First time flier questions...

[hiram]

I know, it's amazing that in this day and age, I have never flown before. I've never been inside an airport. I have NO idea what to do, how it works, or anything. My flights were paid for (as is my cruise) by my company, and I don't know what to do once I get to the airport. I'll be flying out of a relatively small airport (Jackson, MS), but into Atlanta, then from Atlanta to FLL. I have about 50 min from the time the plane lands in ATL till the flight to FLL leaves. I've watched a few episodes of Airline on A&E over the years, but TV is different from real life. The travel agent that booked the flights said that all I need to do is walk up to the ticket counter in Jackson and give them my name. I also have the reservation numbers, just in case. She said they may need my driver license, but may not. My questions are thus:

1) how does the checked baggage work? they do that at the ticket counter?

2) Will I get the tickets in Jackson for the ATL flight also, or do I have to revisit the Delta counter in ATL to get on the connecting flight to FLL?

3) Will my baggage automatically be transfered, or do I have to recheck?

4) Is 50 min enough time to get from one terminal to the next?

5) are there any websites that will help me deal with the airport side of flying and not the airplane side?

6) what are tickets, boarding passes, etc? and what are needed for what?

 

I really have no idea what I'm doing and apparently everyone else does, b/c I can't find any information on flying. I've found plenty of information on the airplane side, but not the getting on the airplane, tickets, etc.

 

thank you,

Hiram.

[kelleya]

I think you'll find the process not so bad once it's over! I'll answer your questions in the order you asked to the best of my ability! First off, they will need your drivers license or some other govt. issued form of ID (passport is fine) You may show it at the ticket counter, but you will definitely show it when you clear security screening.

 

1) how does the checked baggage work? they do that at the ticket counter? ***They will check your bag for you at the ticket counter unless you do curbside check in. I don't think they have curbside check-in at the airport in Jackson anymore.

 

2) Will I get the tickets in Jackson for the ATL flight also, or do I have to revisit the Delta counter in ATL to get on the connecting flight to FLL? ***They will give you the boarding pass for your ATL flight when you check in for your flight in Jackson; you will not need to re-visit the ticket counter in Atlanta.

 

3) Will my baggage automatically be transfered, or do I have to recheck? ***Yes, it will just make sure when you check in for your flight in Jackson that you confirm that with the agent.

 

4) Is 50 min enough time to get from one terminal to the next? ***Yes, you should be fine. When you de-plane in Atlanta look for the signs directing you to the other terminals. You will go down to an underground tram service; it is very efficient, you should be fine.

 

5) are there any websites that will help me deal with the airport side of flying and not the airplane side? ***Not sure of a specific site, try googling Atlanta Hartsfield Airport to see if you can find something that way. Also try Delta's website to see if they have airport info.

 

6) what are tickets, boarding passes, etc? and what are needed for what? ***You probably don't have actual paper tickets, if not...you go to the ticket counter in Jackson and they will issue boarding passes for your flights. Boarding passes are the actual paper item that will allow you on the flight. You will give the boarding pass to the gate agent as you board the flight. If you do have paper tickets, those are confirmations of your reservations and itinerary...you will still obtain boarding passes at the ticket counter.

 

You will be just fine. It really will be an easy process for you. Just remember to keep your ID handy as you clear security, empty all your pockets, don't wear a metal suit and you'll be good to go! ha-ha!!!

 

Good Luck and Happy Travels!

[kitty9]

I know it sounds tricky, but it's really quite easy. You get out of your car and stand in a line at the airline you're flying to check your luggage. I would tell you that you can check your bags at the outside curb with a porter, but since this is your first flight it's better for you to go in and check in at the airline counter (remember, no more than 2 bags and they cannot weigh more than 50lbs each or else they start making you pay). They will give you boarding passes for both your flights and will tag your luggage for the final destination in Ft Lauderdale---you won't have to worry about it until you get to FLL. You won't have to go and stand in another line in Atlanta---just go to your next gate once you land in Atlanta. But, 50 minutes could be cutting it a little close, especially if your flight out of Jackson is a little late. Atlanta is one of the busiest airports in the country---that place is insane crowded and can be a little intimidating. Gates and terminals can be a longggggggg walk from one to the other, so if your flight is even 20 minutes late, your 50 minute window is closing fast. There will be an agent to meet your plane and he/she will tell you where your next flight is leaving from.

 

Once you have your boarding passes, you walk to your gate, but you will have to go through a security checkpoint first. You will need to show your boarding pass and a picture ID to the agent. You will have to remove any jackets and shoes, and anything in your pockets that could set off the security alarm. If you have a carry on, you cannot bring things like knives (no pocket knives, scissors or cigarette lighters or anything with a sharp point), guns and obvious weapons. They may also have you remove your belt if it has a large buckle. You may be hand screened by an agent and your carry on could be opened, so make sure you get to the airport in plenty of time. Once through security, you walk to your gate and wait for the agent to call your row number for boarding your flight.

 

When you get to FLL, you look above for signs pointing to baggage claim, where you look for signs with your Atlanta to FLL flight number. Your luggage will be put on a conveyor belt, you pick up your bag and off you go.

[SWEETNLOW2005]

You will be okay. Just make sure you also have your birth certificate for the cruise. Unless you have passport . Watch your luggae. Dont ever let it get away from unless you are checking it in with the airline. I would also suggest that you check your luggage at the ticket counter and not outside. When you get to Atlanta speak with an airline attendant . They will direct you in the right direction for your next flight. Hopefully you will not have to change concourse.

Enjoy your cruise. Do you have transportation from the airport to the seaport?

Is your cruise out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami?

[cruzermon]

Hiram, I think you have a fairly tight connection in ATL, so it's wise taht you are thinking about this aspect of the trip. It sounds like you're flying Delta all the way, so connections and baggage transfer should be no problem. Just check your luggage tag they give you to make sure the baggage is checked through all the way to FLL. While it's rare, sometimes people make mistakes(I once had to claim a bag in Chicago and recheck to Dallas because it wasn't through checked), and you won't have enough time to claim bags and recheck in 50 mins.

 

I know nothing about the Atlanta airport, but I've been through some of the larger ones, so I'm basing my opinion on that, and that when I plan a trip, I always look at what can go wrong and try to develop alternative plans.

 

First, check out the Delta web site--that should provide a wealth of information on airport layouts, security clearing times, etc.

 

Since I'm free for the day, having filed my tax extension, and having all sorts of extra time on my hand, I went to the Delta web site. If you click on the Travel section, you can pull up info on airport layouts, expected wait times, and all sorts of good stuff. Also on "flight information", you can check which gates you arrive and depart ATL as well as all the flights information.

 

Just for giggles, I looked for a flight with a 50 minute connection. Are you on the 5:30 am departure arriving 7:41 am and connecting to the 8:28 am departure to FLL? IF so, according to tomorrow's schedule, you'll arrive gate D26 and depart Gate A2. Looks like a distance to cover, but those gates could totally change when you fly. Also, you only have 47 minute on the ground, and some airlines require you to be on board 15 minutes prior to departure, leaving only 32 minutes to make the connection. Should be no problem if your flight arrives on time, and this would seem highly likely if you are indeed on the first flight of the day. I hope you don't have to exit security and reclear, because sometimes security lines back up. Maybe someone here knows whether you need to reclear, or you should certainly ask your TA.

 

I really doubt you'll have a problem, but it's always wise to be prepared. I'm not trying to scare you, just letting you know what the risks are.

[hiram]

Thanks everyone for your advice. My flight's not until may, so I can't look up the gate yet. I did however look at the flight that is the same time as my flight is that leaves tomorrow and it looks like it's arriving at B4 in ATL and leaving from gate B4 in ATL. Is that common? I know everything will change when I get on MY flight. I'll be able to check the gate though when it's closer to time to go and I'll be able to plan accordingly. It looks like I added my time wrong and I'll have 1hr. 10 min between flights. That 20 min will make alot of difference. I will definitley make sure they tag my baggage to fll. Will the tag say fll or will it say atl/fll or what? two tags?

 

With my luck, there'll be an incident on the flight and I'll be diverted to another airport and miss my boat. What then? That ever happen to anyone? Could I get on the boat at the next port?

 

Hiram.

[Guest nhrich]

Dup post...sorry :o

[Guest nhrich]

If you have two different flight numbers, you need to make sure that you're looking up both flight numbers when looking up the gates. If you only enter one flight number, then what you're seeing leaving that gate is the next leg of the flight that left Jackson...and it's probably not be going to FLL.

 

If it's the flights mentioned by cruzermon, and the gates are the same, that is quite a distance. ATL does run a tram between terminals, so it's not impossible, as long as the first flight gets in on time. Try to get seats toward the front of the plane on the first leg so that you can get off quicker.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[Globaliser]

I did however look at the flight that is the same time as my flight is that leaves tomorrow and it looks like it's arriving at B4 in ATL and leaving from gate B4 in ATL.

...

I will definitley make sure they tag my baggage to fll. Will the tag say fll or will it say atl/fll or what? two tags?

First, I think that nhrich has probably got exactly what you've done. Having a look at the flights which I think are yours, for today:-

Delta 1426  8:10am   Jackson (JAN)  10:21am  Atlanta (ATL)
Delta 1530  11:30am  Atlanta (ATL)  1:16pm   Fort Lauderdale (FLL)

The flight information for DL1426 says:-

Jackson (JAN)  08:10am  (08:03am)  Atlanta (ATL)    10:21am  (10:18am)
Atlanta (ATL)  11:15am  On Time    Baltimore (BWI)  12:59pm  On Time

And the details for each of those legs is:-

Flight 1426 
Flight Information  
Departing City (Airport) Jackson (Jackson Intl) 
Departure Gate 19(JAN) 
Carrier Delta 
Equipment Type McDonnell Douglas MD-88 
Arriving City Atlanta (Hartsfield Atlanta Intl) 
Arriving Gate B4(ATL) 
Flight Distance (miles) 340 

Flight 1426 
Flight Information  
Departing City (Airport) Atlanta (Hartsfield Atlanta Intl) 
Departure Gate B4(ATL) 
Carrier Delta 
Equipment Type McDonnell Douglas MD-88 
Arriving City Baltimore (Baltimore-Washington Intl) 
Arriving Gate C10(BWI) 
Flight Distance (miles) 574 

So you can see that B4 is the gate for the same aircraft, but you don't want to be on the second sector of that flight because it's going to Baltimore.

 

The flight information for the flight from ATL to FLL is:-

Atlanta (ATL)  11:30am  On Time    Fort Lauderdale (FLL)  01:16pm  On Time

And the individual details say:-

Flight 1530 
Flight Information  
Departing City (Airport) Atlanta (Hartsfield Atlanta Intl) 
Departure Gate A19(ATL) 
Carrier Delta 
Equipment Type Boeing 767-300 
Arriving City Fort Lauderdale (Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Intl) 
Arriving Gate D8(FLL) 
Flight Distance (miles) 582 

So you can see that if the gate allocations are the same on the day that you're flying, you'd have to get from B4 to A19.

 

Remember that gate allocations can change right up to the last minute, so you need to check the monitors when you get to ATL to find out what's happening. The good news is that you ought not to have to clear security at ATL.

 

You should get a single bag tag for each bag, which will have details of both flights printed on them. By long-standing airline industry convention, you have to read a normaly connecting bag tag from the bottom up. So if you were taking those flights, it would say something like:-

DL 1530 / 16 FLL 
DL 1426 / 16 ATL

Don't get confused by the upside-down order. The "/ 16" is just today's date.

[mslvp7]

Hi.

 

When you board your first flight, ask the attendant to let you disembark first since you have such a short time to make your next flight & request they have an airline agent nearby to escort you to your next gate - explain it's your first time flying.

 

Then, about 15 minutes before landing, double check with the same attendant that they do indeed have an agent waiting for you & remind them you requested to deplane first.

 

I did this for a college kid one time-he was next to me on my UAL flight to SF, but he was continuing on to Seattle or somewhere We were late, he was panicking (sp???) so I arranged all this while we were still in the air & got him to the UAL agent waiting for him. He had about 15 min. by the time we got in the terminal but the agent escorting him said that would be fine. (This was a looong time ago so post 9/11 travel)

 

I always have a book to read, while I'm standing in all the lines, I tuck my tix & ID info inside the book so it's always handy.

 

You will be just fine-have a great time.

 

 

greatcruisinghome

[hiram]

I don't think I want to fly to Baltimore. That's kind of the wrong direction. Thanks for the information! Here I would've been waiting around... not really, I'm sure I'd have figured it out and it'd been on my boarding pass! I perused the Delta and atlanta websites a little further. Since so many airplanes are routed through atlanta, does anyone here know how long it takes to get from one concorse to the other, and also if I have to go through security twice?

 

Thank you,

Hiram.

[Guest nhrich]

Based on my experience at ATL, it shouldn't be more than 10-15 minutes from one terminal to another, at worst case. If the terminals are adjacent, even less. You will not have to go through security (unless you take a wrong turn), as security is before you get to the first terminal coming from the ticket counters.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[hotmike98]

Hiram--your departure gate in Atlanta will NOT be on your boarding pass, only the flight number. The departure gate is often written on your ticket/boarding pass jacket (a little folder) but that will only be for your departure gate in Jackson. If, for some reason, there is no gate agent to help you when you deplane in Atlanta, look for a bank of television screens when you get off the plane. Look for the one that says "Departure" -- depending on the airport, they will be either by time of departure or city of destination. Find your flight and note the gate. I suggest you print out the map of the Atlanta airport and keep it in your pocket for quick reference. DON'T go up to a counter to seek assistance if at all possible, because the person in front of you in line will almost certainly still be talking to the agent when your flight touches down in Fort Lauderdale. Advice of others about talking to the flight attendant when you board is very good advice. Explain that you have never flown before, are a little bit nervous about making your connection, and ask what they can do to assist you. Make sure that he/she knows you are not seeking assurances that everything will be ok, that you will be needing actual assistance. Take a small box of candy that still has the cellophane wrapper on it, and the flight attendants will treat you like you are seated in first class, which brings me to my next point: you didn't respond to the poster who asked where your seats are. If they have already been assigned, you may be able to check the type of plane and seat location on Delta's website. You want to be seated in any row with a number of 12 of less, if possible. If it's much higher, ask the travel agent to get it changed. I'd rather have a center seat closer to the front than be stuck in back when you want to be OUT of the plane ASAP. I know you are being bombarded with lots of information, but everyone here wants to make sure you have a great trip!

[hiram]

The flight to atl isn't all that crowded. I had to get re-assigned seats due to me having to purchase an extra seat out of my paranoia and my larger than normal body. So my wife and I got seated in the rows that are three across and I purchased the seat in the middle. Delta reserves the more forward rows for it's "something" members. The incoming flight to atl is on an md-80, and probably won't be that full and isn't all that large. I will ask the flight attendant about having someone meet me at the gate to assist me in my ordeal. I am apprehensive about giving them candy, y'know candy from strangers.

 

Just a few more weeks and I'm on my way...

 

Hiram.