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Flight planning - tell me about a Delta Atlanta connection
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:06 am
by PA Girl
We are trying to put the peices in place for the July trip. Like I mentioned before, airfare and flight times are making me crazy.
The goal is to get down to STT as soon as possible. I don't mind paying a little more for a decent flight.
So I was poking around Expedia this morning and saw we could get into STT at 2:00 pm on Delta. This would involve a connection in Atlanta, with an 1:45 minute layover.
It has been years since we flew Delta and/or connected through Atlanta.
Your thoughts? Any worse than any other connection?
This choice would actually save us nearly $200 a ticket when compared to a US Air Charlotte connection that arrives STT at 3:22 pm.
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:10 am
by byado18
1:45 is plenty of time to make the connection....we often do it in an hour!
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:17 am
by Greenskeeper
For the past 2 years we have done the flight from ATL to STT that gets in at 2:00. We have always flown to ATL the evening before, spent the night and then grabbed that flight in the morning. While it's a huge airport, in our experience, things move quickly and efficiently. We are always able to grab food for the flight without a hassle and the arrival and departure gates (we fly through on the way home too) have always been very close to each other.
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:21 am
by augie
We've been on the Delta ATL-STT flight you mention twice. Not only were there no problems, both times we had one of the most pleasant flight crews we've ever come across.
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:27 am
by 2beachbums
We have not had any issues with this connecting flight either. We have done it with a 30-45 minute lay over no problem. You just have to find out where you need to be and get there by going down the escalator hopping on the under ground train to your terminal and back up the escalator! Kids love this part! The train makes it fast to get through this airport. Plus the outcome of getting there by 2pm is great!
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:28 am
by gymnastika
My flight from San Antonio has always had just a 50 minute connection time. No problems.
BTW, I just booked my Delta flight a few minutes ago. I'm going AGAIN! In May. I had a friend call and she wants me to go down there with her to camp at Maho for a quick trip! No problem! I've done it before, I'll do it again.

Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:33 am
by PA Girl
gymnastika wrote:My flight from San Antonio has always had just a 50 minute connection time. No problems.
BTW, I just booked my Delta flight a few minutes ago.
I'm going AGAIN! In May. I had a friend call and she wants me to go down there with her to camp at Maho for a quick trip! No problem! I've done it before, I'll do it again.

Your TX residency status may in in jeopardy if you don't keep you butt at home once in a while!
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:53 am
by gymnastika
I know I know! BUT I can do a trip for five days for under $500!!

How crazy is that!
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 12:44 pm
by Gromit
Totally do-able. Just make sure you DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK your gate during the connection time. Delta is NOTORIOUS for switching stuff up at the last minute.
Not a problem if you're in the same terminal, but total pain in the ass if you have to change terminals at the last minute because they switch things up on you.
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:04 pm
by rpplano
We do this connection almost every trip. Ours is usually a 50 minute connection. Bags even make it OK.
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:11 pm
by PA Girl
I think I am going to push for it.
Hubs has this weird post-tramatic stress thing going on with Delta because he got stuck in the window seat, on a little jet, next to someone who took up WAY too much of his personal space.
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:40 pm
by pipanale
We've never had a problem; once starting in EWR and twice in RDU. 1:45 should be plenty of time. I've done tighter connections coming home and haven't had bags in RDU, but who cares at that point?
We're on that same flight from ATL to STT later in July and have about the same layover. Going down, anything under 1:30 makes me nervous just because you never know when they will decide to shut down airspace in GA. That also has happened to me.
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:42 pm
by jimg20
I do a sub-1hour connection in ATL almost every week w/o a problem. Expeienced flyers will find a 1:45 layover to be excessive Think of it as a chance to start your transition to Island Time. We generally take that flight. In fact we've done that the last 4 trips Nd the next 3. It is a 757 and is fairly comfortable.
If the fare is that much better, I say grab it.
JIM
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:46 pm
by PA Girl
pipanale wrote: Going down, anything under 1:30 makes me nervous just because you never know when they will decide to shut down airspace in GA. That also has happened to me.
Why? Volcanic activity?

Or just due to summer weather?
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:47 pm
by PA Girl
jimg20 wrote:I do a sub-1hour connection in ATL almost every week w/o a problem. Expeienced flyers will find a 1:45 layover to be excessive Think of it as a chance to start your transition to Island Time. We generally take that flight. In fact we've done that the last 4 trips Nd the next 3. It is a 757 and is fairly comfortable.
If the fare is that much better, I say grab it.
JIM
I was looking at it as a chance to transition into drinking
