Horror Stories re: Atlanta Airport - True?

[Bill From PA]

We may save bucks by taking a flight that changes planes in Atlanta. I've heard that this is a super busy place, not well laid out so it's hard to get from place to place. Any truth to this? I wouldn't care except that there'll be 6 of us and a child just short of 2 years old.


Thanks,
Bill From PA

 

[disnygrl00]

I have only one experience changing planes in Atlanta.
Unfortunately it was a bad one. The airport is very large and spread out. Even though I was changing planes within the same airline I still had to go either two or three terminals away. And there are trams similar to the ones at the orlando airport that take you from terminal to terminal
Of course my first flight was late getting in and I had to run through the airport only to arrive five minutes late at my connecting gate. Of course this flight was right on time and I missed it!
I was luckily able to get booked on the last flight out that night to my destination. The people behind the counter at the gate were very rude. Basically told me and a few others who also had missed the flight due to late connections that it was our fault we didn't get there in time.
Oh well..I guess that can happen anywhere though.

 

[Eeyore1954]

Bill, you must not have heard the old joke -- when you die, it doesn't matter whether you go to heaven or the other place, 'cause you'll end up changing planes in ATLANTA!!

I am on the road all the time and travel through Atlanta Hartsfield frequently. I love this airport. Yes, it is big and wide, but the underground tram system gets you shuttled between terminals quickly.

That said, I always scheduled no less than 45 mins. between flights when changing in Atlanta. That gives me a little breather room in case my arriving flight is a little late. If it's really late, then I have a problem, but then again, I don't blame Hartsfield for that. I just roll with the punches.

As far as things to do during a layover, Atlanta is hard to beat. Great restaurants, shopping... it's a layover paradise. I wouldn't mind being stuck there for any length of time.

Go ahead and book it -- I think you'll find it is not the nightmare some make it out to be.

 

[RobinLyn]

I agree with Eeyore, I think Atlanta airport is nice. We have been there several times for connecting flights. I think their undergorund tram sysytem is great and works very well. It's fast and gets you where you need to be quickly. Bill, I'm from NJ and we both know what Philly airport is like even after the remodeling mess. You should have no problems at Atlanta. Just ask people in the airport for help, they are very friendly IMHO.

RobinLyn

 

[safetymom]

I have flown through ATL many times. The transportation is great. Lots of places to browse also. Was stuck there once for 8 hours with kids and they didn't complain. I have made it with as little as 30 mins between connections but with a family I would allow more time.

 

[ncligs]

Our son lived in Atlanta for 3 years, so we always flew down to see him. We never had a problem with our direct flights there. We changed planes there a few times also (to Orlando) and the connections were not that bad.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Yes, Atlanta is a large airport and a very busy one. But it is very well laid out with plenty of signs to direct you to where you need to go.

Check out the airport layout on their website www.atlanta-airport.com

 

[Bill From PA]

Thanks, all! I won't pass up a bargain to avoid Atlanta, but I will check carefully the layover time and the gates to be negotiated. I'm still leery of having to switch terminals. On our way to San Diego a few years back we stopped at Cinn. with Delta and just made it from one terminal to the next in time for our flight. Our first flight was on time, that's just how close the schedule cut it.


Bill From PA

 

[Luv2Roam]

No problems in Atlanta. But we avoid Dallas/Ft Worth at all costs.

 

[travelbug]

I've changed planes in Atlanta quite a few times. Don't be worried about having to get between different terminals. Your best bet in that case is to take an escalator down one level to the trains. They run often and will get you quickly from terminal to terminal. As somebody else said, though, you probably want at least a 45-min. layover, especially since you'll have a family with you. Good luck!

 

[drusba]

As a frequent business traveler, I have certain airports that I hate but must use. The top three on that list are O'Hare (and I am from Chicago), Atlanta, and Denver. O'Hare is the worst for delays overall, often requires marathon treks to get to your flights, and designed internal bars and food places to have the most uncomfortable seating that exists. Atlanta is the worst nightmare for connections as it can often take 45 minutes or more just to get from one flight to another. Denver is an airport that has a great desire to be considered a major hub (for transfers) but weather (particularly in winter) is more often than anywhere else a problem that causes huge delays or missed connections. For Atlanta, heed the warning made -- make sure there is a lot of time between your arriving flight and connecting flight's departure unless you really enjoy sprinting through airports.

 

[tax58]

I have to agree that Dallas is much harder to navigate through than Atlanta. The Atlanta high-speed transport works great.

 

[seashoreCM]

I consider less than 90 minutes to be a tight connection for dometic flights.

Nevertheless, being rude and telling the customer it is the customer's fault (assuming the connection was legal according to the reservation system) are both violations of good customer service. Feel free to write a letter to the airline with a suggestion that gives them a powerful incentive to go behind the scenes to fix this kind of customer service problem. Like asking for a bit of compensation.

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[DisneyKidds]

Having made weekly trips to Atlanta on business for a year and a half I got very used to Hartsfield. I actually like the airport a lot. While it is very large, it is pretty well laid out and pretty easy to find your way around. I do agree that 45 minutes is a minimum layover for a connection though. We once had about a 30 minute layover and ended up literally running throught he airport to make our connection.

 

[linny172]

I have had to change planes a few times in Atlanta and i guess i have just been lucky, my gates were always pretty close and always in the same terminal.

 

[mom23guys2]

Our one and only time in Atlanta, our plane was delayed arriving and our connection was the last flight out. There were some other delays for people with connections also. Delta let us off our flight first, we zoomed through the airport, and though hard to believe they were holding our flight for us( and some passengers from another flight.) I'd definitely try to make sure you're flight out of Atlanta is not the last for the night.

 

[MulanMom]

I see you are from Wilkes-Barre. Have you considered flying Southeast Airlines out of Allentown? They have non-stop flights to Sanford airport (just north of MCO) and some good rates.

 

[Bill From PA]

MulanMom,

I'm considering that. In 2000 we took a 6:30 am non-stop out of ABE to MCO that had us on the ground by 9:38. This was on USAir, but they don't offer that anymore. The prices listed so far for SouthEast are not that much better than for USAir out of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International (AVP). It's a balancing act. With AVP we have to connect, but it's 10 mins. from our door. ABE may be non-stop and cheaper, but it's at least an hour's drive and doesn't go to MCO. PHL is cheapest and non-stop, but it's 2 hours of often white-knuckle driving plus the $8 per day parking. The Atlanta connection flight I was asking about is out of AVP on Delta for $240, the USAir from AVP is $254 but connects through PHL or Pittsburgh, and I know those two airports. It's a matter of convenience and familiarity vs. saving a few dollars. At any rate, thanks for the input!


Bill From PA