Atlanta/Customs ?

[cecilterwiliger]

We just received our docs from the cruiseline and we are routed both ways through ATL to/from Rome. I can tell by the map it is a huge airport and I know they have intra-terminal transport, but we come in at one end and leave the other due to the International flight. My question is how is customs handled there? Do you come off the flight, get all of your bags and then go through and then the airline re-checks your through backs or what? I can see this being time consuming if that is the case and we don't have that much time between flights. Anyone out there have experience with this and can clue me in?

[Desert Cruisers]

Your bags will be checked in Rome to your final destination. The standard procedure upon arrival in the USA is to 1)go through passport control, 2) collect luggage and 3) drop off luggage at airline desks near luggage carousels. You normally do not have to recheck for the ongoing domestic flight. There should be monitors showing connecting flights.

 

If you are worry about your connection time, call the airline. They usually have minimum requirements for connection time from international to domestic flights.

[sweetcruiser106]

While I have not had to go through customs in ATL in many years, I can tell you that the airport is relatively easy to navigate with lots of signs and monitors. The subway system that connects all of the terminals is fast and efficient. The biggest problem that you will encounter there is the number of people. It is a very crowded airport. Hope that you have a great time on your trip.

[cecilterwiliger]

Pardon my denseness, but I'm still not clear about this one. If the luggage is checked through to the final destination, then does that mean that you see it at all in ATL or does it just go through airline hands (like a normal domestic flight) to the final destination or do you have to pick it up, get it inspected and then put it through again? We have an hour and a half between flights (the cruise line scheduled this, not us) and it just seems like a rush, especially if there is yet another security line in the domestic terminal when we get there. We did this last summer (through another airport) but had a direct flight on the way back, so we didn't go through customs until SFO.

[zqvol]

Immigration and Customs works just like explained above.

 

When you arrive you go through immigration where your passport/immigration status is checked and you are admitted to the country.

 

You then go get your bags and go though customs, making the usual declaration.

 

You then take your bags and re check them (all you do is drop them off at the appropriate counter).

 

You then make your way to your on going flight.

 

You need at least 90 minutes to get off the plane clear everything and then get to your next plane, which means leave yourself at least 2 hours for a connection in Atlanta.

[FlyerTalker]

Let me try to give it to you a bit clearer:

 

When you arrive at the airport in Rome, you'll head to your airline counter (I'm assuming it is Delta). You'll do your check-in, and receive boarding passes for all segments of your trip. Your baggage will be tagged to your final destination - let's call it XYZ (the tags will look like this: ATL - DLxxx / XYX - DLxxx).

 

Now, when you arrive in ATL, all passengers will have to clear Customs and Immigration. Except for some flights from Canada and Ireland, pax must clear at their first point of arrival in the USA. So, you'll first go through Immigration. After that, you'll head down an escalator to claim your luggage at a very large baggage facility with many carousels. There will be carts available for you to load your luggage. You then go through Customs. When you have passed through Customs, you'll see baggage check desks.

 

Your bags will still have the original tags on them....don't remove them! Give the bags to the staff at the recheckin desk and you're done with them. You'll next see them at your final destination.

 

You will have to pass through a security check and that will put you into Concourse E at ATL. Take the train to the appropriate concourse and head to your next gate. For A through D, the train station is in the middle of the concourse, appx gate 18 or so. Thus, if your onward flight is from a very low or high number, you'll have a hike from the center of the concourse.

 

Here is a link to a very detailed map of the Atlanta Airport.

 

For your outbound, you'll go through ATL without seeing your luggage, just making a normal connection. In Rome, you'll claim your luggage after you clear Immigration and then go through EU customs.

[cecilterwiliger]

Thanks for all of your help. Delta has these flights listed as able to be scheduled, but it looks really iffy and you all made it clear that it is. The cruiseline set this up. I would have never booked it that way. I have a lot of experience flying, but never made it into ATL and just haven't been out of the country with a connecting flight in a really long time (other than BDA, which is unique in that it has customs on that end). There is a later flight, so we are calling tomorrow to see what they will do. Keeping fingers and toes crossed. Again, thanks for your patience and help in all of this. I really appreciate all of your time.

[willieg]

We just went through customs here in Atlanta. After you clear customs, you simply put your luggage on another conveyor belt and follow the signs. You do not have to go into the main terminal area. You can go to your next flight using the train.

Check with the flight attendant to make sure they have not changed your new gate number in Atlanta.

On the return trip it is a good idea to check your seat number. In Barcelona they changed the type of plane so our seats were no longer bulkhead seats. The gate agent in Barcelona made the right changes for us.

The airport map for Atlanta is a good one. We have found the airport workers to be helpful.

[Globaliser]

Delta has these flights listed as able to be scheduled, but it looks really iffy and you all made it clear that it is. The cruiseline set this up. I would have never booked it that way.

As your flights should be written on a single ticket, Delta will reaccommodate you on later flights if you miss your original connection. So if you want to see whether or not you make it, then you can stick with the original, legal connection. But if you're happy to have a more leisurely connection and not worried about the extra time, then some additional margin is always good for taking the stress out of it.

[Desert Cruisers]

An hour and half connection should be sufficient if the Rome flight arrives pretty much on time. We have flown internationally into Atlanta many times and haven't had a problem once the plane arrives at the gate. We usually can get out of the international terminal within 1/2 hour or less. Weather and air traffic control at Rome and Atlanta are the unknowns. Of course, not everything works perfectly. Only you can decide if you are comfortable with the connection versus taking a later flight. How much later is the next flight that the cruiseline is willing to rebook you on? Is the connection on the same or a different airline? Is the extra wait worth it? If the cruiseline charges you a "deviation fee" is it worth the extra peace of mind?

[zqvol]

As your flights should be written on a single ticket, Delta will reaccommodate you on later flights if you miss your original connection. So if you want to see whether or not you make it, then you can stick with the original, legal connection. But if you're happy to have a more leisurely connection and not worried about the extra time, then some additional margin is always good for taking the stress out of it.

BUT, you will be traveling standby and as you are aware domestic flights are very full in the summer so it may take a while to get to your final destination.

 

Also don't forget that weather in Atlant in the summer can be very iffy as in storms, and since you are traveling west you MAY encounter head winds which could delay your flight. I know that these are built into the schedule but you never know.

[cecilterwiliger]

We called the cruiseline, who booked our tickets, and they said that we had to call Delta, which we did. Delta wouldn't budge on the flight that was an hour later, it was wide open, but not with K seats, only with the next level up. They did ask if we wanted assistance at the gate, since that is the wild card. I broke my foot a while back and when stressed it can still give out, even though it is supposedly healed. I am going to the doc to see if I can get a brace for it, in case it starts giving me problems. As long as I go at my own pace, I'm fine, but I'm afraid a rush might re-injure it. What we were told was that it IS a legal connection, so unless the flight is delayed, we are responsible for not getting there on time. Thanks once again for all of your input, I'm a bit less stressed now, but have learned that the "choose your own flight surcharge" might be the way to go next time. Ironically, we have always booked with the cruiseline to avoid stress and make it their problem if connections didn't work out.