I've had lots of experience making connections in Atlanta, even as a little kid. In the early 90s, I flew from CVG to PNS through ATL as an unaccompanied minor. The gate agent who had to escort me through the terminal was in a bad mood that day, but I followed him to wherever we were going. He sat me behind a gate podium and yelled, "Sit there and DON'T! MOVE!" So I sat there, quiet and sniffling, for I don't know how long, until I worked up the courage to walk around to the front and ask the lady at the counter how long it would be until I could get on the plane. She looked at my ticket and said, "Oh my gosh, your flight is leaving from a totally different gate, and it's boarding right now!" She rushed me down and made sure I got on the plane safely. I wonder what would have happened had I missed my connection because I followed that guy's instructions. Would some janitor have found me asleep back there at midnight?
I was just in Atlanta for a trip last week, and was in the airport for over four hours. I like how you can go to the other terminals and do spotting. I saw a few a350s, 767s, and Southwest’s Disney livery there, it was a very fun trip, including in the airport
I was in ATL last week too. Im constantly in and out as the girl I’m marrying lives there and i also travel a lot for work and live in the south. If you get a chance go to the top of the south parking deck. Great spotting. Have to reclear security if transiting but meh. Usually not too bad.
Airline worker here and I love when you said “just read the signs” when I tell you i’ve been screamed and cursed at because a customers luggage wasn’t displayed on the carousel. Then I verify with them if they came on my airline I work for and they proceed to say “no, I came on …” then I respond “you’re at the wrong carousel”. They of course are embarrassed but all in all they could of avoided that by just reading the signs and seeing which airline was dropping their luggages off and at what carousel number.
I fly into ATL on a regular basis. I usually add 10-15 minutes from touchdown to gate and another 10 to get to go gate to gate. This is a helpful video for any traveler. Thanks
Back in 1995, when I was in the Marines, I had to travel from San Diego, CA, to Anniston, AL. with a layover connection in Atlanta. There were 6 of us flying together so we had the buddy system. We landed in ATL at about 11pm and our connecting flight was not until 8am the next morning. We took turns watching our carry-on bags at the departure gate in terminal C all night. A few of us smoked and we had to go to the designated smoking area in terminal B. We made several trips. Also, we were in our service uniforms (green trousers, khaki long sleeve shirt with tie and green jacket). Had many interesting conversations with various travelers. Good times!!!!
Great vlog as always. The 35 min connecting time is not only how fast you can walk from A to T but also how long it takes to transfer bags. In some airports they have a minimum of close to two hours!
I am curious about that. I am taking a domestic flight from DC than need to get to the international terminal to fly to South America using Delta airlines. My first international flight and doing it alone.
This is probably just luck, but while I hear a lot of people say that connecting through ATL is difficult, I’ve had some of my easiest connections there. Never had an issue. I’ll always remember the young lady I talked to at an information kiosk once: - Me, asking a question - Her: Hey you have an accent! (Non native speaker) Me: Hey you work at an airport!!😅😅
I know this video is old now, but I'll be getting a connecting flight soon in Atlanta and i was so scared because of the sheer size of the airport. This video helped me feel less overwhelmed so I thank ypu for making it 🥰
I had my frontier flight back from Florida canceled two months in advance. So I connected through ATL on a 2 hour layover. I got a chicken sandwich at chick fil-a, and hung out for a bit, then got on my next plane.
As a tourist i got of easy with my pappi on tow back in 17' I stick to the simple. Plan ahead and keep your eye on the info screen. But when my pappi saw the big korean air a380 he asked: hey is that pepsi air?
Great video, Jeb! I would love to see one of these kind of videos of SFO! They just finished a connecting hallway between terminal 2 and 3 I believe? So now you can walk between all the terminals post security. And they renovated the old ATC tower into an observation deck that is open Friday-Monday.
What about DFW airport?? I grew up in the area and always dreamed of going there and taking the skytrain and see the breathtaking views of the airports flight
A connection through Atlanta is a story on its own. Had to make a connection from Concourse C to Concourse A and got there right as the 767 started boarding. I had to eat a boxed lunch, but still had time to use the bathroom before the 4 1/2 hour hop to San Francisco. Even in such a frantic rush, I enjoyed the thrill of Atlanta. Definitely recommended.
You've never been looking for a gate in Honolulu, have you? Signs? Hidden from view. People in uniforms? They make a game of send the person in the wrong direction.
I like the out of the plane videos you have been doing, don’t get me wrong, you do fantastic content showing your experience onboard the plane, but it’s refreshing to see other content. Thank you for everything!
Jeb, I gotta hand it to ya, this review of ATL and the various ways to navigate the terminals was excellent. I fly out of SMF to ATL to TRI several times a year and have been doing so for the past 20 years. I'm quite familiar with the underground tram, which in my humble opinion, is the best of all the major airports in the continental US. I've had several short connectors in the 35-minute range, but even at that, I've never missed that connecting flt. I rarely attempt to use any of the sky lounges or clubs even though I always have a priority pass. The other thing I'll mention is, as you suggested, quite a few really nice places to dine if time allows. Take care and we'll see you on the next adventure.
A lot of people I have come across hate the Atlanta airport. I absolutely love it. It’s very easy to maneuver around, especially with the plane trains. Been flying in and out of there since 1997. It holds a very special place in my heart.
I was supposed to connect between Orlando and Paris on Delta in late July 2007 (when departing international flights were mixed with domestic along the concourses). The first flight was delayed by over an hour and a half. After getting off, fast walking halfway down a concourse to the tram, going two concourses down, then fast walking nearly the entire length down another concourse, I reached the gate with less than 10 minutes until departure. Gate was already closed when I got to the desk. I was worried that if I missed the flight, the next flight would be the following day and I'd have to spend the night or return to Orlando (I was 18 and not a frequent flyer), but the staff at the gate just asked my name and they already had a ticket printed for me for the next flight to Paris a couple hours later (and I was flying economy and no rewards status either!!). They reminded me that even though I'd reached the gate before the departure time, my checked bags wouldn't make the flight. It's definitely one of the most positive airline experiences I've ever had.
Ahh Atlanta....my favorite place to miss a connection. Usually Delta's fault....yep, I've been to ATL at least 30 times over the years, and 90% of those were flying Delta. I've had 5 missed connections, none were my fault there. Most of any of my flying....even at DFW I have less than 5...course I don't connect through there anymore since I live outside Dallas. I remember one flight, we landed with time for me to get to the gate...I rushed over there only to see the plane leaving the gate 15 minutes early. Needless to say, I don't fly Delta much anymore. Anyways, cool info and details about ATL! I'd love to see more of this and BTS stuff. Which airports? DFW, DAL, AUS, BOS, DIA, LAX and SFO.
It's easy to navigate but HUGE. Since Covid, I always walk to/from my gate rather than take the Sky Train (to avoid crowds) and I just about get my 10k steps!
thank you so much for this video... I'm worried about making our connection tonight in Atlanta... our flight from West Palm Beach arrives in Atlanta at A31 at 9:49 PM and our connecting flight to Boston departs at 10:25 PM from B16... doesn't leave us much time at all...I wonder if it's even doable under the best circumstances. thanks again
I’ll never forget when I had an 8-hour layover at Atlanta Airport a few years ago when coming home from Spain. It was really brutal because my flight out of ATL left at around midnight, so I was super tired. Also, my departure gate was A34 too!
Wow, that's BAD. My longest ever layover was 2 hours in Frankfurt, Germany in 2003. For a flight to Zurich! The flight wasn't even half the time of the layover! It was partly my father's fault. If ICE (Germany's bullet train) had service connecting the two countries, i would have taken it instead but there's the constant problem: the Swiss Alps.
First time flying international If I am taking a domestic flight from DC into Atlanta then connecting to fly to South America if I check in a bag do I have to pick up that bag and transfer it or does the airline do it for me? Flying Delta
Always liked traveling in ATL. Fun fact. I helped design the power and control panels that run the trains. If you see the stainless wall boxes that look like they ga w 2 doors on them? Yup that's me!
I love this. It’s a great help especially for flying noobies. As an aside, in the late 70s, when I lived in in-town Atlanta, I could make it from my house to the gate in 20-25 minutes. Of course, that was the older, smaller airport, you could park right in front of the terminal and there was no security. Fond memories.
Would be interesting to see how long the trip between T1 and F1 takes but assuming you're in a hurry. Not necessarily running, but taking the train and without that much dilly dallying
We flew through Atlanta on our way from Boston to Honolulu in 2018. I selected the 2 hour layover because that airport is huge. it took us 9 minutes to get from our arrival gate in C terminal, to our departure gate in the F terminal using the train...our flight also arrived 35 minutes early, so we had quite a bit of time to explore F terminal.
I had a scary time with the old U shaped airport. My flight came in in the top of one side of the u and the continuation was on the tip of the other side of the U. At that time you had to go out of security area on one side of the U and reenter security on the other side! I JUST made my flight.
The timing between concourses was a bit understated as Jeb had no efficiently packed aka relatively heavy carry-on items he was rolling, hauling, or backpacking. Restaurant tip: it’s worth the schlep to Terminal F to go to The Pecan Bistro. Super Atlanta/Southern cuisine, their blackened shrimp and grits was outstanding. Yelp says they are “temporarily closed” and I hope they reopen!!
Right before Covid hit I was flying home from the bahamas and my flight from Atl to Richmond VA was moved to the international terminal. It was super weird but very cool seeing all of the international planes that make the domestic planes look tiny.
Me and the wife are looking at possible cruises and even the Viking Cruise in EU. Any possible chance you will cover one of these or have a link to a video that covers these in depth?
We love ATL! It’s our favorite airport in the US, even though it’s a big one - and the world’s busiest! I don’t find it hard to navigate at all, but I’m a frequent flier who is used to airports all over the world. That said, we always leave ourselves more than an hour for connections if we can. The signs are very good and easy to follow. Our favorite Delta club is in ATL.
Great video about my home airport: ATL. I have to admit that on the evening of January 4th I arrived back in Atlanta on Delta airlines. I was walking towards baggage claim between concourses A & T through "Zimbabwe: A Symphony in Stone" and saw someone that looked like Jeb Brooks walking - camera in hand - the other direction. Now I know that this was actually the real Jeb Brooks, and this was the beginning of his walk through the concourses. I am sorry that I did not stop to say "hi". Please keep travelling and making videos!
With usual delays in flights, I never do a connection less than 90 minutes. I've been burned too many times. And never take last flight out at night, particularly on a feeder route.
Arriving from overseas to the US can take up to 1 hour to clear immigration. A connection can be tight AF. I guess it is good to book a connection long enough to sort out eventualities. Maybe this is not that issue with ATL, but goes for other airports as well.
This was a fun ride. I live near ATL and fly out of there a lot. Before 9/11, I met my parents who flew in from Jacksonville, and escorted them to their connection for their overseas trip. Saw flight to Jacksonville in the background before your hike to T. Hi Mom & Dad!
Last summer I was in Atlanta twice on a trip and loved the underground walkways. You did not mention that in the "rain forest" they have sounds of the forest playing in the background and I stopped for several minutes to just take it in, was very relaxing. I was doing T to E in about 25 minutes and walked back and forth several times, though I had to end up on F for my outbound flight. In walking there, I did not note very much foot traffic, though when you walked through the areas where the trams arrived, it could get very crowded it you passed as one let out.
seriously needed this because I would be having a layover in Atlanta hopefully in July to Greensboro this year. Much appreciated and I don't really need to worry as much :)
I got extremely lucky once. I was flying from Little Rock Arkansas , on the way to São Paulo, Brazil. I only went past two gates after getting off the plane , to reach the gate where my flight was departing from. Is this unusual? I thought that domestic and international flights have their own landing sections.
Feels like to me that Concourses D, E and F have a mixed bag of domestic/international flights. Concourse D international flights are more of the small planes (Canada, Caribbean/Central America), while E and F are for the bigger planes (basically everywhere else). This is just based on my 100000 times flying through Atlanta, and have no idea if that's actually correct lol
I’d say thats extremely unusual and lucky yeah. Concourse F is the international terminal, so all flights leaving from F will be international flights. But its not uncommon for some international flights to depart from generally domestic gates. Especially in concourse E. But it often depends on the airline. If you were coming back from São Paulo, I believe it would be a much different story. You’d most definitely come through F gates.
@@Kevinimages Kevin you're correct! That's very true. The bigger planes (777s, A350s) for international flights typically depart from E and F, and WestJet uses D.
When I flew to and from Rome Italy. My connection was through Atlanta. Both times were just over 4 hrs long. Im glad for it because coming back and getting through TSA and baggage claim and customs took a couple of hours. Plus me feet were killing me from all the walking I did in Rome
The problem with quick connections in either ATL or CLT Isn’t necessarily the walking time, it’s taxi delays and inbound traffic delays. Often we have to wait on the ground 15 to 30 minutes before even departing to either of those airports due to traffic, then if you land on that outer runway in Atlanta and adds even more taxi time, and that 45 minute connection is now 0. I never book anything less than about 1:15!
As someone who fly's Delta a lot when traveling and enjoys making videos about aviation like you this was a very useful video! Even though I've flown to Atlanta many times before I'm still learning the layout every time I go there and i'm still learning new strategies on when I have time to film and when not. Thanks so much for the video Jeb, and cya In the sky! :D🛫👍
Great video Jeb, made me kick myself because on Thursday my connection in ATL was canceled and the next non-stop flight was a six hour wait. I was in the SkyClub in concourse B and didn't even think about going down to F. I wish I had because I have read about how great that SkyClub is! Next time!
Videos like this, with real-world estimates of how long it could take to go from one end to the other, frequency of trains, where to go in lieu of a club, etc. are great. More of this, please! Also, a rough idea of how crowded the airports are at various times, and such, is welcome info. For example, the picture of the “non-affiliated” club was helpful. For it seems to be very similar to being in the regular airport with better seating and included food, rather than being in a large, open and relatively quiet airline-affiliated club. Liked the comment of where to get water, too. How clean is that bottle filling station? The water fountains seemed … not so much.
Thanks so much! We're trying to expand the kinds of content we put out there while still being helpful to travelers. Also, the water bottle station seemed pretty clean.
@@GreenerGrass Thanks for the replay. Great that some airports are adding such (literal) oases for the general public. I hope more airports follow suit and we (passengers) don’t mess it up.
You always get me hyped up for any upcoming trip or vacation and watching your videos just makes the upcoming days of said trips extra exciting but I visited family on a layover in Atlanta me even getting out was a nightmare but surprisingly checking back in was a breeze, bless my little brothers heart, he has down syndrome but he had a blast zipping around in the wheelchair with me as his wheelman 😂
found your videos from the Jet bus from DC to NYC. Now I am going through your other videos. Please do more videos of "how to make your connecting flight" from different airports like Detroit, Chicago, Houston, LA, SFO, Denver, MIA, etc. It really helps people who have 45mins - 60mins connections
Perfect timing! I have a trip to Portland, Maine coming up and I’m connecting through Atlanta both ways. Having never been there his was really helpful!
Of all the airports I have traveled to in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, moving around Atlanta's between terminals are the easiest I have experienced. (disclaimer: ATL is my home airport.)
Everyone that I’ve encountered working in the airport have been friendly. The magic though, for me, has always been on the F Concourse. I flew SGF-ATL-MKE both ways. On the outbound I happened to meet up with a famous meteorologist from the area who invited me into the F Sky Club as his guest. On the return, at F-1, I sat and watched through one of the last Virgin Atlantic 747-400 ATL turns before their retirement. I asked a DL Agent to take my phone with him and take pictures of the push back to start the flight to Manchester. He gladly obliged and was an awesome photographer.
Thank you so much for this video! I never knew that information about minimum connection time and I was getting anxious about my one hour connection (domestic to international) on my trip this fall. The walk through between all the concourses and the time it took really eased my worries!!!
I flew out to PHX from ATL not long ago. I live near Atlanta, so I wasn’t connecting though it. While I was heading to my gate, someone asked me if I could help an older woman find her gate because they were late for their own flight. We were also heading to the same terminal. She only spoke Spanish, which I speak very little of. It took a while to find the gate, because it had changed three times! We both made our flights on time. She was very grateful. My advice would be to arrive early and stay aware of your flight status. It’s a very large and busy airport, and things can change at a moments notice.
Nice video. Knowing the time to get from one place to the other is good to know info. Unfortunately, I'm pretty familiar with Atlanta. My closest airport is El Paso, TX, and it doesn't matter where you're' going, if you're flying Delta, you're going to Atlanta first. Occasionally (rarely) you can find one to Salt Lake City. When I have enough time and during open hours, I frequent the USO. It's outside security though so I need quite a bit of layover.
