Anyone know about ATL Airport...Connecting Flight with Short Layover ...

[Clarity]

I have personal experience with a very short layover in Atlanta with Delta Airlines last November. I can say from personal experience that it IS possible to do…BUT It was incredibly stressful.

We were not going to Montego bay though, we were coming BACK from Montego Bay.

I received an Email notification from Delta only a few days before my flight departure that the later flight I was SUPPOSED to take (with a 3 hr layover) was now cancelled. My new itinerary looked like this:

Departs 4:00 pm Montego Bay
Arrives 7:07 pm Atlanta, Georgia

Departs 7:45 pm Atlanta, Georgia
Arrives 10:15 pm San Francisco, California

This was the last flight going to SF that day and I had to be at work the next morning. I had used all my vacation/sick days for this trip so Missing that flight was NOT an option for me.

Our flight was late getting into Atlanta. So we had exactly 29 minutes to get off the plane and catch that next flight. We informed all the passengers around us about the situation. So they gave us some space to get off the plane as fast as possible. Then we broke into a mad run. First we were confronted by a long line at customs, We showed the man our ticket and he put us up front. Then we had to re-check in our carry-on bags. We threw off our shoes, put our bags and ourselves through the scanner. Pulled ourselves back together and continued to run with our shoe laces untied down the terminal corrodor. screaming “excuse me! Sorry! We’re going to miss our flight!! Sorrysorrysorry!” . Of course , then we had to take a TRAM to get to the right terminal.

We arrived completely breathless at exactly 7:45 and an airport worker was closing the door to the tube. He said the plane was already pulling away and it was too late.

I wordlessly walked away because I knew if I tried to speak I would burst into tears. I was devastated.
Markus explained the situation to him and showed him our airline tickets. He took pity on us, especially when he discovered that it was the last flight of the day and he actually called the plane back in.

Everyone in the plane gave us dirty looks when we came on board. There were a lot of comments like “Wow, I never had a plane turn around for me, what makes THEM so special?…etc” So embarrassing! We got on that plane though and as a result, I still have my job.

I’m just sharing this, so you are aware of the potential drama you might face.

Since this is going to Montego Bay and not returning from… You won’t have to deal with half of what we did. (customs/scanner) It’s definitely possible to pull off. If you miss the flight, they’ll just move you to the next one. (Providing there is space). Just be aware that you may have to travel with a tram from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. This takes a bit of time.

Hope this helps! Good luck with whatever you choose, I'm certain you're going to have a wonderful time in Negril regardless of when you arrive.