This Friday I'm arriving at ATL from FCO at 2:50 pm. I intend to book a Groome shuttle to take me to Chattanooga.
To me it would seem safe to book a shuttle that departs ATL 2 1/2 hours after I land. But my wife made the same trip 9 days ago and it took her over 3 hours to make the same process. She said baggage claim and customs was a breeze, but there was such a long line waiting on the shuttle from International to Domestic, it took 2/3rds of the total time just waiting her turn to get on a shuttle. Anyone else have similar experiences? I'm tempted to schedule the 5:15 shuttle - 2 hours and 25 minutes after I land. There's a 4:15, but I think that is too risky.
Posted by
Paris
10034 posts
I wouldn't take the shuttle. I would go back underground and take the Air Train back to the other side.
I did this when I was staying overnight at a near-airport hotel last November, and it worked perfectly
Posted by
back in the Americas
706 posts
I went thru ATL internationally twice in recent months, including a week ago. I wasn’t exiting at ATL but did have to change terminals. As suggested take the plane train. It was not crowded and it is fast. Follow the signs or ask.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
27 posts
I wouldn't take the shuttle. I would go back underground and take the Air Train back to the other side.
I did this when I was staying overnight at a near-airport hotel last November, and it worked perfectly
How were you able to get back into the airport underground without a boarding pass?
This is the thing: you can't get into the system to get from Terminal F to other parts of the airport without a boarding pass. If your flight terminated in Atlanta, you won't have a boarding pass.
The shuttle between the 2 terminals is usually not too crowded, but lately apparently there have been some very long wait times. My advice would be to take the shuttle if the wait is reasonable, otherwise, get a rideshare or taxi from the international terminal to the domestic terminal.
Posted by
ATL, USA
512 posts
Larry is correct - I once asked, once I got through passport control, about taking the plane train back to domestic from international, but because Atlanta was my destination, I couldn't go back into the terminal. I too was hoping to not have to wait for the shuttle, the line for which is often long, and the shuttle is crowded and hot. I'd consider a ride share, as suggested.