Changing flights in Atlanta

We fly on VS103 LHR-ATL in a couple of weeks time. It arrives in Atlanta at 14:00 and our connecting flight Delta DL2439 to Daytona Beach departs at 15:35. The travel agent said that an hour and a half should be enough time and that they send many people on this route/timing with no problems but it looks tight to me. It's too late to change now, all booked on non refundable tickets, but does anyone know what its like changing in Atlanta. Any tips other than head down and run?

We are only in Economy this time but have booked seats near the front for as quick an exit as possible.

Thanks

I've only had two experiences changing at ATL - the first time it took me a good hour to get through customs and immigration, the second time only 10 minutes. The first time was apparently the worst it had been for a while so I wouldn't call it typical (and I still made my connection, albeit with a bit of running).
Are you on a repeat ESTA? If so that'll cut down your time quite a fair bit as you can use the electronic customs declaration terminals (not sure of their actual name...). Otherwise I'd say that an hour and a half would be fine - the inter-terminal plane train runs very regularly and is very quick to move you between the terminals.

Worst case scenario if you miss your connection you'll be put on the next available flight to Daytona Beach, so you're covered in that regard!

I had a 2 hour 25 minute connection between flights in ATL in April, but after the delays we had after landing:

1 - 15 minutes wasted sitting outside the gate unable to dock because all the DL staff was at the adjacent gate.
2 - 15 more minutes wasted because nobody was available to control the jet bridge.
3 - Customs hall was completely heaving, while the US line rapidly emptied in minutes. All not-US passengers was directed to a human, and only after 45 minutes did they allow us to use the ESTA machines which was sitting totally idle at this point. All the returning americans had been processed and were now idle.
4 - Only 2 people manning the desks for landing cards between immigration and baggage collection. Queues of 50+ each.
5 - Baggage for our VS flight scattered across two carousels at opposite ends of the room, and in my case just removed and left on the floor with about 20 others while someone with a megaphone shouts almost unintelligible noise about where our baggage is (completely ignoring that the screens say the exact opposite of what you're telling us!).
6 - More time having to go through security again despite remaining airside (DL's twitter said i wouldn't have to).

By the time i arrived at my connecting flight there was 20 minutes to departure and boarding had already started.

As long as you keep on top of time (and if it gets tight just let someone know, what's the harm?) you should be fine.

I had a 2 hour 25 minute connection between flights in ATL in April, but after the delays we had after landing:

1 - 15 minutes wasted sitting outside the gate unable to dock because all the DL staff was at the adjacent gate.
2 - 15 more minutes wasted because nobody was available to control the jet bridge.
3 - Customs hall was completely heaving, while the US line rapidly emptied in minutes. All not-US passengers was directed to a human, and only after 45 minutes did they allow us to use the ESTA machines which was sitting totally idle at this point. All the returning americans had been processed and were now idle.
4 - Only 2 people manning the desks for landing cards between immigration and baggage collection. Queues of 50+ each.
5 - Baggage for our VS flight scattered across two carousels at opposite ends of the room, and in my case just removed and left on the floor with about 20 others while someone with a megaphone shouts almost unintelligible noise about where our baggage is (completely ignoring that the screens say the exact opposite of what you're telling us!).
6 - More time having to go through security again despite remaining airside (DL's twitter said i wouldn't have to).

By the time i arrived at my connecting flight there was 20 minutes to departure and boarding had already started.

As long as you keep on top of time (and if it gets tight just let someone know, what's the harm?) you should be fine.

You are not painting a pretty picture.

My understanding is that VS103 is one of the first transatlantic flights in for the day so I am looking forward to an empty customs hall with officers desperate to start work. . [I'll start taking my medication before I leave... promise]

I was on VS103 too (i believe its always one of the first handful of VS/DL flights from T3) and that's what happened.

Save some medication for me for when i go back in October! Fortunately its on a reward seat and there's no connecting flight, but it's enough to make me go via Detroit for later journeys instead.

You've done all i would personally (be as far at the front of the cabin as possible), and i would suggest packing up about 60 minutes to landing so soon as you reach the gate you just get up and go.

And save some meds for me!

Was on the VS115 a couple of weeks ago, a Saturday admittedly but immigration was fine. The queue was longish but as the US line dropped people were moved from the non-US line pretty quickly and there are quite a few automated passport machines there. No delays on landing and I was in the Delta Skyclub pretty quickly with free food and beer and a very nice waitress.

IMHO it is common sense to allow at least 2.5 hours - and if possible more - between international arrivals and domestic connections at ANY US airport.

Flights can be late. Immigration queues are wholly unpredictable. There's frequently a second, equally unpredictable, queue to clear customs. And you usually have to claim and re-check your luggage then go landside and back through security due to the lack of any international airside flight connections system.

Better safe than sorry ...

IMHO it is common sense to allow at least 2.5 hours - and if possible more - between international arrivals and domestic connections at ANY US airport.

Flights can be late. Immigration queues are wholly unpredictable. There's frequently a second, equally unpredictable, queue to clear customs. And you usually have to claim and re-check your luggage then go landside and back through security due to the lack of any international airside flight connections system.

Better safe than sorry ...

As I said in my opening post, already booked, not possible to change.

i was on vs103 in january, with a nominal 1:45 to my connecting DL flight, but landed late (routing around bad weather i think)

fast off the plane (i was in PE) and straight through immigration without any queue, my bag was almost the first on the conveyor, dropped it at the transfer belt and went as fast as possible to the other terminal for my connection, which it turned out was delayed

but my bag didn't make it onto the flight, at MCO there were many people on this and subsequent flights from ATL missing their bags, i joined the queue at the DL baggage desk

disturbingly, my bag was showing on the DL kiosk as still in the ATL baggage hall! but the lady at the desk said that TSA sometimes screen international baggage, if they did then with the timing it was guaranteed to miss the connection and also it would show on DL's system as still in the baggage hall until TSA gave it back to them

my bag eventually was delivered to my hotel about 0400, about 7-8 hours behind me

if you're not delayed inbound or picked on by the TSA i think you'll be ok

once you've dropped off your bag on the connection belt (to the left opposite the short row of check-in desks as you exit the baggage hall) check which terminal you need to get to for your connection, from memory there's a big display there, but once i went down to the train i don't remember seeing any info

put any essentials in cabin baggage, i was kicking myself for leaving out the plug adaptor and had to buy one to charge my mobile as that was the contact number i'd given DL

i hope you don't need to discover... http://www.wheresmysuitcase.com ...but if you do, log in with the reference they'll give you at the DL baggage desk and check all the info is correct to ensure as speedy a delivery as possible

If memory serves there's a giant screen showing departures at each train stop between the terminals.

If memory serves there's a giant screen showing departures at each train stop between the terminals.

this shows how frazzled i was

I've recently been recommending Atlanta to colleagues due the really fast connections onto DL flights (hint - just pretend to be a US citizen and use the Global Entry terminals - it works with all EU chip passports. I've been seated on a connecting flight within 45 mins of VS103's door opening without running. -

Have always found DL really happy to rebook and move you onto earlier or later connections if you've ask politely (as long as there aren't weather delays -then customer service disappears). things do go wrong but you should be ok.

I took the VS115 this week and immigration was empty (around 4pm) but what surprised me was the distance between the International terminal and the domestic. It took around 15 minutes on the shuttle bus which even went on the freeway to get there. It seems to be stuck miles from the domestic terminals - impossible to walk - so don't plan on a tight connection.

The Delta lounge in departures was lousy. The building was very nice but the service and the food offering (I would not call it food ) was pathetic. There are many destinations where VS have just one flight a day but operate a clubhouse so with ATL , where they have 2 a day, should justify getting one. The DL lounge 'experience' reflects negatively on the VS brand.

I have also just returned from a trip connecting in ATL both ways. Fortunately we planned our connections so that we had at least two hours transit time. We found this amount of transit time between domestic/international flights ideal. All flights arrived on time or early. On the outbound we arrived to a virtually empty immigration hall and were through fairly swiftly despite having to battle with the self-service kiosks. Then we had to get the terminal train from terminal F to terminal A which felt like it took around 15 minutes. After stocking up on snacks and water we had about an hour before boarding.

In contrast to this last year we flew the same route but all on DL with 90 mins transit time on return. Due to being stuck on the ground for nearlly an hour on that inbound we missed our connection. Hence in our most recent trip we've adopted the strategy of keeping connections to strictly more than 2hrs. I think its important to note that concourse F is the international terminal and most DL connections seem to end up in A or B. Being such a huge airport this naturally takes time to transit which people should consider when booking connections. DL and most airlines seems to have a minimum feasible connection time which I believe is only achievable if flights are early/on time with a smooth running immigration hall....something which in practice doesn't always happen.

VH told me a few weeks ago that the min connection time domestic to international at ATL is 30 mins.

I made them change that connection!

The connection to Daytona is still showing as a 1hr 35m guaranteed connection on VS website.
The official "Minimum Connecting Time" is 1 hr 30 minutes.

If you have booked a through ticket then the journey is guaranteed (ie: it's the airlines responsibility to get you to Daytona)

some friends (party of four) flew out two days ago, LHR-ATL-CAN, at ATL there was 2:05 scheduled for the connection and their VS115 actually arrived at ATL half an hour early, so at least 2:30 for the connection

coincidentally they'd asked me about the connection time and i'd said "should be ok but if i were you, put essentials in cabin baggage"

had a sad email from them that their bags didn't make it to CAN with them with, no idea why, eventually reached them 3-4pm the next day

i didn't ask if they found out any reason, they were really not in the mood!