Check-in Questions for Indirect Flights to USA (LGW - ATL - MIA)

[Charlie Zulu]

Hello All,

Although I have flown many times to the United States from London Heathrow / Gatwick, this has always been a direct flight.

Next Thursday I am going to Gatwick for a flight to Miami via Atlanta with "Don't Ever Leave The Airport" airline, otherwise known as Delta Airlines. The reason for the indirect flight is that it was £200 less than the direct airlines...

I have just a couple of questions with regards to flight transfers which I hope someone on PPRUNE may know of the answers.

1) When I check in at Gatwick for the flight to Atlanta, will I also be checked in for the Flight to Miami (also with Delta), thus receiving a boarding card and seat assignment? Or will I need to check in for the Miami flight when I get to Atlanta?

2) Will my baggage be checked in for the final destination (Miami) or will I need to collect the baggage at Atlanta and check it in for the Miami flight?

Once I get to Miami it'll be a ride over to Naples where I'm staying for a month to obtain my FAA CPL/IR! :-)

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[wing_nut1]

Hi CZ,

In answer to your questions i should imagine that it is possible if its with the same airline (almost certain) that they can check you in all the way but in past experience with checking in bags all the way it is best to avoid it if possible unless you have really tight connections!! That is how bags get lost or put on wrong flights.

My best advice to you is to double check with the check in staff and i think that you can request if you want/dont want to be checked in all the way

Hope that is some use to you :ok:

[PaperTiger]

When you check in at LGW you will get boarding passes for both flights. Your bags will be tagged through to MIA.

On arrival at ATL you go through immigration control then collect your bags right there and clear US customs. As you exit, there will be a conveyor belt marked 'connecting flights' or something similar. Put your bags on it and proceed to your next flight. NB if there is more than one conveyor make sure your bags go on the Delta one.

The ATL-MIA flight will likely be from a different concourse. Ride the subway.

You do not clear customs at ATL on the return. You won't see your bags until LGW.

[Globaliser]

At ATL, most of the baggage re-check counters immediately after Customs belong to Delta, which is unsurprising given the preponderance of DL flights there. IIRC, immediately after that you go through security and beyond that you can find your way to the train to the other concourses. The train is pretty efficient, if utterly soulless in the way that most US airports seem to be. The concourse where the international flights arrive is probably the least unpleasant of all of them, so if you have lots of time you might want to think about finding somewhere to wait there rather than in your concourse of departure.

Tip - Make sure you repeatedly check the gate that your onward flight is departing from. They can change. In an airport the size of ATL, you don't want an unwelcome surprise very close to your departure time.

[Charlie Zulu]

Many thanks to everyone for answering my questions. I didn't really think of how connecting flights work until these flights were booked.

I have about two hours between arriving and departing ATL, an hour of that will be taken up passing through Immigration.

Will keep an eye on the departure board for the gate number and will also ensure I chuck my bags back onto the DL conveyor belt outside of immigration and customs.

Now I'm just hoping that the Delta LGW - ATL flight arrives at ATL on time!

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[PaperTiger]

an hour of that will be taken up passing through Immigration

Unlikely, I have always found the INS at Atlanta pretty efficient -20 minutes tops. Unless of course you have a 'shady' record :)

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi PaperTiger,

<laughs>!

I've been deported from a night club due to falling asleep in the corner a little, well lets say drunk, but I'm happy to report that I'm yet to get deported from the States or even any other country! I intend to keep that record! :-)

But as soon as they see my M-1 Visa and I mention Flight Training as the purpose of visiting the States, I could be in for a few questions. Luckily I have a letter from the flight school stating which courses I am doing (FAA CPL/IR) and the maximum weight of the aircraft (its well under the 12,500lbs limit imposed to us "aliens").

So the immigration people at Atlanta sound a a little quicker than those at say LAX, MCO etc... ;-) Then again thinking about it the last time I was at LAX they took half an hour with another half an hour waiting in a queue at Customs (AA terminal).

Oh I'm also taking more than $10,000 in travellers cheques with me... that'll need to be recorded on the white customs declaration form and I believe I'll need to fill in another form when I get to the customs counter. Any tips on this?

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[PaperTiger]

In that case CZ you probably will need a bit more time with the nice man. The 'monetary instrument' declaration is a form 4790 which the US Customs (actually CBP now) have helpfully put online (http://www.cbp.gov/ImageCache/cgov/content/forms/4790_2epdf/v1/4790.pdf) so you can bone up.

Only other caution, since you have visited the US before, is to be very sure you did not overstay your visa(s) on any previous visit. They take a dim view of that and will bang you up for it then chuck you out after a few days :sad:

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi PaperTiger,

Thanks for the link to the form, I'll fill it in before my flight on Thursday. In fact as I'm in work at the moment and not much is happening (24 hour shift team at an Internet Data Centre), I'll fill it in now! :-) I've found a version of the form that has straight lines to fill in... :-)

No problems in ensuring I haven't overstayed my welcome on previous visits... all previous visits were for 14 or 15 days maximum at a time on the visa waiver scheme that is valid for 90 days if I remember correctly.

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[PaperTiger]

No, you can't fill in and print the online form. They will want the real thing - ie. their piece of paper. Nothing to stop you practicing tho.

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi PaperTiger,

Oh well, at least I've seen the form and know what and where to enter the information.

You'd think they'd allow the form to be filled in before getting to customs, thus speeding the whole process up!

Thanks for the info.

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.