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Minimum Connection Transfer Time at Atlanta (ATL): The Definitive Thread

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Old Aug 19, 2016, 8:19 pm
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Last edit by: LoganFlyer
Navigating the ATL: Despite its size, ATL has a very functional layout that makes transfers quite straightforward. The airside complex is shaped like a rib cage, with the ribs (the concourses) branching off from the spine (the underground plane train)
  • There is one common airside area for all carriers and all departures both domestic and international
  • You do NOT need to re-clear security when making a domestic to domestic or domestic to international connection (international-domestic and international-international are the usual border fuss)
  • The concourses are names T (for terminal) A B C D E F. TABCD are usually short and medium haul gates; E and F are usually long haul/international. The plane train connects all concourses.
  • If your flight documents say 'North Terminal' or South Terminal', ignore that while connecting. That refers to land side check-in desks, and you won't see any references to those while on the air side of the airport.
  • If you wish to stretch your legs, a pedestrian tunnel runs parallel to the plane train from the T to E terminals. There is an additional pedestrian tunnel between E and F unconnected to the other tunnel that requires going aboveground at E and poking around to find it.
  • If you do not have club access, the E and F concourse areas tend to be quieter and less crowded places to wait
Effective JAN 2, 2020: ATL will be smoke free indoors with all smoking rooms closed and banned in the bars and restaurants that previously allowed it.

Minimum Connect Time in ATL if connecting from a Delta flight to a Delta flight, per ExpertFlyer:

Domestic flight - domestic flight: 35 minutes
Exceptions:
If your inbound flight is on a 330 or 767, then the minimum connection time is 50 minutes for a domestic-domestic connection.

Domestic flight - international flight: 40 minutes
Exceptions:
  • If your inbound flight is on a 330 or 767, then the minimum connection time is 50 minutes for a domestic-international connection.
  • The minimum domestic-YYC connection time is 45 minutes.
  • The minimum domestic-HAV connection time is 55 minutes.

International flight - domestic flight: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Exceptions:
  • If you are coming from a Canadian airport with preclearance other than YYC, then the minimum connection time is 35 minutes for an international-domestic connection.
  • If you are coming from AUA, BDA, FPO, NAS, or YYC, then the minimum connection time is 45 minutes for an international-domestic connection.
  • If you are coming from Ireland, then the minimum connection time is 1 hour for an international-domestic connection.
  • If you are coming from LOS, then the minimum connection time is 1 hour, 30 minutes for an international-domestic connection.
  • If you are coming from HAV, then the minimum connection time is 1 hour, 55 minutes for an international-domestic connection.
Note: as of Labor Day 2018 (possibly earlier) there is a Precheck lane at the I-D reclearing security checkpoint.

International flight - international flight: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Exceptions:
  • If you are coming from a Canadian airport with preclearance other than YYC, then the minimum connection time is 40 minutes for an international-international connection.
  • If you are coming from YYC, then the minimum connection time is 45 minutes for an international-international connection.
  • If you are coming from AUA, BDA, FPO, or NAS, then the minimum connection time is 50 minutes for an international-international connection.
  • If you are coming from Ireland, then the minimum connection time is 1 hour for an international-international connection.
  • If you are coming from LOS, then the minimum connection time is 1 hour, 30 minutes for an international-international connection.
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Minimum Connection Transfer Time at Atlanta (ATL): The Definitive Thread

Old Aug 25, 2017, 10:59 am
  #2371  
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Originally Posted by CJKatl
You are correct, I mean F. Thank you for the clarification. I'll go back and change the post.

FWIW, I have NEVER been in F, and I do mean F, thank you, when PC has been open, and I'm there frequently.

One more thing, a poster mentioned that if you land in E he "guess(es) there is a walkway or sorts" to F. There is, but it is very, very long. There are some moving sidewalks, but it still takes a long time. Every time I've done the walk, there is someone who has never done it before carping about how long it takes. You probably would not want to take that walk if you land in E and are connecting to a domestic flight in ATL, given PC will likely not be open. Any time saved not waiting in the line at E will be lost getting to F, going upstairs, getting back to the train in F once you are back within security and riding back to the domestic gates.

And for all you know, Qatar may be offloading their giant flight at the same time backing up Immigration at F, which you won't know until you get there.
Is there CLEAR post-customs in E or F? How about upstairs in F? My guess is no, but I want to check to make sure.

When does the Qatar flight trend to arrive at ATL?

I have a very early international arrival into ATL coming up, which I think means that we'lol arrive in F, so the question will be whether to do TSA security after the customs exit or upstairs in F. [I guess if it really looks bad, I could grab a shuttle bus to North/South and do CLEAR there, but this is inconvenient as well as requiring additional time. My guess is that there will be lots and lots of departing business travelers doing domestic, although this should mean that TSA allocates additional staff.]
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Old Aug 25, 2017, 12:39 pm
  #2372  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
When does the Qatar flight trend to arrive at ATL?
5:00 pm, but not every day. I just threw that out as a sample of back-ups because someone at baggage claim told me it is their busiest flight in baggage claim. I've really never seen anything like it. The ground staff does not let you near the carousels. Instead, they offload the luggage and just put it in every available space around the carousels. You have to walk around to find your bags, which may not be near each other if you have more than one. My bag was the very last off a Qatar flight, so I got to see the entire process. Kudos to the ground staff for making it work. When they started taking the bags off the belt I got a little perturbed, but when you see the number of bags and passengers, you respect it as a well choreographed ballet.

I've seen long back-ups when multiple DL/KLM/AF flights arrive at the same time, when the KE A380 arrived. (I don't think they use the plane in ATL anymore) And if an AMS or CDG flight runs late and bumps into another international arrival, things can get backed up pretty fast. GE gets you past the immigration line, but you are still stuck waiting for baggage. Again, carry-on only, which is the only way you are going to F when you land in E with a connecting flight anyway, gets you around baggage claim, but if you are not leaving the airport, you may find yourself in the security line with all those other people, no PC and wishing you had stayed in E.

BTW, I have never noticed Clear in E or F, but haven't looked, either. Both an AJC.com article and this Clear site indicate the only checkpoint is in the South (domestic) Terminal.

Last edited by CJKatl; Aug 25, 2017 at 12:50 pm
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Old Aug 25, 2017, 12:51 pm
  #2373  
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Is there CLEAR post-customs in E or F?
Unless I'm missing something, I'm not sure why there would be a need for Clear post-customs in Concourse E or F, as, there's no ID/boarding pass check before re-clearing security to get into the terminal.

Last edited by davetravels; Aug 25, 2017 at 1:19 pm
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Old Aug 25, 2017, 2:38 pm
  #2374  
 
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Originally Posted by davetravels
Unless I'm missing something, I'm not sure why there would be a need for Clear post-customs in Concourse E or F, as, there's no ID/boarding pass check before re-clearing security to get into the terminal.
I believe the poster was asking if you acted like an Atlanta bound passenger, left the security area, went upstairs and checked in again. People do that in Detroit, and it can be a good strategy, but as it has been covered in this thread, it's probably not a good strategy for Atlanta.
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Old Sep 24, 2017, 7:40 pm
  #2375  
 
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Originally Posted by Majuki
If I go below the minimum connecting time due to a schedule change, I will call in to see about getting on an earlier flight out of Knoxville. It would be even better if the schedule change were in my favor, providing me with a longer layover.
As a follow up, I was able to do a same day flight change to the earlier departure out of Knoxville, avoiding the tight connection in ATL. ^
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 12:20 pm
  #2376  
 
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I know it is the DL forum, but who else to ask than all those ATL experts

Have a 1h 23min DFW-ATL-LHR connection between AA and BA. Do you guys know which concourse/gates AA and BA use at ATL?
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 1:09 pm
  #2377  
 
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Originally Posted by B747forever
I know it is the DL forum, but who else to ask than all those ATL experts

Have a 1h 23min DFW-ATL-LHR connection between AA and BA. Do you guys know which concourse/gates AA and BA use at ATL?
AA uses concourses T & D, while BA uses F. The T to F connection would be the longest, but 83 minutes is plenty of time for that. Just follow the instructions in the wiki above. You won't have to reclear security.
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 1:12 pm
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Originally Posted by LoganFlyer
AA uses concourses T & D, while BA uses F. The T to F connection would be the longest, but 83 minutes is plenty of time for that. Just follow the instructions in the wiki above. You won't have to reclear security.
Thanks!
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Old Oct 4, 2017, 7:52 am
  #2379  
 
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Originally Posted by B747forever
I know it is the DL forum, but who else to ask than all those ATL experts

Have a 1h 23min DFW-ATL-LHR connection between AA and BA. Do you guys know which concourse/gates AA and BA use at ATL?
Originally Posted by LoganFlyer
AA uses concourses T & D, while BA uses F. The T to F connection would be the longest, but 83 minutes is plenty of time for that. Just follow the instructions in the wiki above. You won't have to reclear security.
FYI, the AA lounge is in terminal T. BA doesn't have a lounge but uses The Club at ATL in F. That lounge is ok with some small sandwiches and a pretty decent tomato bisque along with a reasonable beer selection, but it gets crowded close to the BA/LH departures.
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Old Oct 5, 2017, 8:41 am
  #2380  
 
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I'm planning a family vacation leaving from one of two nearby regional airports, connecting in ATL, and on to PUJ and back. We will have a 5 year old with us so our ability to get through the airport won't be as quick. On the outbound trip I figured we probably shouldn't try a 45-60 minute connection since there is a later flight to PUJ about 90 minutes later.

On the return trip to ATL, would 100 minutes be enough to make our connection to the regional airport flight? It would be the last flight of the day to either airport. My wife and I breezed through customs and TSA about a month ago coming from LHR. I'm not sure if we would get that lucky. There is an earlier flight into ATL but it is more expensive.
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Old Oct 22, 2017, 12:46 am
  #2381  
 
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Looking for advice regarding a flight to London with a stop in Atlanta.

Currently, I have the following booked:

LAX to ATL, First Class A321, 10:15a dep, 5:26p arr
-- 3h 55m layover --
ATL to LHR, Delta One 767-300, 9:21p dep, 9:45a arr

I'm not wedded to this date and would actually prefer to arrive a day earlier, but when I originally booked, leaving earlier meant spending a lot more miles.

I checked today and found a flight leaving one day earlier for the same amount of miles:

LAX to ATL, First Class 767-400, 2:15p dep, 9:34p arr
-- 1h 11m layover --
ATL to LHR, Delta One 767-300, 10:45p dep, 11:10a arr

Should I switch to this flight? I'd love to arrive a day earlier so I have more time in London before moving on, but I am concerned about only having an hour to change planes (though the MCT is only ~50 min). FWIW, I am flying solo and don't plan on having a carry-on beyond a personal item. I also don't mind the idea of chilling in a lounge for a few hours, so the long layover on my current flight isn't a problem for me.
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Old Oct 22, 2017, 2:19 am
  #2382  
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Originally Posted by addiesmom
Looking for advice regarding a flight to London with a stop in Atlanta.

Currently, I have the following booked:

LAX to ATL, First Class A321, 10:15a dep, 5:26p arr
-- 3h 55m layover --
ATL to LHR, Delta One 767-300, 9:21p dep, 9:45a arr

I'm not wedded to this date and would actually prefer to arrive a day earlier, but when I originally booked, leaving earlier meant spending a lot more miles.

I checked today and found a flight leaving one day earlier for the same amount of miles:

LAX to ATL, First Class 767-400, 2:15p dep, 9:34p arr
-- 1h 11m layover --
ATL to LHR, Delta One 767-300, 10:45p dep, 11:10a arr

Should I switch to this flight? I'd love to arrive a day earlier so I have more time in London before moving on, but I am concerned about only having an hour to change planes (though the MCT is only ~50 min). FWIW, I am flying solo and don't plan on having a carry-on beyond a personal item. I also don't mind the idea of chilling in a lounge for a few hours, so the long layover on my current flight isn't a problem for me.
I would take the option with LAX/ATL on 764. Especially with continuing onto LHR. You'll be able to get some rest on both flights. 50 mins at ATL isn't an issue.
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Old Oct 22, 2017, 2:38 am
  #2383  
 
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The 1 h 10 m connection should be fine — unless the flight from LAX is delayed. I don’t think there is anything later to change to from ATL to LHR, even connecting.
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Old Oct 22, 2017, 8:59 am
  #2384  
 
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I'd take the 71 minute connection as well. If you make it, then you get the extra day in London you were hoping for. If not, there's a good chance there's a seat available the next day sometime and you get in then. So you have nothing to lose by trying the day earlier flight.
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Old Oct 22, 2017, 9:20 am
  #2385  
 
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As long as you're health enough to walk briskly, ATL is a dead easy airport for connections. The only time an hour D-D or D-I connection can get a little iffy are mornings when half of the small metro East Coast is trying to connect somewhere and there can be delays waiting for a gate and during late May to early September thunderstorm season. (it's the South's version of snow season-something that must occasionally be worked around, but not an everyday thing)

And I've done plenty of 39 minute domestic to domestic morning connections during the summer that have been totally uneventful.
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