baddog

or does Atlanta have an alternative airport?

marketsmart

no SWA into atlanta... no alternative airport close that i know of... flights are cheap right now from LAX to ATL... try orbitz.com

MandyBlake

airtran is a good one...usually very inexpensive.

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Peaches

If you must go SWA (I don't see how you folks use them after talking to friends and watching "Airline" on A&E!!) fly into Birmingham. There are even shuttles that will drive you to the ATL airport.

baddog

What has been the complaint from your friends? And judging anything based on a reality show just confirms you have not seen KB's movie.

If you trust reality shows, you owe it to yourself to see it.

We talking somewhere other than Birmingham, AL right?

tony286

Riding all that time in the plane,then to get on a bus and drive a bunch more.Yuck. Why not take delta?

SweetT

Basically, AirTran is the SouthWest Airlines of the East Coast....except Airtran has a first class cabin that you can buy for like $50-$75 more on most flights. The first class has larger seats and faster service on the newest fleet of jets in the sky, but still no meals and no frills.

With the amount of competition on the routes from LA to ATL, you can just about get a great deal on any airline. I just looked for the dates of The Atlanta Forum and seats are less than $300 round trip on Delta, which is generally the most expensive. I would think that is pretty good to cross the country.


--T

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baddog

Yeah, I hit mapquest and said, "screw that shit."

$300 isn't bad at all.

SweetT

...and about 75% of the time there are rappers and celebs on the flights between LAX - ATL when I have been on them, so if you like to people watch it is worth the $300 just for that ;)


--T

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baddog

Am there. How far is airport from hotel? Need to figure out travel time for departure.

SweetT

Depending on what time you arrive it could take anywhere from about 20 minutes to about 45 minutes unless there is some huge traffic snafu somewhere...but most of the cabs and limo drivers know how to get around most of that stuff. I would say to plan on it taking about 30 and you will be cool.

Also we are TRYING to work a deal with a local limo company here to provide car service to and from the hotel for the same price as cab fare...keep watching the website for details.


--T

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baddog

So, AirTran is a little cheaper than Delta, but not enough to make a difference. I haven't flown Delta since my last divorce.

Which is better?

SweetT

It's a toss up. Airtran has the newest fleet of jets in the sky. Delta has more frills. Airtran usually is better at getting up and down on time...Delta will have a thousand flights per day to the same destination so if you miss one you just hop the next one. Delta has better FF programs, Aitran has one but it is out dated at best.

So, to answer your question....neither is better...they are just different.


--T

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RiverRat19602003

The problem with SouthWest is that every time someone on the ground waves, they stop to pick them up

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baddog

Yeah, that's the thing, I don't really go to that part of the country very often, so not sure worth the spam to sign up to either.

non-stop is the only way . . . I had to do a layover once because I was shipping my dog . . . naturally he made his flight, I didn't.

Holly

I definitely would not fly into Birmingham. There's an hour time zone difference between AL and GA and you're looking at probably 3 hours with traffic, for the drive.

Go Delta to Hartsfield.

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baddog

One glance at mapquest convinced me of that. Time zone difference or not.

Now, if they could have a bike waiting for me, that would be a different story.

Peaches

Hey, you were the one asking about SWA - I gave you the info you asked about an additional airport ;)

The biggest complaints I have from my friends (all who travel frequently and all have sworn NEVER to fly SWA again) is that it's like an airborne bus. Besides feeling like cattle, they don't code share with other airlines. With Delta I know if they cancel a flight, they can put me on another airline. SWA, doesn't happen.

Then again, I've been flying Delta since I was a few months old, my grandfather was one of the first investors and my uncle a pilot. Plus if you live in ATL you can't walk w/o tripping over someone who works for them so I have a lot of friends who are past or current employees. I like to keep the $$$ in my own state

I've driven to Birmingham to pick up my sister at the airport and it wasn't a bad drive for me, IMO. and I was driving a lot further than from airport to airport. If you want to really fly SWA, you could rent a car. Having a car in ATL would be nice IMO, but I'm also a snob about riding MARTA

baddog

Perhaps the problem is that Delta cancels flights frequently, so you need that insurance.

Oh, and if I was just visiting ATL, I would have a car. But for the Forum, I should not need one.

Peaches

Honestly, I have never once had to use it - and that's probably over 100's of flights. I've been delayed, but never canceled. I haven't had to use my homeowner's either - but it's nice to know it's there

SweetT

I have to agree with Peaches on this one. I have flown over a million miles on Delta and I have *never* had a flight canceled. I have been delayed more times than I care to talk about, but never outright canceled.

The great thing about flying Delta is that when they fly to a city they usually fly a boat load of flights per day. For example, on the day that most people are flying into Atlanta for the forum there are 10 DIRECT flights from LAX alone, add the 4 from Orange County, a couple from Ontario, some from Burbank, (plus I am sure I missed an airport or two along the way) and then add the literally thousands of options that include a single stop and it would be next to impossible for you to not make it to Atlanta in a timely fashion.

I know that I am a fan of Delta as they are the hometown boys, but even trying to be impartial I feel safe in saying you could never go wrong with Delta.


--T

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tranza

I think they have an alternative airport

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Peaches

Not unless you're flying in a private/charter plane. There have been talks for years about an additional airport, but ATL is still the only one that's near Atlanta. Birmingham, Chattanooga and Macon would probably be your next closest commercial airports.

Holly

Peaches is right- it's definitely not a bad drive. Straight across on I-20 and the scenery is pretty good. Only problem is that they're doing a lot of work on 20 on the Bama side, so you never know when you'll get caught in that mess. There's also a really big Harley shop just a few miles from the Bham airport.

I've flown Delta my whole life and never had a flight canceled. When I was in college, almost everyone who lived around me was from Newnan, GA and their dads were all Delta pilots. That was before the 9/11 days and I could not begin to calculate the number of miles I flew Delta first class all over the country, for free, using one of their sisters' names.

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Peaches

Yep, we always flew first class because no one else was in there so as long as you knew ANYONE working at Delta they put you in first

My ex husband was a baseball player at Tech and the president of Delta at the time was an ex-Tech football player so he gave all the tech sport players summer jobs that wanted them. So my son's first flight at 6 months old was sitting in first - in a car seat (when you grow up around planes, you learn that not giving child it's own seat and sitting it in parent's lap is just begging for trouble........).

Of course First class in Delta is now what coach used to be unless you're flying international

Haven't driven to B'ham in years but I'm glad they're working on the Bama side of I20.

JakeR

over 2 million miles flown on delta and never had a flight canceled on me..

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V_RocKs

Which part of WEST didn't you understand?

baddog

So a non-issue. Thanks

baddog

Perhaps you can explain why Baltimore and Albany (to name two that are east of Atlanta) are destinations then.

Hell Puppy

Everyone gave you great scoop.... If Atlanta is the final destination, always use AirTran or Delta. I'll also agree that Delta has never failed to get me where I was going...eventually. Their batting average this year for on time departure and arrival sucks for me. I've taken probably a dozen flights this year, only one left and arrived on time.

Only thing I disagree with is allow a little bit more time for getting to your plane for departure. Show hotel is on northern end of Atlanta's perimeter highway, the airport is on the opposite side. If leaving on the weekend, you will want to go around the perimeter as they are currently resurfacing the interstates downtown.

Also, if leaving anywhere close to rush hour (6:30AM-9:30AM or 4PM-7PM) allow at least an hour.

And finally, Atlanta's TSA has gotten much better in recent month's, but they still have the stupidest design in the world. Every person flying out of Atlanta goes thru the SAME TSA checkpoint, so that line can be long, but usually moves fast. It's worse than McCarren. Again try to avoid peak times (7-9AM).

Dead

Delta owns Hartsfield, but airbus will get you here, as well. Don't sweat the perimeter, I'm in it all the time without event. You have traveled thru L.A, Atlanta will be a piece of cake!
Love to take the little lady into town... might have to make it down for a drink with ya! :cheers:

Rique

Living here in Los Angeles, and traveling to Atlanta as much as four times a year, I always fly Delta. Delta and AirTran own the LA-ATL non-stop routes (Other airlines may stop in Atlanta coming from LA, but ATL is not their final destination). You can't go wrong with Delta, with the exception that often times they'll have an equipment change (Most notably on the way back ATL-LAX, as this happens to me more often than not). However, they will get you there and back, on time.