gooselee

Is this all on the same ticket? If so, just check your bags all the way through - no need to collect and recheck in ATL. I don't know what the current policy is with DL and through-checking on separately ticketed partner flights, but someone else here will know and if it's possible, that's absolutely what you should do.

If you have to re-check, things could get dicey. Your bags will go to domestic baggage claim, which is past Concourse T (each individual concourse does not have its own baggage claim) so you'll have a quick ride on the Plane Train and then exit security to get your bags.

Since you're on KE, you'll then need to take the landside shuttle all the way around the airport to the Intl Terminal. This could take some time. You might be able to check your bags in at the DL counters on the domestic side which would save you 20-30 min or so of that transfer, but I'm not sure if that's technically allowed or possible.

All in all, your best bet is to be able to through check your bags so you can stay airside in ATL, in which case you'll be gate to gate in 15 min or so at most.

ETA: Misread your original post as 10:55am departure, not 11:55. With a nearly 3 hr connection time, you should have ample time to take the train to domestic baggage claim, get your bag, take the shuttle to int'l, check in to KE, and then re-clear security. So unless your inbound is delayed by an hour or more, nothing to worry about. However...it's still going to be much, much easier if you can check your bags all the way through and not have to deal with them in the first place.

sbr7d

It is not on the same ticket. I had some miles to use on KE so i splurged for the prestige class since I had a 15 hour flight. I live roughly 5 hours from ATL so I bought a ticket from my regional airport to ATL all on one ticket. I have contacted DL and they have said I cannot check my bags all the way to ICN from my small regional airport. The customer service agent did not seem confident in that answer though so I am not sure. Maybe someone could clarify if this is possible since I am technically on two separate tickets.

baccarat_king

Perhaps, list the route/airline (with airport); and someone here might have personal experience. Not sure why you are leaving out this information and just saying "my regional airport."

sbr7d

I left it out bc I felt like it was irrelevant. It is TRI-ATL.

DFW1972

Hi,
We'll be connecting through ATL for the first time on a Saturday, Oct 7 (so we are not familiar with the airport). Three of us will be arriving on BA227 (flying First on points, so should be able to deplane a bit faster). We will all have GE. We will have checked bags probably 2 each, so will have to wait for 6 or 7 bags. Can I get advice on whether or not you think we can connect to DL2486 at 10:30pm that same night? If the BA flight is on time, it would give us 2 hours and 20 minutes. We should have TSA pre-check with our GE, and we will be flying First on DL2486 (only mentioned in case it helps get us to the gate faster). Is it too tight of a connection? Will it be easy to recheck our bags after we go through immigration?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

gooselee

When you check in in TRI, present your KE itinerary/ticket to the agent and politely ask if they would be able to check the bags through since it's a partner flight. Even though the strict rules say they shouldn't, you might get a nice agent who will do it for you. If they say no, accept the answer and move on.

At that point, you'll need to follow my advice above. Upon landing in ATL, you'll need to go to domestic baggage claim to get your bags. You'll then need to go outside to ground transportation and take the shuttle around to the int'l terminal, where you'll enter as if you'd just gotten dropped off by a taxi and check in to your new itin with KE. You cannot check in with KE in the domestic terminal simply because KE does not have a desk there.

On your return, the process is a bit easier. You'll follow signs as if ATL is your final destination and collect your bags and clear immigration/customs there (note that baggage claim for ATL-bound bags is in a different place than for connecting bags, and yours will be treated as ATL-bound). Once you collect your bags, you'll exit into the landside area of the int'l terminal. But, you can just go upstairs and re-check your bags with DL and enter from the int'l side for your DL flight from ATL-TRI - DL can handle domestic check-ins at the int'l terminal with no problem.

This should be easily doable with GE and premium cabin tickets, assuming your BA flight isn't delayed too badly and your bags come out in a reasonable amount of time. As with my comments above, you'll need to follow the signs indicating ATL as your final destination, since that's where your BA-tagged bags will go. You can then just go upstairs and use the DL desks in the int'l terminal to check back in for your domestic flight.

Note that PreCheck in the int'l terminal closes at 5:30pm, so you won't have that line available to you when you re-enter on that side. However, it'll probably still be faster to re-enter using regular or Pre-Lite security in the int'l terminal vs. trying to get all the way back around to domestic.

flyerCO

Actually DL will through check to KE by policy when on separate tickets. No needing a nice agent or begging. Just show the confirmation for KE to agents. Theyll even likely issue you a BP., although KE may have you exchange it for one of their's.

sbr7d

Thanks for the response. Is there literature on this anywhere online where I can use this when speaking to the agent?

DFW1972

Thanks so much for your quick response! Just a quick follow up question. Will there be a priority line for security, and would we have access since we're flying DL in First? How long does it take, on average, from landing to get to our DL gate? I know my traveling companions will ask and will want to know how much cushion should we have? Is it around 2 hours? So we'd have about a 20 minute cushion if our flight is ontime? Thanks again!

gooselee

It's been a while since I've had to connect through ATL since I live here, so I'll let someone else chime in on current experience with overall gate-to-gate time in your scenario (int'l arrival connecting to separate non-partner domestic, bags not through-checked). I will tell you that if your flight happens to park at Concourse E, you will have about a 15 min walk ahead of you to get to the baggage claim in Concourse F, where your bags will go. With GE, early-to-deplane, and priority access to everything, I would personally estimate the true gate-to-gate time at well under 2 hours.

If you're asking how long it takes to get from actual landing to taxi to a gate - it just depends on how busy the airport is and what gate you're going to. I've gone wheels down to parked at the gate in less than 5 mins, and I've also waited 30 mins during WX for a gate to become available (the average on a normal day is closer to the 5-10 min side of things).

In terms of priority security, yes, there will be a SkyPriority line and you will be eligible to use it since you're in DL First. You'll also be able to use the SkyPriority check-in lines to check-in and drop your bags for the DL flight (and really anywhere else you see the red SkyPriority banner along the way).

atlocal

Since they're on separate tix, pretty positive you cannot check your bags all the way thru.

sbr7d

Thanks. I feel like the 2 hours and 55 min from landing to departure is plenty of time however. Just will make things tricky if the arriving plan does not land at the 9am projected time.

I would think I could land at 9am, gather my bag, bus to the international terminal, recheck bags, go through security, and be at the gate within 90 min. Think this is feasible?

sbr7d

I connected through ATL in April LHR-ATL-TRI. I have GE as well so I am TSPpre. There is NOT a TSApre line down in immigration. It sucks and I wish they had it down there. Good thing is with GE you will be ahead of all passengers from the plane you just left. It creates a mess if international planes arrived before you and clogged immigration up. Ultimately, you would be queuing in line behind those other planes after you have your chat with the immigration guy.

My process from leaving the plane to arrive at the lounge in E took around 35 minutes. I walked quick and only had a carry on though.

philemer

ATL newbie: We're thinking of booking BOS-ATL-TYS on a Thur. in Oct. DL1762 arrives ATL @ 3:05pm and DL558 departs 3:45pm. Will the gates normally be in the same terminal? 40 min. makes me nervous in such a big airport. Thx

davetravels

Comfortable: No.

Doable if all is on time: Yes.

I did 36 minutes before, as part of an int'l trip and it worked fine.

There IS only one terminal, but different concourses connected by an underground train. You will not have to reclear security.

Keep in mind that, at T-15 minutes, they can give your seat away, depending on the situation at the moment.