic or international terminals that's any good for meeting up with people for a coffee and a bite to eat.

One thing that's been interesting in this exercise is seeing how things can change rapidly in the US domestic market. First, a raft of flights in the middle of the day (ie peak cruise passenger time) had a simultaneous change in availability, most of which simply went from 9 to 0 in what had been the lowest available class on each flight, like this:-

L9 U9 T9 X9 V0 E9 --> L9 U9 T9 X0 V0 E9

L9 U2 T0 X0 V0 E0 --> L9 U0 T0 X0 V0 E0

L9 U9 T9 X9 V0 E9 --> L9 U9 T9 X0 V0 E9

L9 U9 T9 X9 V0 E9 --> L9 U9 T9 X0 V0 E9

L9 U9 T9 X9 V0 E9 --> L9 U9 T9 X0 V0 E9

Clearly, this was an (understandable) RM decision, but the way that it was executed made it almost look as if availability in each class was a simple on/off thing.

And then a few days later, all the flight numbers changed.

I think I am spoiled by usually flying on routes on which schedules are pretty stable and availability a little more predictable!

Thanks! Fortunately, the airside wait at ATL won't be a problem once I get there, as I'll have access to whichever lounge BA uses.

 

I am still wondering, though, whether there's anywhere landside in either the domestic or international terminals that's any good for meeting up with people for a coffee and a bite to eat.

I only transit through ATL, don't generally start or end trips there so I can't help you with what's available landside.

If the information at this link is up to date, there's a shared club in F that is used by BA, and also an AA Admiral's Club in T that you might have access to, depending on how you have access to BA clubs.

http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Passenger/CustomerService/airlineLounges.aspx

There is a TGIFridays at the domestic side very close to security but landside. We used it a couple of times--once after landing in ATL and another when going from international to domestic. We found this typical fare and service was fairly quick from what I recall. Just a suggestion.

That's great - many thanks to both of you.

Thank you again to everyone who helped. Everything went like clockwork.

One Flew South was definitely worth the visit. In the whole of the 9-night trip (including a 7-night cruise), it was by some margin the best meal we had. (The second best was the main course on the LHR-MIA flight.) Very easy to get between Concourse F and the restaurant - we actually just walked in both directions.

Another advantage of One Flew South was that it got us out of the rather mediocre shared lounge that BA uses in F. The catering staff couldn't really cope with the number of people and the catering debris all over gave it rather the air of a war zone at times. It was nice to be able to get a decent shower there, but other than that it was a relief to get out to the aircraft.

Glad it worked out for you. Hoping against hope that Amex puts a Centurion lounge at ATL, but unlikely given that it would compete against the SkyClubs.

Glad you enjoyed OFS! I was there, again, this past Saturday. I've noticed over recent visits that while the food is still good, the service is more iffy. Several times the wait staff has seemed rather inexperienced. Still enjoy the food though, on long connections... much better than than TGIF or some other chain with typical bar food, or sitting in the food court without a cocktail! :eek:

This thread made me decide to check my DL flts. I'm going International to Domestic--

UVF - ATL 3:31P arrv. 8:35P 1 hr 7M layover

ATL-DEN 9:42P arri 11:07 p we will have customs, probably recheck bags. We do have Global Entry, but still wondering- HELP this is 27 Apr if that makes any difference.

Thanks for any thoughts.:confused:

You won't have time for anything other than a quick grab-n-go from a fast food outlet at best. Even with GE, there is still the processing time to pass through the GE kiosks, retrieve baggage, exit the customs area, get a new security screening and make it to your gate. I would be surprised if you get to your gate and they haven't already started boarding.

The only advantage you have is the fewer number of international flights landing during your time frame.

Have you checked to see if your flights and/or connection times have changed? Is your connection time legal?

Personally I'd pack my jammies and a change of clothes in my carry on because this will be an incredibly challenging connection. And don't even think about bedding down for that extra night at the La Quinta. It's at the end of a runway and isn't that nice either.

This thread made me decide to check my DL flts. I'm going International to Domestic--

UVF - ATL 3:31P arrv. 8:35P 1 hr 7M layover

ATL-DEN 9:42P arri 11:07 p

Have you checked to see if your flights and/or connection times have changed? Is your connection time legal?

Is this on one ticket or two separate tickets?

Either way, you would be well advised to get this sorted out sooner rather than later. An overnight stop is on the cards.

Yes, this is all on one ticket, I have a call in to DL now to check the legality. There was a change ------ YEs not a legal connection, we'll have to spend the night in ATL---also on the way down. Thanks all for getting me onto this early enough to do something.