DCA - Baggage Drop Processsing Time, Security Wait; General Boarding Q
 

I'll be flying internationally in B/E to JNB this Wednesday out of DCA, taking the 4p flight to ATL.

DCA-related:
* Will DL allow me to take the 3p flight instead, if F seats are available? (I'm traveling on a paid, advance purchase B/E ticket.) I initially booked the 3p flight but a schedule change caused me to be automatically rebooked on to the 4p flight. :mad:
* How long does it take the DL folks to process baggage drop mid-afternoons during mid-week? I'm planning to leave DC Union Station (where I work) around 2p and get to DCA by 230p. Is this reasonable? I've heard some horror stories from passengers with Sky Priority benefits that it took longer than expected, and that the DL staff are disorganized.
* What about elite security lines? Does it actually work or is it a farce? What's the usual processing time?
* Is the baggage drop area next to the metro station open at that time?

General:
* How many minutes prior to departure does zone 1 boarding begin for narrow-body planes, specifically the B737?
* How many minutes prior to departure does zone 1 boarding begin for wide-body planes, specifically the B777?

I think I'm too excited to fly that I may be asking trivial questions. :rolleyes: I was once a gold/platinum elite on NW for 5 years and flew in WBC annually but disappeared from the legacy carrier scene for 2.5 years until about 2 weeks ago, flying DTW-DCA in Y. So this is like my first time all over again. :D

- Pat

Here's some answers to your questions:

1. If you are on a paid B/E ticket and in F from DCA to ATL you should be able to change to an earlier flight unless your ticket has specific restrictions.

2. Bag Drop wait times depend on the loads and Wednesday's are generally slow. If you are in F you should use the SkyPriority check in which is located next to the security checkpoint where the Delta Shuttle counter is. (across from Dunkin Donuts)

3. Security checkpoint lines are based on TSA staffing. Again, on a Wednesday you should not have to wait too long. The Priority line will definitely cut your wait down significantly.

4. The Metro check in is available as well.

5. Do NOT arrive at the check in counter at 230 pm for a 300 pm flight. Check in with or without bags is cut off at 30 minutes prior to departure and you will not be able to check in if it is less than 30 minutes. You need to be at the airport at least 45 minutes to one hour before departure. If you have to wait in line for some reason and it's less than 30 minutes to departure you will be rebooked for a later flight.

6. Zone 1 boarding for domestic flights starts 30 minutes before departure.


Hope this helps.

Same day change is technically not allowed if any part of the itinerary is international. That said, DL's agents will typically let you take an earlier flight... especially if you're on a full-fare ticket (no change fees/same class available on earlier flight).... that may require ticket reissuance and/or additional time, so plan accordingly and arrive at least an hour before the flight.

In fact, if it's a fully changable ticket, you can probably make the change by phone.

all the other comments by Indogulf comport with my experience.

Thanks. It looks like the one I'll use is the desk by security! :cool: (Unless the one by the metro is open and isn't crowded.) I just read through SMI's posting on Sky Priority.

Now, I'm curious if I'll be able to get on to the 3pm flight, through the kindness of a check-in agent. I'm flying on a business class restricted I-fare ticket, with a $400 change fee. I'll leave the office at 1p instead and just work from the airline lounge until my traditional 5p quitting time.

Never hurts to ask the agent about changing to an earlier flight.

I've been pretty successful with such changes at DCA, CVG, ATL, LAX - actually most places except at JFK where the earlier flight involves one of the commuter operators (Comair, etc) where I am zero percent even when they have seats on the plane.

Your odds improve if 1) the flight is lightly booked, 2) you're willing to take a coach seat instead of F, 3) if the flight you're currently booked on is either oversold or close to it or 4) the weather is "iffy" and there's a chance you might misconnect if your original flight is delayed.

One note about priority security for the DL pier at DCA - it's pretty worthless a lot of the time and can take longer than the regular line.

Listen to indogulf...he's a real asset to the DL forum on FT.

Also, remember that DCA-ATL is a very elite-heavy route and many of the available FC seats will be given out at the first EUA window. However, the yield management guys should hold a few seats for last-minute purchases of FC tickets, so you're basically hoping to get one of these at the airport even through the rules don't exactly say that you can do this. Your odds of sitting in FC on the earlier flight are much greater if you request it before any BF upgrades begin to be processed.

I wouldn't be optimistic about calling DL in advance unless your flight is oversold or WX/MX problems are anticipated, but it probably won't hurt. If you do see an obvious weather problem or a delay announced, don't be afraid to call and beg a supervisor to move you to an earlier flight. (I did this once for a NW DCA to EU in WBC connection and it took a long time on the phone the evening before, but it was much better than spending the night in DTW. What the NW Plat line did for me then was clearly an exception that it made sense to make.) Just be sure they don't charge you the $400 change fee.

However, when you were automatically rebooked after the schedule change, why didn't you call and request to be put back onto the 3 pm flight? I've been successful (as a DM) in calling and saying that the connect time is now more/less than I would prefer despite the official minimum connecting time parameters.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Remember that if you're checking luggage, you need to change the flight before your bag goes away. You cannot change from the SkyClub or at the gate, especially for an international flight (unless it looks like your flight goes MX/WX, in which case they might be willing to find and re-route your bag to fly with you) AFAIK. Also, I think the bag drop deadline for your flight at DCA might be T-45 now, while some agents would impose the T-60 rule because you're connecting to international.

IMO, use the SkyPriority check in area unless it's very crowded and you're noticed that the metro area isn't. My theory is that agents handling the FC/elite/etc. lines are likely to be not only more experienced but also nicer and maybe less pressured. It can't hurt! YMMV.

Monday is a holiday, so Wednesday afternoon traffic might be heavier than usual with government workers trying to make it a long weekend and celebrate the start of summer.

If you have time in ATL, be sure to visit the former BE lounge. It's the large E SkyClub with good tarmac views, beyond and around the corner to the right of the other E SkyClub. It's probably close to your departure gate and your BE boarding pass gets you in the door.

Because I was an idiot. :rolleyes:

Does anyone happen to know the hours of the Sky Priority check-in adjacent to security?

And yes...why is it the "priority" line has to take so long? They need to allow the priority line to feed to more than one belt/x-ray. That's what clogs up the priority line. Plus all the flight crews jump in front of the priority line and use the same belt/x-ray which doesn't help either. Sigh.

Sky Priority check in is open from 0430 to 2030 (closes earlier on Saturday). But someone is usually there until about 2100 on all days except for Saturdays.

Also, bag drop cut off is 30 minutes to departure regardless of destination. (Except LGA which is 15 minutes)

I would leave enough time because as I have said in the past the 30 minute deadline is firm especially for international as handwritten tags are frowned upon and will be done only in the most extreme of emergencies.

Thanks, IndoGulf. Are you sure 30 minutes? :confused: Thought the standard cut-off for US-international is 60.

I'm sure about the 30 minutes.

Forgive me, but there is a lot of information here that says otherwise. Are you saying bags can still be dropped off for int'l itins even when arriving at d-30?

Great information! Thanks for posting the hours of the Sky Priority check-in desk.

IndoGulf, I'll be flying again on DL BE again soon. This time, I'll be on a 7a flight out of DCA on a Saturday. Just would like to verify that the Sky Priority check-in station next to the security checkpoint is open at 430a on Saturdays.

When I went to JNB last time, that Sky Priority check in counter was awesome! :) There were no other passengers there. And there was a contractor who took my baggage to the CTX machine from the check-in desk. It felt like a little cozy airport, with personal service to me. (Then I got intimidated in ATL having to use the people mover to go to terminal E. :eek: )