airline questions

[usmc_wife]

not only is this my first time in jamaica, this will also be my first time on a plane. my husband has traveled but never international. our flight to mobay has a layover in atlanta so im wondering will we be going throught customs and immigrations there or just where we originally board the plane. if so i need to change the flight bc right now we only have a 30 minute layover and i heard this airport is pretty busy. please help

[Jeffmon]

You go through customs and immigration in MoBay when you arrive and then on the return flight you will go through customs and immigration in the first airport you stop in when entering the US. If it is Atlanta like you say in your post, 30 minutes will not be anywhere close to enough time. I would allow yourselves at least an hour and a half or two. As we don't fly to Atlanta, I can't be completely certain of the times. It's better to be safe than sorry and miss your flight and be all stressed out after your wonderful trip.

[Beach-bum]

Customs and immigration are done at your arriving country. Jamaica on the way down and the U.S. on the way back. 30 minutes is tight but I think you can make it if your arriving flight into Atlanta is on time. We usually have 45 minutes and this is close sometimes. It really depends on which gate you have your connecting flight at and you will not know this until the day you fly. Flying is a gamble these days anway.

Have fun and don’t worry about it.

[NeedBlueWater]

You won't go through customs/immigration until Montego Bay. You won't even have to collect your bags and recheck them in Atlanta. Coming home is a different story.

30 minutes is a very tight connection in Atlanta, even without customs/immigration. It's possible to do it, but it leaves absolutely no room for error or delay. The train between concourses is fast, efficient, well marked and easy to use.

We had 47 minutes there last December and that was close. It made me a little nervous, especially wondering if our luggage would make the transfer in Atlanta (it did). If you don't change the flight to extend that layover, be sure to pack a set of clothes in your carry-on in case your luggage doesn't make it.

My advice, try to get a little more time. Again, I think it's possible but risky. And that advice comes from someone who dreads layovers with a passion.

[Chris]

Well, 30 minutes is cutting it a bit close in any case. But Atlanta is fairly easy to get around in, due to its underground tram. I'd look into changing that flight, though, to a minimum 1 hour layover. However, you will be using your passport to checkin at your departure airport.

You will clear customs and immigration at MoBay on the way down, and at your first port of entry in the US on the way back (probably also Atlanta). I'm told that 2 hours is a good guideline for returning through Atlanta (we'll find out in a couple of weeks - we have 1-1/2 hours to clear).

[BobandJudy]

As others have said, you to through customs in Jamaica on your way to Jamaica, and in your port of entry to the U.S.

Thirty minutes, in my opinion, is not enough time to make your flight (either heading to Jamaica, or especially coming back). I'm surprised the reservation system even let you book a connection that tight. Keep in mind that on international flights, the airplane doors are usually shut a minimum of 10 minutes before your departure time (sometimes even more). Other things to keep in mind: where are your seats on the arriving flight? If you are sitting towards the back of the plane, it takes at least 10 minutes longer to deplane than those sitting towards the front (especially if you are on a large jet). What day of the week are you traveling? If you are traveling on the weekend, that will afford you some extra time since the airports tend not to be as busy on the weekends (fewer business travlers).

If you can change your connecting flight without paying a huge penalty, go for it.

[usmc_wife]

thanks everyone dis really helped

[Serenity]

We flew into Atlanta on the way back from Mexico last spring. Our flight was late and we had 25 minutes from the time the plane landed until the time our connecting flight left. The Atlanta staff made remarkable efforts to get everyone through customs/immagration and too their flights on time. I don't know if everyone on that flight made it but we did. I wouldn't recommend a short layover in Atlanta, but it can be done. LOL

[WandA]

You always will clear Immigration and Customs in the country you are visiting- so it will be at Montego Bay on the way down and your first US airport on the way back.

BUT
Did you use a Travel Agent? Even on a domestic flight, 30 minutes in ANY airport is not enough, in Atlanta it's definitely not. Sometimes the airlines themselves require a minimum layover- so it's hard to know how you were able to book that connection.

Change it- and make sure that IF you have a connection on the way back to the US , that it's closer to two hours.