Virgin Man - Atlanta and transit of Atl
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Virgin Man - Atlanta and transit of Atl
The Cabin
Has anybody tried the Virgin route down to Atlanta from Man yet. If so what was their experience of both Virgin, and transiting Atlanta ,as I will be flying on to San Jose in Costa Rica from there, and have heard mixed reports.
Thanks in anticipation.
Has anybody tried the Virgin route down to Atlanta from Man yet. If so what was their experience of both Virgin, and transiting Atlanta ,as I will be flying on to San Jose in Costa Rica from there, and have heard mixed reports.
Thanks in anticipation.
Last edited by Mr Mac; 1st Mar 2015 at 11:58. Reason: Wifes Geography !!!
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You have to go through Security AFTER clearing customs. If you have an liquids you do have a (very short) opportunity to put it into your suitcase.
If you haven't a checked bag - You are SOL. You will lose your duty free booze.
If you haven't a checked bag - You are SOL. You will lose your duty free booze.
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They seem to have a new (2012) International Terminal at ATL:
Should solve the duty-free liquids problem ... Although the old International Terminal E is still used for international flights, and there is no indication that the problem has been solved there.
● For international travelers bound for Atlanta, the international terminal will end the cumbersome baggage recheck process. No longer will those passengers have to recheck bags after going through Customs, then reclaim them at the main terminal. That’s because the international terminal will enable them to leave the airport without taking the people-mover train back to the main terminal.
To a large degree the system hasn't changed at Atlanta. The USA simply doesn't do transit. You have to enter the USA and then leave again, even if both flights are international. This means you have to have a US Visa or ESTA.
What has changed is the precise way this system operates at Atlanta. The international arrivals used to be in a terminal that was the last stop on the train from the landside terminal. To get to landside you had to go through the parts of the terminal that were airside and all the people you met had passed through TSA security. Their view was/is that the security screening you passed to board you flight into the USA is irrelevant. What happened was that you cleared immigration, then customs and found yourself in a quite small area where you were told to put your checked bags on a conveyor and put yourself through security. If you hadn't experienced it before you did just that. Trouble was that you then had to go through TSA and their liquids rule so any duty free was removed and destroyed. The system did mean that you were able to then board an onward domestic flight. Everyone else stayed on the train to landside and then had to find the other end of the conveyor and pick up your bags. If Atlanta was your destination fine. But, to continue on an international flight you checked in again and then went through TSA yet again!
The new terminal works on the same basis. Clear immigration, clear customs but then you exit to landside. That may seem to be different and for terminating passengers it is but the effect for international connecting passengers is the same because having rechecked your bag for the connecting service you have to pass TSA again and, you've guessed it, the liquids rule again.
If you "transit" the USA it is not advisable to buy duty free until you are about to depart the USA where there are duty free shops or wait until you're on the international flight.
What has changed is the precise way this system operates at Atlanta. The international arrivals used to be in a terminal that was the last stop on the train from the landside terminal. To get to landside you had to go through the parts of the terminal that were airside and all the people you met had passed through TSA security. Their view was/is that the security screening you passed to board you flight into the USA is irrelevant. What happened was that you cleared immigration, then customs and found yourself in a quite small area where you were told to put your checked bags on a conveyor and put yourself through security. If you hadn't experienced it before you did just that. Trouble was that you then had to go through TSA and their liquids rule so any duty free was removed and destroyed. The system did mean that you were able to then board an onward domestic flight. Everyone else stayed on the train to landside and then had to find the other end of the conveyor and pick up your bags. If Atlanta was your destination fine. But, to continue on an international flight you checked in again and then went through TSA yet again!
The new terminal works on the same basis. Clear immigration, clear customs but then you exit to landside. That may seem to be different and for terminating passengers it is but the effect for international connecting passengers is the same because having rechecked your bag for the connecting service you have to pass TSA again and, you've guessed it, the liquids rule again.
If you "transit" the USA it is not advisable to buy duty free until you are about to depart the USA where there are duty free shops or wait until you're on the international flight.
It's just beyond crazy. I have to say were it not for pre clearance in Dublin I don't know that I'd ever bother with the States. Coming home through JFK it was all I could do not to laugh in the face of the TSA people and their hilarious attempts to make you feel intimidated.
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Seasoned traveller as I am living in the US, the trick is to never transfer in the US on incoming flights. Outgoing is fine, because then they don't care. So when I go to Europe from LA I'm happy to transfer in the US if need be, but the incoming transfer has to take place outside, or else your looking at a 3-4hr PITA rigmarole. If you have anything less than 2hrs in between flights on a incoming US connection, you're probably not going to make it.
Bets anyone? Paxing All Over The World
Bets that you'll have time to find some WiFi and log on the forum to tell us that you didn't make the connection ... whilst waiting for the next connection. 
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Hotel Tango, that is a really, really tight connection time, especially if in the afternoon or early evening when there are several transatlantic flights arriving at the same time as the flights from Central America and the Caribbean start arriving too. Especially so if a non resident. I live in ATL, and have had to deal with this on numerous occaisions. If the airline sold you this as a legal connection, they are doing you a disservice. I hope there are other flights onwards to your destination tomorrow evening.
Also, as mentioned before, DO NOT bring any duty free liquor with you unless you can carry it in your checked bag from ATL. It will be confiscated.
Also, as mentioned before, DO NOT bring any duty free liquor with you unless you can carry it in your checked bag from ATL. It will be confiscated.
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ATL transit March 5th
No one was more surprised than myself but the 75 minute connection at ATL was a doddle! Touched down at 2017. Blocked on F gate at 2028. Through immigration and security at 2055. At my connecting A gate at 2110 for a 2145 departure. And, despite the tight connections at both AMS and ATL, my checked bag made it too 
It should be noted that the scheduled time of arrival in ATL made our flight the only international arrival in that time block. The waiting time at at immigration was about 2 minutes. So, all ended well 
It should be noted that the scheduled time of arrival in ATL made our flight the only international arrival in that time block. The waiting time at at immigration was about 2 minutes. So, all ended well
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Well H-T, glad you made it!!! As you said, your flight was the only one clearing customs at that time. If you had arrived during the afternoon, you most certainly would not have made it because of the backlog of passengers from all the international arrivals. So, as the saying goes, timing is everything. Enjoy your trip!
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All
Thanks for all the information and advice, and Spannersatcx I appreciate Virgin are not on the route yet, but has anybody been on board one of their 330 recently on an ex LHR route, as I was on one of there 340 quite a few years ago, and was not that impressed, so have stayed away since. However the route through Atlanta would fit with this particular trip, hence my question. I know you can probably check on Skytrax, but I prefer "Our Cabin", as there are many on here who spend a significant portion of there working lives travelling on planes and through airports as SLF. We are very good and observing good and bad practice with an un- jaundiced view and I for one value our collective in sight.
Thanks for all the information and advice, and Spannersatcx I appreciate Virgin are not on the route yet, but has anybody been on board one of their 330 recently on an ex LHR route, as I was on one of there 340 quite a few years ago, and was not that impressed, so have stayed away since. However the route through Atlanta would fit with this particular trip, hence my question. I know you can probably check on Skytrax, but I prefer "Our Cabin", as there are many on here who spend a significant portion of there working lives travelling on planes and through airports as SLF. We are very good and observing good and bad practice with an un- jaundiced view and I for one value our collective in sight.
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Originally Posted by Smoketrails
Arriving at F and having to connect to an international flight, you do have the option of not having to go through immigration.
Originally Posted by MathFox
The solution to the duty-free-liquid "issue" is to put the stuff in your checked luggage between picking it up at the belt and handing it off again.