Connection Fear

joe, I definitely concur with Tim regarding choice of airports. If possible, try to avoid Heathrow as your connecting flight may be in another Terminal, which will complicate your connection. Amsterdam is a single terminal airport and although that often means lots of walking, the process is simpler (I was through AMS twice in September and October, so it's still fresh in my memory). As this is your first time dealing with connecting flights, you might want to speak with a Travel Agent. They'll be able to suggest to best and easiest route. Happy travels!

Depends on the airport. Looks like the choices from Atlanta to Dusseldorf are with Delta, KLM, & BA. It's usually easier to connect at Amsterdam than at Heathrow (extra security checks, passport control, distance to walk). Usually no major problems, just the time factor. I'd probably want 1.5 hrs to transfer at AMS and 3 hrs at LHR.

While risk is inherent in travel, I believe that the Germans are masters of minimizing risk. I flew to Vienna two years ago, a 2-leg flight on Lufthansa that landed in Dusseldorf and a connecting flight that landed in Vienna. Dusseldorf's airport is not brand new but is well organized and has clear signs. On arrival we were directed to immigration, not left to fend for ourselves. Announcements were in German and English; officials spoke German and excellent English. The gate for my connecting flight changed; I heard the announcement clearly and had no trouble locating the gate. I believe that the bathrooms are on the second floor, but, again, the signs are clear. It goes without saying that Munich and Frankfurt function well too...of course! Just be alert; if you have questions, ask. It's best, of course, to greet the official in German and ask, in German, if the person speaks English. best wishes

Are you worried about finding your way through a strange airport, or about making your flight? You really can't go the "wrong way" in an airport; if you do, you won't get far. Even if you have to take an airport train or transfer terminals, just follow the signs or ask an employee. For connections, I feel most comfortable with a 2-3 hour connection time. If your plane is late from Atlanta, there is a possibility you will miss your next flight. Remember that customs is for the stuff you bring; immigration is for people. Customs will probably be nothing - you'll walk through the "Nothing to " door. Immigration could take a while. I came back from London in September and connected through Chicago ORD to St. Louis. My flight was 20 minutes early so I had a 2-hour 20-minute connection time. But it took a while to get off the plane and to get to immigration, and I waited in the immigration line for about 40 minutes. Then I had to get to my gate. I worried about missing my flight but I arrived at the gate with about 30 minutes to spare. If my plane had been on time (or late), I probably would have missed my flight to St. Louis. It's just one more thing to be prepared for. And if you can, carry on your luggage. Multiple flights with a checked bag increase the possibility that the bag will get lost.

yes, i am afaid of utter failure and confusion when i walk out of my flight. like if i will make my next flight to germany from london and if any other delays would occur to mess up my flight plans. I would not mind looking at other airports to connect in but it seemed that london was the most common on the way to germany and it was not out of the way like atl. to texas then to germany.

Joe, you do realize that Atlanta is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world? I've never been there, but many are worried about being confused there. If you can handle ATL, you will be fine anywhere (with proper planning). Yes, there's no need to worry about having to find your way unassisted. When you get off a plane in Europe, you will follow the signs to "connecting flights." If you are in a Schengen country (basically, almost everywhere you might connect except England and Ireland), you will go through passport control first, then find the monitors with the flight connections. You should keep your flight number handy so you can locate it easily on the monitor, and then you follow signs to the new terminal and gate (again, airports don't want you to get lost any more than you do, and you aren't the only one making a connection, so there's lots of help around). Assuming you've booked all on one ticket for the whole route, your luggage will be usually checked through to your final destination, so you won't go to baggage claim in your connection city. Of course, if this is not the case, you will need to allow more time for the connection. If you are connecting in England or Ireland, you will be a transit passenger, and won't go through passport control until Duesseldorf. continued..

continued.. Many airport websites have specific help for connecting passengers. Heathrow's is one of the most detailed. Find a flight through Heathrow (just for demonstration; don't book it yet) from www.kayak.com, then put its information into http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/flight-connections/connection-guides. You'll need to know which terminals your flights will use, but you will see step-by-step directions. And, again, Heathrow (or Paris) is more complicated than Frankfurt or Amsterdam. If I had the choice, I'd pick AMS > FRA > CDG > LHR. Be sure to check Lufthansa's website directly, to see if you can get a flight from ATL to FRA that connects to a "flight" that's really a train, from Frankfurt airport's long distance station right to Duesseldorf. Or, look into flying ATL to JFK (actually, I think JFK is more difficult to change in than almost anywhere else), then getting the nonstop flight to DUS on Air Berlin. The most important things about making connections: 1. Make SURE you buy it all on one ticket, so the airline is responsible for fixing any problems. If you buy two separate tickets, YOU are responsible if you miss the connection, for any reason. 2. Have enough time for the connection. I'd allow 90 minutes anywhere, and more in places like LHR, CDG and JFK that are notorious for problems.
3. Once in the airport, follow the signs and don't overthink. The airlines really do want you to make your plane (missed connections are just more work for them).

yes atl is very busy but in the begenning it was layed out to be fool proof with complete simplicity. I have never been international so does anyone have opinions on wether like say take a plane from atl to london and then a high speed train to germany which does not look to expensive? would that make sense?

Joe, I've lived on and off in Atlanta for 10+ years and in the US, I always considered ATL my home airport (for better or worse). Flying 2+ times every week out of ATL, I was a Platinum Delta and probably knew every crack & crevice at ATL. Like you, I've always been confident at ATL, and I loved the "direct" layout... until the recent opening of the International Terminal at ATL. The first problem is you have to use a different INTERSTATE HWY to get there? Returning to the US from Europe, after collecting luggage, we had to catch a shuttle bus to get to the main (original) terminal - Who dreamed this mess up?? So now I'm NOT so confident at the International Terminal at ATL... I miss Terminal E! That said, changing planes in Europe - after you clear customs (if necessary)- is really not too much different than changing planes in the USA. Most airports have good signage - certainly LHR, FRA, and AMS. (AMS is our FAVORITE airport in Europe - CPH is our 2nd favorite). I don't think you'll have any trouble changing planes and connecting to DUS. We've connected often at ALL these airports - especially AMS - and they are all pretty straight-forward. The biggest challenge in many European airports is the distance between GATES. Sometimes we felt like we were WALKING to the next country. I like the signs in LGW that say "20 minutes to walk to your gate." So, as you're unfamiliar with any of these airport just give yourself PLENTY OF TIME on your connections and you'll be fine. In these airports, I've always found the signage good and assistance available and knowledgeable. Don't get me started on getting help at FCO... my other "home" airport.

Actually from Atlanta you have a lot, and I mean a lot, of choices besides the Delta non stop from ATL to DUS. DUS is connected to practically all major European hubs, not only London LHR and Amsterdam AMS. You could go through Paris CDG with a Delta/AirFrance (both partners). There are 6 flights a day between CDG and DUS, so even if you miss one if delayed, I'm sure you can catch the next. You could go from ATL to Frankfurt FRA, with Lufthansa, and get to FRA at 8:40 am. Once in FRA there are 7 daily flights to DUS from FRA, I'm sure you'll be able to catch one throughout the day. And I'll stop here for lack of space. Because there are many more combinations requiring just one connection. Flying from Atlanta to Dusseldorf via any connecting airport in Europe will be just as easy as connecting in an American airport. The only difference is that between one gate and the next you'll have to show your passport to someone wearing a uniform and a badge. You don't even have to worry about clearing customs with your luggage, because you won't see your luggage until your last port of arrival (in your case Dusseldorf). Whichever airport you go through just plan a couple of hours in between flights, since there might be lines at the passport control and those big hubs may require some long walks between gates and terminals. Everybody speaks English at those airports (even in Paris!), and signs are in English as well, so don't worry about getting lost. Airports are all alike all over the world. You can't tell them apart one country from another.

@Roberto, "Airports are all alike all over the world. You can't tell them apart one country from another." That may be true in most cases, but not all. One of my relatives was recently in South Sudan, and the Juba Airport is NOT like anything most of us have ever seen (I'll spare you the details, especially on the washroom facilities). From his description, the airport that he transited in Ethiopia wasn't much better. Cheers!

As soon as you get off the plane, go to the nearest airline personnel (there are usually a couple of them at the gate waiting) and tell them you have a connecting flight, they will point you to the gate. Also check the overhead board to make sure the gate hasn't been changed.

Ken, you are right. I should have said 'major airports in the industrialized countries'. But the best 'kind of different' airport for me is Punta Cana in the Republica Dominicana. The airport buildings are traditional Palapa huts (grass roof huts).
Check on Google images if you've never seen it. Very original.

Joe, When I bought tickets a few months ago, there was not much price difference between direct Atlanta-Dusseldorf flights and ones requiring one or more changes at odd hours. Have rates for the direct flights gone up that much? If you do go with a connecting flight, go with anything other than CDG.

Well with some of the travel sites they have connecting flights that are around $300 cheaper so thats what I was trying to decide between direct or a travel site

Before using a booking site, you might want to do a search on some of these forums (Rick Steves, Fodors, TripAdvisor, etc.)for comments from readers about the site. I mention this because one site, Cheapoair, is often cheaper but it also has been the subject of a lot of complaints, more than any others I have seen.

I do not fly often and really dont care for it much lol, but on my last trip I looked up my connecting terminal and gate on my boarding pass then using the airport map supplied in the airline magazine had lots of time to study it on the first leg and plan my adventrue through the next airport.

You could also fly into Frankfurt and take the train to Dusseldorf. This might be less stressful for you. Plus you could see some of the countryside too. If you do decide to continue on with a connecting flight, there are so many flights going to Dusseldorf, that if you would miss one because of your flight being delayed, it is easy for the airline to put you on the next one. Customs are non-issues in Europe. Once you land, you show your passport at passport control and move on out. If you have to pick up your bag, you go get it and walk out. No one is going to look through your bag or anything.

As others have said, the most important thing is having this all on one ticket so that the airline is on the hook if they mess up your connection. Connections generally go pretty smoothly, and even if your flight is slightly delayed the captain will often adjust the flight speed to minimize the impact as much as possible. You will clear border patrol at the connection airport, which slows things down slightly. Not much you can do to speed this part up, except to have all of your papers filled out on the plane and ready to go. Coming from the US, there shouldn't be too many difficult cases, since US citizens (that majority of the flight) will just need a stamp. Double check with the customs people to make sure that you don't have verboten items and then head straight to the nothing to (green) area and walk right through customs. I have never had an issue there. How tight the connection is really depends on you. An hour and a half is very comfortable if you arrive on time. If you have mobility issue, then you should add more time. If you absolutely must be on that flight home or there, I would also allow more time. Delays can and do happen and when they do, your options may be limited for Trans-Atlantic flights. If a delay does cause you to miss your plane, you can expect that they will rebook you on the next available flight. If you are flying with a European carrier and there is a substantial delay, you may be entitled to cash compensation. In any delay, you can ask, but shouldn't expect, for meal and hotel vouchers, depending on the delay. You can also ask for a day pass to the airline lounge if the delay is significant, which is a gesture they will sometimes make.

@Roberto: Airports are all alike all over the world. You can't tell them apart one country from another. I disagree. Airports are purpose built buildings, which means that airports vary dramatically according to the era that they were built and the prevailing philosophy of passenger flow and necessary controls. Airports that are based on the terminal design were designed with low security in mind and high expectations for people mover systems. These are dramatically different from modern airports that are premised on high security. In modern high security airports, passenger spaces are layered to achieve the necessary separation for customs/passport formalities, but all gates must be accessible to one another otherwise because the time cost of moving through security are so much higher. The geometric design of the airport also plays a significant role in how people experience airports, as well as the size of the airport. The shape affects how passengers must move through the airport and what sorts of connections are possible. For example, an airport that has a straight row of gates will have longer possible distances between gate pairs, while a hub and spoke designed airport can shorten that distance. As a small example, compare the two Abu Dhabi terminals: http://goo.gl/maps/1S8q5 Other factors include multi-modal integration. For example, compare this: http://goo.gl/maps/v9yAi with this http://goo.gl/maps/DQSt0 In Shanghai, a massive rail station is integrated into the airport itself (or will be. It is currently under construction). In LAX, your option is bus or car. That's a priority difference that varies by region.

I haven't read through the numerous replies but in case nobody has mentioned it, there are direct, non-stop flights from Atlanta to Duesseldorf on Delta's partner airline Air France and they're usually very competitively priced, even more so in the other direction, from Duesseldorf and back.

Actually, Anna, the direct non stop flight from ATL to DUS is operated by Delta Airlines, not AirFrance. Airfrance/KLM is the codeshare airline, but the operator is Delta. AirFrance doesn't operate flights from the US to European countries outside of France.