lking

I completely agree with FlyBitcoin. The first thing to remember in all of your quandary is that you will be flying Delta and you will be in Delta's main airport so you will have many Delta personnel to help you. Definitely if you arrive in Terminal E you will not be able to inadvertently walk outside of the terminal. If you arrive in Terminal F, it could happen so just be careful to NOT take the Atlanta exit. Once you get your bags, find the train. Atlanta airport has a train system that takes you to each terminal so just remember to take the train to whatever terminal you want. There are many eating and shopping facilities in every terminal so you can ride the train and get off at each terminal (or you can even walk from one terminal to the next -- that walkway is right in the same areas as the train entrances/exits). If I recall correctly, the time to walk from Terminal A to Terminal F is 35 minutes, so that's another adventure.

Based on your flight times, you made a wise choice to stay in the Terminal B minisuites. Factor in your eating and strolling times before checking in for your 8 hour room reservation. The airport is very easy to get around so if you had to drag your bags before checking in, that shouldn't be a problem. You might even be able to leave your bags at the minisuites before checking in, then stroll the terminal to find places to eat/shop.

I recently had a 12 hour wait in ICN, arriving around 9pm and leaving the next evening. My flight was HAN-ICN-ATL. My plan was to take my suitcase with me into Seoul and do some night shopping and hotel in Dongdaemun. When I checked in at HAN, they put a baggage tag that checked my suitcase all the way through to ATL. I was told to pick up my bag at ICN and keep the baggage tag on and when I returned the next day, to tell the checkin counter that I was already checked through to ATL. It was seamless and easy. I would imagine that you would have that same experience. You will have to get your bag when you arrive in ATL and clear customs so you can just keep your bag with you and recheck it the next day. But, if you have any questions, there will be a Delta agent/desk there to help you.

Lots of places to shop and eat in the airport. And there will be Delta Information Help Desks in the terminals also. I think you will be fine.

arunhn

Also, this may not be an issue for OP, but unless you are a US citizen, or a green card holder, or otherwise already have another valid US visa, You will need to have a visa or ESTA even just to transit through the United States to another country.

Qwkynuf

I have seen several people say variations of this, but I am having a hard time picturing how it could be true. Admittedly, I don't fly international, it is all domestic US for me.

Are people really saying that I could check a bag when flying into the US, and upon landing claim my bag and *keep it with me* while wandering around airside in the airport? I can think of a lot of things that are allowed in a checked bag which are not allowed through security. The toolbag that I check on most trips has several knives in it, and some long screwdrivers. I can check large bottles of alcohol, etc etc etc. Once I claim my bag, what is to stop me from pocketing the contraband before I recheck the bag?

What am I not understanding?

CarmenOM

flyerCO

OP will need to clear immigration and customs at ATL. However as they're connecting international to international, with both flights on DL, they shouldn't need to pickup bags. They just need to make sure when checking in at ICN the DL agent tags their bags with an ITI (International to International) bag transfer tag. The bags will then be automatically transferred without needing to haul them through customs and rechecking them.

OP should have no issue using a BP for tomorrow's flight at the transfer security outside customs hall. (How do you think people with departures after midnight get through?)

if they land at Term E they will in fact be required to clear security and go airside even if they wanted to exit. If land at Term F OP just needs to follow the sign for connecting flights and clear security, do not follow the signs for to exit the airport.

ethernal

Agree that availability at reasonable prices is unlikely to skyrocket on Superbowl weekend, but keep in mind that Atlanta is very different than the Twin Cities metro.

The Minneapolis metro has only about 40K hotel rooms, whereas Atlanta has nearly 100K. There are a few metros that hover around this count but I believe that only Las Vegas and New York have materially more rooms than Atlanta - which has one of the highest hotel room counts per capita of any city (with Vegas obviously winning that title).

40K rooms would be completely maxed out solely due to Superbowl demand; 100K rooms means that there is enough capacity to cover Superbowl attendees with room to spare for regular organic demand.

pvn

yes

no

What you're missing is that when you land, you collect your bags (at which point you're landside, even though you're not in an area that people coming in off the street can access). You can either recheck your bags at this point, clear security and enter the airside area, or you can exit the airport, come back later, and re-check your bag before clearing security.

At no point will you have access to your checked luggage while airside.

MSPeconomist

HeadInTheClouds

Atlanta airport international arrivals are super confusing. In an attempt to put it all in one place, here are your options per my understanding:

DL International planes can arrive at either E or F gates randomly - there is no way of knowing which in advance. But it is very material as to what your options are.

ARRIVAL AT AN E GATE:
- No checked bags: You can choose to exit via E or F channel. E will redirect you back to the airport via security as your only option. F will give you the option of going back through security or exiting the airport directly. No onward boarding pass check in either situation if you go back through security.
- Through Checked bags: If bag is checked through to another destination, it will be sent to the E carousels and you will have to claim it*. You claim it, recheck it, then go back through security. That is your only option.
- * - Exception: If your bag is tagged as an I>I connection with DL's no clearance process, it will be sent to an E carousel, and a DL agent will claim it and recheck it with no action on the traveler's part required. In such a situation, traveler would have the option of exiting via F and to Atlanta directly.
- Atlanta Checked bags: If bag is checked through to ATLANTA only, it will be sent to an F carousel, and you will need to exit via the F terminal to pick up your bag. Once you do that, you have the option of exiting the airport with your bag or rechecking it and going back through security. No boarding pass required to re-enter security.

ARRIVAL AT AN F GATE:
- No checked bags: You must exit via F (no option to go to E). You will have the option of going back through security or exiting the airport directly. No onward boarding pass check if you go back through security.
- Checked bags: You must exit via F. All checked bags will be delivered to an F carousel regardless of onward destination or Atlanta destination. You will reclaim bag in either situation*. Once claimed, you can either exit to Atlanta (even if your bag is tagged to an onward destination) or recheck an onward tagged bag and re-enter security (no boarding pass required).
- * - As before, I>I checked bags will be delivered to a carousel and then claimed by DL agent and rechecked onward without any action on the traveler's part required.

I will also add that on several occasions, I have used a next day boarding pass to get through TSA without any issue. Especially if it's a phone boarding pass, no one will even think to check. So even if something odd were present (i.e. arrived at an F gate after hours and the transfer security was closed and they redirected everyone out to standard security), I think getting back airside with an onward boarding pass is a pretty good bet.

Often1

A broader question is whether ATL permits overnighting airside. Does it?

blagger

Passengers arriving in E can follow the "Atlanta" signs, walk to F and exit through CBP there.

MrAndy1369

The OP indicated herself as American in her OP, who just happens to be doing an overseas, international-to-international journey, so transiting in ATL (or anywhere in the USA) shouldn't be an issue.

pvn

I'm guessing there's some sort of posted rule somewhere that prohibits it so they have an excuse to boot people if they need one, but in practice, I've done it without being bothered.

mnbp

OP is trying to get airside so they can (as mentioned in the thread title) access their Minute Suite that they have reserved.

FlyBitcoin

The Minute Suites website does state they are open 24 hours in ATL and does take reservations for overnight rooms. So overnighting inside ATL has to be legal there.