# Trave on Delta through Atlanta Airport



## nconroy (11 Mar 2010)

Hello All
I am traveling Dublin - Atlanta - Fort Myers with Delta Airlines, return trip.

Has anyone any experience using Atlanta as a transit connection.

I am a bit worried because I have 1.5 hour connection time in Atlanta on the return trip
                                            Dep                   Arrive
Fort Myers - Atlanta              16:15                   18:04
Atlanta - Dublin                    19:35                   08:30

Is Atlanta efficient enough to make connection on return flight?
As a transit passenger do I have to go through security again?

Best


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## shesells (11 Mar 2010)

Atlanta is designed for connections so don't worry!!

On the way out, you'll do immigration in Dublin so when you land, you pick up your bags and go through customs. You then drop your bags on a belt for connecting flights, then you do have to clear security again here (so put any duty free liquid purchases in your bags after customs but before you put on the belt). After that you're free to roam the airport. Plenty of food choices.

On the way back, your bags will be tagged through to Dublin so it's just a matter of getting off one plane and on to the next. You do't have to re-do security. If you want to grab something to eat, get something quick to takeaway. Duty free purchases have to be made something like 45 mins before your flight time so if you're after anything shop fast. They bring them to the gate, and just give you a receipt when you pay.

Delta start boarding international flights between 45-60 mins before takeoff time so getting to the gate early is important.


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## nconroy (11 Mar 2010)

Thanks for reply, feeling a bit more releaxed about connection.

I was turned back at Shannon for a flight to Moscow. The booking (on Aeroflot) only left an hour connection time in Moscow for onward flight to Dubai. The Aeroflot manager was a friend of mine for 20 years, but still could not let me board the flight as connection time was too short.
I had to book another flight with BA to get back to Dubai.
I was compensated by the Travel Operator in Dubai that booked the flights. But lost two days getting back. 

So, connection time is always something I pay attention to and like to see about two to three hours.

Another question 
My flight leaves Dublin for Atlanta on Sunday 11th April at 10:20 AM.
Do you know if Delta clear immigration/customs in Dublin for this flight? I see on other posts that not all flights use pre-clearance in Dublin due to congestion in T1. Except for AerLingus who don't currently use pre-clearance at all.


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## Barney Magoo (11 Mar 2010)

> Another question
> My flight leaves Dublin for Atlanta on Sunday 11th April at 10:20 AM.
> Do you know if Delta clear immigration/customs in Dublin for this flight? I see on other posts that not all flights use pre-clearance in Dublin due to congestion in T1. Except for AerLingus who don't currently use pre-clearance at all.



Wha?

As far as I know all flights out of Dublin to the USA clear immigration in Dublin airport. You will still have to clear US customs when you get to Atlanta.


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## redchariot (11 Mar 2010)

Not all flights to USA have pre-clearance but from what I have heard all Delta flights do have this in place.

As for the original question regarding connecting through Atlanta; it may be one of the biggest and busiest airports in the world but it is dead easy to connect through for a domestic to international flight connection. It could be as easy as walking from one gate to the next. Even if you have to change terminals (and I think all Delta flights depart from the same terminal), it is a very quick ride on a mono-rail. So unless your first flight is considerably late, you should be ok.

Just be aware that you will have to go to Terminal E if you want Duty-Free no matter which terminal you are flying from which is a bit of a pain (well that was the case two years ago; hopefully different now). In case you don't know, it is not like Irish airports where you just buy and take your duty-free; In USA airports, you buy the duty-free and they then bring it to your departure gate where you collect it.


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## shesells (12 Mar 2010)

redchariot said:


> Not all flights to USA have pre-clearance but from what I have heard all Delta flights do have this in place.



Redchariot is right, more than a handful of flights don't clear immigration in Dublin - Some Aer Lingus, Continental, US Airways and American don't.

BUT all Delta flights do.



redchariot said:


> Even if you have to change terminals (and I think all Delta flights depart from the same terminal), it is a very quick ride on a mono-rail. So unless your first flight is considerably late, you should be ok.



Delta International flights don't tend to fly from the same terminal as the domestic, they seem to have moved the international to T these days. But as you say, a few short minutes on the monorail will get you there.



redchariot said:


> Just be aware that you will have to go to Terminal E if you want Duty-Free no matter which terminal you are flying from which is a bit of a pain (well that was the case two years ago; hopefully different now). In case you don't know, it is not like Irish airports where you just buy and take your duty-free; In USA airports, you buy the duty-free and they then bring it to your departure gate where you collect it.



No, there are duty free outlets in at least two terminals in Atlanta these days, possibly more. The one in T is quite small though. I've found lately that they've been slow in bringing the carts to the gate so I've usually been on board and seated when the collection call is made...they bring the carts to just outside the aircraft door.


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## nconroy (27 Apr 2010)

Back from trip. Lucky, I was actually booked on flight Delta from Atlanta which was first flight in from US last Wednesday, so did not have any extended holiday.
Thanks to all who advised above. Passage through Atlanta was great, loved the airport, I had to connect from one end of airport to other end, took no more than 10 min.

One work of caution, on the DUB - ATL leg, we had to pass our checked in baggage to security. This meant waiting 30 min in Arrival hall to collect our bags and pass them to connecting domestic flight to RSW.
Return trip did not require collecting checked in bags as the RSW - ATL is a domestic flight., Figure that one????


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## shesells (27 Apr 2010)

nconroy said:


> One work of caution, on the DUB - ATL leg, we had to pass our checked in baggage to security. This meant waiting 30 min in Arrival hall to collect our bags and pass them to connecting domestic flight to RSW.
> Return trip did not require collecting checked in bags as the RSW - ATL is a domestic flight., Figure that one????



It wasn't security it was US customs. It is a rule in the US that you have to physically carry your bags through customs at your first arrival point in the US even if you're only transitting through the US (the exception is the new US customs outpost at Shannon only, note this is different from immigration which you can clear at Dublin also).

You don't have to clear customs when exiting the country or taking a domestic flight.


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## markpb (27 Apr 2010)

shesells said:


> It wasn't security it was US customs. It is a rule in the US that you have to physically carry your bags through customs at your first arrival point in the US even if you're only transitting through the US



I've always thought that was a very strange law. Does anyone know where it comes from?


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## shesells (27 Apr 2010)

I would imagine it's to stop you bringing restricted goods into the country?


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## markpb (27 Apr 2010)

shesells said:


> I would imagine it's to stop you bringing restricted goods into the country?



When I did it (DUB-ATL-MCO with Delta) I carried my bag from one conveyor belt to another. It may have been scanned after that but certainly not while it was in my possession. It would seem simpler to automatically check the bags through and scan then while they're doing that. Oddity.


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## redchariot (27 Apr 2010)

US customs take people at random and ask them to pass their bags through the x-ray; not for security purposes but to prevent you bringing in prohibited items e.g. fruit/vegetables, meat, drugs, large quantities of cigarettes etc.

Also I have noticed in many USA airports including LAX and Chicago, after checkin (never seen it happen in Transit though) you must bring your luggage to the TSA screening area; they put it through the x-ray while you are standing there and then you can go; in fact in one case they gave me the luggage back for me to return to the Check-in desk. What was stopping me putting anything dodgy into it then? This was over 10 years ago; I guess that it the type of lax security that contributed to the events on 9/11.


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## shesells (27 Apr 2010)

markpb said:


> When I did it (DUB-ATL-MCO with Delta) I carried my bag from one conveyor belt to another. It may have been scanned after that but certainly not while it was in my possession. It would seem simpler to automatically check the bags through and scan then while they're doing that. Oddity.



It's not a security scan, they usually have dogs around the baggage claim area to help suss out prohibited substances. You collect your bags, go to a customs officer, they check your form and usually wave you on your way. You then exit the airport or drop your bags on the re-check belt.

It's a US customs procedure, not security or insurance.


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