Customs in atl

Can some of the experts please advise on the amount of time needed in ATL to clear customs on flt. from LHR? Flight options have a 1 hr. 55 m layover before our connection vs. a 3 hr. 45 m connection.

Thanks in advance for your help

Customs is usually fairly quick. Immigration will take longer. We'll assume you're a US citizen. Keep in mind that you'll also likely need to change terminals and re-clear security. 1h55 is doable, but is the minimum I would want if you don't have Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check.

I am sure we will have to change terminals . Home airport is a regional one so is normally a good hike. So we must reclaim luggage and go through security again? Have flown internationally , but has been a while so could not remember . We are seniors so usually have pre check

So we must reclaim luggage and go through security again?

Which airline(s) are you flying, and where is your final destination? If you are prepared to tell us that, then the ATL experts may have a better feel for the terminals/concourses which might be relevant to you.

I would definitely go with the longer layover. I got hung up at customs/immigration at ATL coming back from Dubai one time, had a 4-hour layover and made it with little time to spare. Many with 2-3 hour connecting times missed their flights.

Invest in Global Entry.

I always take the longest connection time coming from Europe when traveling through ATL.

I never want to have to scramble to get to my next gate. If you breeze through immigration /custom and TSA ,then sit down and have a bite to eat before arriving at your final gate. If two or three international flights have arrived there at one time, it can be a mess.

For whatever it's worth...

Last year, I was on a business trip to Costa Rica. My return trip was flying international from San Jose to Houston, then a domestic flight from Houston to Sacramento. Because it was a last minute trip, I had a three hour layover scheduled. On the day of the return trip (July 1st), I was at the San Jose gate waiting for the plane when the power goes out at the airport... and across the entire country. Not only was the plane late in arriving, but it was further delayed as takeoffs were temporarily not allowed. We were able to finally take off, but the three hour scheduled layover turns into less than one hour. And, as anyone who has gone through Houston International, it is a HUGE airport (and United's hub). Since I was transferring from a international flight to a domestic one, I had to pass through customs (breezed through, there was nobody there AND the officials temporarily un-roped the serpentine path so that you could go directly to the windows, pick up my bag from my international flight, drop it off for my domestic flight, and find my plane.

My bag made the flight to Sacramento. I got to the plane to see the rampway being pulled away from the plane. United put my on a new flight that left 24 hours later.

Keep in mind that you'll also likely need to change terminals and re-clear security. 1h55 is doable, but is the minimum I would want if you don't have Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check.

I am sure we will have to change terminals . Home airport is a regional one so is normally a good hike. So we must reclaim luggage and go through security again?

Unless you are coming from a country that has US pre-clearance for immigration and customs (you aren't) then yes, you have to go through security. Reason already mentioned- you will have had access to your checked bags when clearing customs, so theoretically you could transfer prohibited items into your carry on at that point; hence, the need to reclear security after going through immigration and customs. It has nothing to do with changing terminals. Everyone will go through security post-customs. From that point, ALL concourses at ATL are connected airside.

Note for any inexperienced travelers: When you clear customs, you then re-check your luggage for your domestic connecting flight, BUT you do not have to go out to the main terminal to do so. Once through customs, you will see a bag-drop area where you leave your bags before heading through security. This is different than the regular baggage check-in point you would use if arriving at ATL to check-in for the beginning of your journey.

Thanks to all of you for your input/advice. Unfortunately, the nearest Global Entry location to us is 4 hrs. away. We usually are Pre-Check, but can't rely on that at all times. We'll not tempt Murphy's Law and will go for the longer layover. After an 8 to 9 hr. international flight the last thing on my to do list is sprint through the airport trying to make our connection. We are flying Virgin Atlantic from London, then Delta home. The initial hesitation for the longer layover time was the fact that this will be the last flight out to our home airport and is known for cancellations due to "mechanical problems". Guess that is a moot point should we miss the connection anyway.

I live in Atlanta and frequently travel internationally. I sometimes even connect through here. ATL is actually the best big airport for connections. The train system connecting the 5 concourses is quick and convenient.

That said, I’d be nervous with a 1hr 55m connection, but would probably do it. I travel business class and have Global Entry. The big unknown is getting your checked bags. I’ve often waited 30 to 45 minutes for bags to show up and that’s with priority tags. Going through customs is now quick and easy. You recheck you bags right after customs and the security check on the arrivals level is typically 10 to 15 minutes.

So, good luck! Seeing as you have a later flight as a backup if things go sideways, take the quicker connecting flight.

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Can some of the experts please advise on the amount of time needed in ATL to clear customs on flt. from LHR? Flight options have a 1 hr. 55 m layover before our connection vs. a 3 hr. 45 m connection.

 

Thanks in advance for your help

We go through ATL Immigration and Customs every year, when returning to the USA from our Puerto Vallarta home. 2 hours is really cutting it tight and sometimes works and other times will leave you waiting for the next flight (or in an overnight motel). So here is the problem. Your flight lands and it can take 15 minutes just to get off the plane. Then its a long walk (sometimes very long) to the large Immigration Hall where you use the Kiosks to start the process. Those of us with Global Entry will breeze through immigration in less than 10 minutes, but others might wait in long lines for a half hour.

But that is not the issue because once you clear Immigration you have to retrieve your luggage. We have often had to wait 45 min (and more) for the luggage to come up on the carousels. Once you have your luggage you get into another line to pass through Customs and this line normally moves very fast with no Customs inspections. Then you drop your luggage (for your next flight) and move into the TSA line. There is usually no pre-check line so everyone is crammed into one long TSA line and this can cause delays. We have often waited 20-30 minutes just to get through this TSA line...which is necessary if you are connecting to any flight. Once you clear TSA then you are finally free to go to your proper terminal and gate.

We have sometimes gotten through this entire process in about 1 hour...but other times it has taken 1 1/2 hours and longer. Keep in mind that most airlines want you at their gates about 15 minutes before your flight. We once connected to a Delta flight, got to the gate 10 minutes before flight time and they had just closed the doors (we missed the flight). Stuff happens :(.

Hank

You always have to claim your bags for customs clearance if you are arriving at your first US port as an international arrival clearing immigration and customs there. And once you have had access to checked baggage, you are by definition no longer security-cleared and must therefore be security screened before your next flight.

 

 

My experience as well and very irritating as a TSA Pre-Check Customer. Arriving on Delta #110 from EZE around 5:00 A.M., TSA and Customs/Immigrations were just "awakening" for the day. Customs/Immigration was up to speed; TSA was not. A TSA Pre-Check line is NOT AVAILABLE . And, one of the Agents on duty when I asked about this lack was rude and dismissive. How irritated was I? I contacted my Member of Congress and, after their efforts with the TSA to explain this experience that I received, it seems to be standard operating operating procedure.

Another thing to keep in mind, not for the OP as they have made the wise decision for the longer time, but how many other international flights are arriving at the same time. This can dramatically increase the wait times. I've landed in EWR and MIA and breezed through C&I and TSA as we were one of the few international arrivals at that time. Also landed in IAH about the same time as 5-6 large birds (777's, 747's, 767's etc) from Europe and it was a mess. (Thankfully I was living in Houston at the time and didn't have to go back into the mousetrap only to the parking lot and home).

A TSA Pre-Check line is NOT AVAILABLE . And, one of the Agents on duty when I asked about this lack was rude and dismissive. How irritated was I? I contacted my Member of Congress and, after their efforts with the TSA to explain this experience that I received, it seems to be standard operating operating procedure.

There are a number of airports, including other major ones, where PreCheck lines are not open for the same hours as regular TSA screening. Some airports post those times on their website (see LAS for example), and even then, those hours are completely subject to change based upon the local TSA management.

Also, there are a number of airports where there is never any kind of PreCheck or priority screening after customs.

The train system connecting the 5 concourses is quick and convenient.

 

Simply as a point of clarification for others reading, there are actually 7 concourses at ATL, not 5. T and F refer to both terminals AND concourses. Check in and check your bags in either the T or F terminal area, then proceed through security to the T or F concourse area, or of course from there to any of the other concourses A-E. All concourses are connected airside via the plane train.

Glad I just found this thread, very good information about incoming international flights. I'll be on an outgoing flight that originates from RDU, changes planes in Atlanta then on to Barcelona, both flights on Delta . I'll be returning to the US on a cruise, then flying back to RDU on Southwest. I've applied for Global Entry & been approved, but haven't gone through the interview process yet.

.I've never flown on any kind of international flight, so is there anything I need to be prepared for? I'm assuming my luggage would be transferred to the outgoing flight to Barcelona and all I have to do is get from one gate to the next. I have a bit less than 2 hours between flights.

Glad I just found this thread, very good information about incoming international flights. I'll be on an outgoing flight that originates from RDU, changes planes in Atlanta then on to Barcelona, both flights on Delta . I'll be returning to the US on a cruise, then flying back to RDU on Southwest. I've applied for Global Entry & been approved, but haven't gone through the interview process yet.

.I've never flown on any kind of international flight, so is there anything I need to be prepared for? I'm assuming my luggage would be transferred to the outgoing flight to Barcelona and all I have to do is get from one gate to the next. I have a bit less than 2 hours between flights.

My experience flying on Delta from DAY to AMS and SCL is that your luggage checked at RDU will be transferred to your international flight. As long as your plane from RDU is on time, or close to it, slightly less than 2 hours between flights ought to be OK. The ATL Delta terminal I have used for my international flights have been very nice terminals.

My experience flying on Delta from DAY to AMS and SCL is that your luggage checked at RDU will be transferred to your international flight. As long as your plane from RDU is on time, or close to it, slightly less than 2 hours between flights ought to be OK. The ATL Delta terminal I have used for my international flights have been very nice terminals.

But the issue raised by the OP is when you come into ATL from outside the USA and must clear both Immigration and Customs. That is an entirely different process then flying overseas from ATL..which does not require any Immigration or Customs clearance.

I would reiterate (having used ATL many times) that the biggest hassle for those arriving from outside the USA and needing to connect to a domestic flight is that you must go through a TSA checkpoint after you have finished with both Immigration and Customs. This TSA checkpoint does not seem to have any fast pre-check lines and everyone has to cool their heels in an oft slow moving line. In the past 5 years we have missed two connections at ATL because of being held up at the TSA queue.

Hank

But the issue raised by the OP is when you come into ATL from outside the USA and must clear both Immigration and Customs. That is an entirely different process then flying overseas from ATL..which does not require any Immigration or Customs clearance.

 

I would reiterate (having used ATL many times) that the biggest hassle for those arriving from outside the USA and needing to connect to a domestic flight is that you must go through a TSA checkpoint after you have finished with both Immigration and Customs. This TSA checkpoint does not seem to have any fast pre-check lines and everyone has to cool their heels in an oft slow moving line. In the past 5 years we have missed two connections at ATL because of being held up at the TSA queue.

 

Hank

Her comment concerning returning to the U. S. from a cruise and continuing to RDU on a different airline made me think that she would have cleared customs/immigration upon her arrival at her U.S. port of disembarkation after a trans-Atlantic cruise and flying from a different airport. Surely, arriving in Atlanta directly on an international flight, your comments are spot on. Since she will have Global Entry, that may help. I recall specific Global Entry kiosks available. TSA Pre-Check Lines: forget it at ATL for returning international airline guests..

Her comment concerning returning to the U. S. from a cruise and continuing to RDU on a different airline made me think that she would have cleared customs/immigration upon her arrival at her U.S. port of disembarkation after a trans-Atlantic cruise and flying from a different airport. Surely, arriving in Atlanta directly on an international flight, your comments are spot on. Since she will have Global Entry, that may help. I recall specific Global Entry kiosks available. TSA Pre-Check Lines: forget it at ATL for returning international airline guests..

I will be on Symphony Of The Seas, TA from Barcelona to Miami. They have added a stop at Port Canaveral and the speculation/gossip is that the ship will clear customs/immigration at Port Canaveral before going on the Miami. I'm not concerned about the SW flight going back home, just didn't know if there was anything different about the outgoing international flight to Barcelona,compared to any other domestic flight where I was flying on the same airline, but changing planes, in this case Delta.

Glad I just found this thread, very good information about incoming international flights. I'll be on an outgoing flight that originates from RDU, changes planes in Atlanta then on to Barcelona, both flights on Delta . I'll be returning to the US on a cruise, then flying back to RDU on Southwest. I've applied for Global Entry & been approved, but haven't gone through the interview process yet.

.I've never flown on any kind of international flight, so is there anything I need to be prepared for? I'm assuming my luggage would be transferred to the outgoing flight to Barcelona and all I have to do is get from one gate to the next. I have a bit less than 2 hours between flights.

My experience flying on Delta from DAY to AMS and SCL is that your luggage checked at RDU will be transferred to your international flight. As long as your plane from RDU is on time, or close to it, slightly less than 2 hours between flights ought to be OK. The ATL Delta terminal I have used for my international flights have been very nice terminals.

But the issue raised by the OP is when you come into ATL from outside the USA and must clear both Immigration and Customs. That is an entirely different process then flying overseas from ATL..which does not require any Immigration or Customs clearance.

So far as Spa girl nana is concerned, if one ticket covers both flights (which would be the usual way), then it's correct that luggage will be automatically sent on to the next flight and all they would need to do is to get from one gate to the next. I'm neither a DL nor an ATL expert, but what I've seen of ATL suggests that ~2 hours is a very comfortable period to do that, and includes quite a bit of margin against unexpected delays. If a change of concourse is necessary, the transit/train will take care of that in a minute or two (or, I believe, one can always take a restorative stroll).

However, unfortunately it's not long enough for a meal at One Flew South.

When checking in at RDU, it will be worth checking the bag tag receipts to make sure the bags have been through-checked on the correct flights all the way to BCN. Although it's always worth checking this, even if it's a single-sector journey, this will give comfort that nothing more needs to be done at ATL. If some mistake's been made, it's likely to be easier to fix if spotted immediately.

I recall specific Global Entry kiosks available. TSA Pre-Check Lines: forget it at ATL for returning international airline guests..

This HAS been the case, but I've just heard that Pre-Check is now available post-customs at ATL, though it may be somewhat limited hours. If this is true, hallelujah!

I'm neither a DL nor an ATL expert, but what I've seen of ATL suggests that ~2 hours is a very comfortable period to do that, and includes quite a bit of margin against unexpected delays. If a change of concourse is necessary, the transit/train will take care of that in a minute or two (or, I believe, one can always take a restorative stroll).

 

However, unfortunately it's not long enough for a meal at One Flew South.

 

When checking in at RDU, it will be worth checking the bag tag receipts to make sure the bags have been through-checked on the correct flights all the way to BCN.

As a DL frequent flyer who almost always connects at ATL, yes, 2 hours is perfectly fine for a connection there. (The universal caveat is "assuming your inbound flight arrives on time."). You'll wait, at most, a minute two for the plane train, and then it's no more than a minute or so from one concourse to the next, and no more than a minute or so stop at each concourse, meaning you can ride it all the way from T to F or vice versa in no more than 15 minutes.

As for One Flew South, if you don't dawdle getting off the plane and over to E, and a seat is available, you can probably even manage a bite to eat there. I, for one, would certainly be tempted to hightail it down there to try, LOL, especially since it's in E, and you're almost certainly going out of E or F anyway on your ATL-BCN flight. Sit at the bar if need be, the bartenders there are wonderful and will try to ensure that you get served quickly.

Always good to double check that your bags are tagged through to BCN, but in my experience the DL counter agents will advise you as they put the tags on, "your bags are checked through to BCN" but certainly confirm this if they don't happen to mention it voluntarily.

This HAS been the case, but I've just heard that Pre-Check is now available post-customs at ATL, though it may be somewhat limited hours. If this is true, hallelujah!

 

 

We would be happy campers if true. But we have never, ever, seen it. What has happened, a couple of times, is that we were given a pre-check card that allowed us through without having to remove our shoes. But the problem was that there was still a single long queue where one had to wait until you finally got to the screener area. So even though we had a "pass" it did nothing to reduce our waiting time. I have politely complained to TSA staff (and even a shift supervisor) at every visit and get the usual "we just work here" kind of answer.

 

I should add that the ATL delays have now caused me to change a long term habit of flying through ATL..when we return from our Puerto Vallarta home. We were able to change airlines from Delta to American (had to hold my nose) so that we could fly via ORD. Although I have no love of ORD, we have experienced fewer TSA issues there then at ATL (when arriving International).

 

Hank

Interesting that the problem of a few (or maybe up to 20) minutes of waiting in a security line is enough to get one to switch airlines. Especially since the newest moves by AA are to even further lower the quality of the inflight experience, which will be a significantly longer time frame than that of your security process. AA is removing seatback video and reducing seat pitch in its rush to the bottom.

But, if the lessened flight experience is worth the time savings at ATL, that's each person's individual judgment.