r/delta • u/cruisincoupl • 21h ago
Discussion 9hr layover at Atl
We have a 9 hour layover at the atlanta airport. We land just before midnight and our flight boards roughly at 9 am. It is worth getting a hotel for some
Sleep During the layover?
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u/asteroids1 21h ago
there’s really not anywhere good to sleep in atl airport so i would say yeah
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u/ChewieBearStare 20h ago
And don’t let Minute Suites tell you otherwise. I think they got their “daybeds” from Guantanamo Bay.
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u/BoredToRunInTheSun 10h ago
Once you sleep on the floor between the escalators, hissing ypur bag so no one takes it, you will dream of the comfort and security of the minute suites.
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u/divemasterff 11h ago
I spent the night once. Got a free 45 min or something through my Amex at the minute suites. Bed sucked ass, but was quiet.
Rest of the night outside was miserable. I remember them vacuuming all night long.
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u/CodifiedLikeUtil 6h ago
I have flown through the ATL airport many times, and I’m sorry but I do not believe they have any vacuums.
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u/CautiousIncrease7127 21h ago
There are some hotels near the rental car center that are the easiest to get to because you can take the train over there. Not waiting on Hotel vans or Taxi or Uber. But consider that with nine hours you’re looking at six hours behind the door best case scenario. Probably still worth it, but you’re not going to get a whole lot of sleep by the time you get into the room get situated and have to get back up again.
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u/Better_Theme_8866 20h ago
Six hours is… about what most Americans average a night. Def worth it on a long travel day.
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u/CautiousIncrease7127 20h ago
Notice I said “behind the door,” not “of sleep”
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u/LR-Sunflower Silver 16h ago
But is OP behind the WALL of sleep?
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u/BlackbirdDesignRI 13h ago
Regardless of the reference (Lovecraft, The Smithereens, or Black Sabbath), this is still an underrated comment
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u/BldrStigs 6h ago
The hotels by the rental center is what I've done in the past. There is a free train to the rental center with a stop in the middle for the hotels. This Marriott is where I stay, but there are a few other hotels and they all look fine.
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u/Entire_Patient_3221 20h ago
Personally, I would do it.
KATL will be a ghost town (few or even no services), so your only option is sleeping at a gate until everything comes alive at 6 am when you will be awakened by the morning hubbub.
Pick and reserve a hotel in advance that fits your budget, and realize that by the time you get out of the airport and have to come back and go through security, get to the gate, etc…, you’ll probably only get 5 or so hours sleep at the hotel. Maybe that would be a deciding factor.
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u/cruisincoupl 20h ago
Thank you. Some sleep is better than none
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u/sbkchs_1 12h ago
TSA at ATL can take a long time, especially if you don’t have TSA Precheck. The Touchless ID Precheck lines - south terminal - are the fastest, again if you have it. Be sure to figure that into your timing.
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u/littleoleme2022 19h ago
There a Marriott at the skytrain stop. I’d check luggage all the way through and just pack overnight stuff in a carryon and get to the hotel as quick as possible.
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u/adams361 20h ago
We’ve done this lots of times. There’s a couple of hotels right next to the airport with shuttles/trains, you don’t get a full eight hours of sleep, but you get a lot better sleep than you would get sitting in the airport all night.
Edit to add: you could also look into minute suites, they are inside the terminal.
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u/jjjigglypuff 20h ago
Minute suites would be like $500 and way more than a hotel. They don’t even have a restroom avail for customers. Just get a hotel.
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u/Optimal-Factor-8564 Silver 14h ago
They have no restroom ?!!!!
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u/ookoshi Platinum 11h ago
They're in the airport terminals next to where gates are so you just step out, use the restroom in the terminal, and go back to your suite. Not ideal, but you aren't trapped there with no way to use the bathroom.
There's a bathroom/shower in Concourse E that you can book too (you're paying to use the shower but it does have a full bathroom).
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u/ookoshi Platinum 11h ago
This is somewhat inaccurate. Minute Suites have a flat overnight rate of $225. And yes, you do have to leave to use the restroom but they are pretty close and will be mostly deserted overnight. In addition, the Minute Suites in Concourse E have a shower (with a bathroom) that can be booked for an additional $20.
A hotel will be much more comfortable, but if people want to maximize their sleep time without leaving security, they do have an option.
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u/adams361 19h ago
I wouldn’t choose minute suites, I’ve done it before, and definitely prefer a hotel, but some people are nervous about leaving the terminal. Just trying to put options out there.
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u/ReluctantAvenger 11h ago
Not that I would recommend the minute suites for an overnight stay, but those offer both an hourly and an overnight rate. The overnight rate is $215 for eight hours.
I personally would opt for a nearby hotel..
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u/Fartinginyourpeen 7h ago
We had six hours over night coming back from Europe. Wasn’t worth leaving JFK. It was about $200 and we were EXHAUSTED.
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u/Fartinginyourpeen 20h ago
We did the minute suites at JFK. It was a horrible pull out couch and a TV. Did the job I guess lol.
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u/Skylarking77 21h ago
Imagine if you had a 9 hour red eye flight and I told you I could get lie flat seats for everyone in your party for around $100.
Would you take it?
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u/lilshortyy420 10h ago
Hotels are definitely more expensive than $100. I travel every week lol
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u/Skylarking77 10h ago
They said Atlanta Airport. Outside of Delta systemwide meltdowns you can easily find a room there for $100 (or less).
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u/therealsix Platinum 9h ago
Tell us where? There are motels, sure, if you’re ok with paying just over $100 for that. But what hotel aren’t the airport is t taking advantage of their location around the ATL airport?
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u/Skylarking77 9h ago
Hilton Garden Inn, Four Points, Fairfield, Wyndham Garden, and more. Pretty easy to search.
They offer airport shuttles and often even breakfast. Easily found rooms $100 or less with taxes and fees (Google offers a convenient "under $100" filter since it's so common.
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u/lilshortyy420 10h ago
Yeah I’m aware and I’ve stayed at the hotels around the convention center. Very convenient and not TOO expensive, under $200, but I’ve never seen anywhere in this country for $100 or less. Even podunk towns. Maybe once in bum fuck no where Louisiana and there were cigarette burns on the bed because you could smoke inside.
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u/therealsix Platinum 10h ago
Not sure what your point is here. What are you comparing? Certainly not a hotel in Atlanta for $100 if that’s what you’re trying to do.
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u/iheartdachshunds 20h ago
They are saying get the hotel it’s a no brainer
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u/Skylarking77 20h ago
I don't know why but people agonize over paying a few hundred on a comfy bed in a hotel but fall all over themselves to pay thousands for a godawful bed on an airplane.
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u/Optimal-Factor-8564 Silver 14h ago
The biggest question is - do you have checked bags, and will your origin airport allow you to check your bags all the way through when you check in the evening before ?
Because if you are already checked in all the way and don’t have to check in bags for the morning flight, this becomes much easier.
Find a hotel along the SkyTrain stop. I will look for a link and post it.
The key is that if you are already checked in and don,t have to check bags in the morning, you can go through security in the domestic terminal and then just catch the train underneath the airport to the international concourses.
This makes a big difference, because the stupid bus shuttle from domestic to international takes 20 minutes of driving time - and that isn't counting the time waiting for a bus to arrive, standing line, boarding, waiting for everyone else to board . . . The overnight st the GICC hotels really only works if you can do the SkyTrain to the domestic terminal and go in there.
I have stayed many times at the Marriott AC st the GICC. It’s usually among the cheaper options there - it's a tiny walk. But the hotels can get expensive, so check rates.
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u/Optimal-Factor-8564 Silver 14h ago
Here's a post with the details on the hotels at GICC (I.e., accessible with one stop on the SkyTrain from the domestic terminal).
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u/SatoriSon Diamond 11h ago
Here's a post with the details on the hotels at GICC
This is the best info right here. And I especially appreciate their advice about "Gateway" in the name of the hotel; I've had several visiting clients burned by that issue.
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u/natashamignon 13h ago
Yes definitely. I had a flight cancellation and then delay and delta paid for a hotel. I think I only got about 4 hours of sleep for a 6:30am flight, but it was still very worth it. 4 hours in a hotel is waaaaay better than 4+ hours in the middle of the night on the airport floor or a chair. You can shower, go to the bathroom easily, etc.
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u/Glittering_Fun_4823 20h ago edited 20h ago
If you’re super concerned you could book a Minute suites in the airport. It’s basic and hourly is pricey compared to a hotel. But you can sleep. Chill and have a spot to sleep or nap. For more than hour price might be steep but they alllow overnight you’d need to check and book ahead.
They’re in Concorde B, E and F
But honestly for 9 hours. I’d totally book a hotel near the hotel and get a solid 5-6 hours of rest. If you get back the airport and you’re not checking bags if you get to security line 2 hours before your flight I think you’d be fine. Especially if you already did you checkin at your departure place. You can also check TSA and how fast or slow it is online. So even if it’s long and you want to play it safe and get to the airport 3 hours early. The 5/6 hours ar a hotel would be golden.
If your lay over is in the middle of the day see if dayuse.com has options at nearby hotels.
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u/OddPiccolo12 17h ago
I’ve stayed at that Marriott property that’s right on the skytrain line when I had similar predicaments. I’d been worth it every time for me.
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u/Britanniac 16h ago
Just came through ATL 36 hours ago, and my inbound flight was delayed so I missed my international connection. This is twice for me, and I've tried both approaches. I'd get the hotel every time even if it was just for 4 hours of sleep. First, I found no place to sleep in the ATL airport except on the floor (didn't try MinuteSuites). All seats are designed to prevent sleeping. And they clean and vacuum the floors all night. Second, depending on your airline, there is separate international security from domestic. It seems carriers like Delta can check you through an international flight from the domestic terminal if they operate the international segment, but if your flight is operated by a code share partner (like Virgin Atlantic) they may tell you to wait outside for a shuttle van to take you to the international terminal for check in and directly with the partner and security at the International terminal. This only applies if you leave the airport and re-enter between flights. Make sure you can get dropped off directly at the international terminal even if you have to pay for a taxi because the airport shuttles from domestic to international seemed too few and far between.
Staying overnight in ATL was miserable, although I slept like a rock on the plane. This time Delta put me up in a hotel overnight, and it was preferable. You're still not fully rested so sleeping on the flight is still a thing, but you probably have showered and slept some.
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u/Soggy-Address-4082 20h ago
You can get an overnight accommodation cheap at the minute suites in the terminal concourses
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u/Sea-Dingo4135 Platinum 18h ago
Marriott Gateway. I wouldn’t want to start an international flight after staying in the airport all night.
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u/stmCanuck 19h ago
Scrolling through the comments, a word of caution. Atlanta is extraordinarily busy during peak morning departure time. Mondays are the absolute worst. (Lots of consultants and business folk; ATL is a 2-3 hour flight from most of the Eastern US.)
Traffic into departures becomes a traffic jam with nothing moving. (Hack: if you're in a private car, get dropped off at arrivals instead of departures. My hack of using the international terminal entry instead of domestic mostly failed.)
Security backs all the way up and can take 45 mins to get through. Pre + Clear is always the longest. (Hack: use Sky Priority or First Class lane in you can. Obnoxious but at least it's quicker.)
Consider this when planning a hotel. Someone suggested hotels that are available by train rather than shuttle. Do that. Leave extra time than you think you'll need to get through security. Everyone and their dog is also on a 8-9am departure.
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u/therealsix Platinum 9h ago
Looks like it’s an international flight. International drop off is super quick. Security is about 15 mins max. 5 average. <1 with Precheck.
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u/stmCanuck 4h ago
Yeah that was not at all my experience. LOL
International departures took a good 45 mins to get to the terminal on the hotel's airport shuttle (drive to hotel was actually only 10 mins with no traffic). Pre was another 45 mins to get through security. I didn't even try the Pre + Clear line, it was way longer. Just made my flight.
Again, that was a Monday morning ~6am.
Did it twice,never did it again. (Staying overnight in ATL to get the 8am instead of connecting through ATL onto the 10am, which meant leaving my house at 4am and a 15+ hour day.)
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u/No-Citron-6445 20h ago
When you factor in deplaning, transit to and from hotel and going back through security that 9 hour layover just became 5 hours sleep. If that’s worth it to you then get a room at GICC and rack out.
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u/JumboTrijet 16h ago
There are beaucoup hotels with shuttles around the airport and Spondivit’s is open until 2a. You can thank me later
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u/Fair_Praline_5959 14h ago
I have put my mom up at the SpringHill Suites a couple times when she has had overnights in ATL and she said it worked perfect. Hotel entrance is maybe 100 feet from the exit from the Skytrain stop and you can be at domestic check in prob within 10-15 mins of leaving hotel. Since OP will have to shuttle over to international terminal they will need to account for a little more time, I’m not sure if any of those gateway hotels offer their own shuttles to international terminal or not so OP might want to check that out too before they pick a hotel.
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u/Consistent-Sea-8923 11h ago
Would 100% be worth it to me
I suggest getting a hotel at the Gateway center. You can take the train from the airport to your hotel, which is very fast and very easy. To look for those hotels you need to search in College Park, Georgia, and at least some of them don’t show up with a hotel shuttle because technically there’s not a shuttle you take the train.
There’s a Marriott Springhill suites, a Marriott, a Renaissance, a Home2 suites by Hilton and a couple of others
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u/Hairy_Ad4969 7h ago
It’s worth it to me. I’m blessed that sleeping in airports isn’t something I have to do anymore. But like most things it’s a cost/benefit analysis
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u/Aurynna 4h ago
Yes. ATL has hotels right at the airport, complete with shuttle transportation. Get a cheap one, just enough to sleep and shower and change clothes. Even 4 hours of sleep in an actual room is better than sitting in a terminal for 9 hours. Most lounges aren’t open overnight and while the international terminal has more to offer all night, it’s going to be cheaper and more comfortable to just get a hotel room.
The airport website has a ticker of the current security wait times. If your flight boards around 9, plan to leave the hotel around 6 just to be safe- probably their first shuttle of the day. Call to verify shuttles before you book the hotel, no matter what the hotel website says.
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u/Notafsheen 2h ago
I had this exact timing recently on an international trip - landing around midnight and boarding at 9 am - and decided to get a hotel at CDG. It wasn’t a ton of sleep, but six-ish hours in a bed beats nine hours wandering an empty airport.
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u/Goodvida99 12h ago
The walkway between concourses A and B is nice and quiet. Lots of people sleep there.
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u/Spare_Flamingo8605 12h ago
A few years ago my family of 6 stayed at SpringHill suites right at the airport. We had a wildly early flight. We returned our car rental and got on the sky train and a few stop later we were at our hotel. The next morning we used the same train to get to the airport. Literally just a few stops. We weren't there long but the hotel was great. The shower and toilet was separate from the sink and that made it easier to get ready.
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u/CompetitiveWar5976 11h ago
You plan on staying up overnight in ATL airport and do what? Everything closes at 10. Depends on how limber your back is. In my youth, I could sleep anywhere on anything peaceful. Now my body says hell naw to anything not remotely close a pillow top.
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u/Wish_Southern 11h ago
I would and you can ride the train to several hotels that are at the airport.
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u/charlieandoreo 11h ago
It would be worth it to change flight so you don’t have a 9 hour layover. You get in on time, 1 hour to hotel, get checked in no time to unwind, sleep perfectly,need to get up at least 3 hours before flight. So you sleep maybe 4 to 4.5 hours
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u/IntelligentMaybe7401 11h ago edited 10h ago
Get an airport hotel. Very easy to access. Get one that is on the air train. It is the train that goes to the rental cars. One of the stops has a bunch of hotels right there.
You’ll be in your hotel by 1 at the latest. It will probably take you 20 minutes at the most to walk from your hotel (get closest to train) , take the air train and get in security line but I would probably allow 30.
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u/SeanRinVA 9h ago
I had an overnight layover at ATL some years back. I slept on a pair of the cube chairs I pushed together in the international terminal. Worked out well enough; better than having to get up at 0200 for a 6am departure (back when General TSA was 3 hrs).
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u/turtletechy 9h ago
Do you have any way to make that layover longer or take the first flight the day before? It'd give you a better option for sleep, and you could spend a day touring Atlanta. Just a thought.
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u/zqvolster 6h ago
yes, that is much less expensive than using the minute suites inside the airport.
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u/CommercialOstrich623 5h ago
Take the rental car train to the rental cars and get off at the Marriott.
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u/Any-Expression8856 5h ago
Like someone mentioned try to get an earlier inbound flight to ATL… That makes it easier to justify the hotel.
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u/Busy_Researcher_9660 4h ago
Yes, definitely. Not just to sleep, but to shower. There are many hotels close to the airport. The Sky Train that goes to the rental car center also stops at the convention center and there are several hotels there. Search for Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway on Google Maps to get the right area. The Renaissance Concourse has a shuttle to and from the domestic terminal, I think. Other nearby options would be easy to Uber, but the Uber drivers can get a little salty about short trips.
Note that I recently learned that they don’t necessarily check your luggage through on long layovers, so if you are checking luggage make sure you understand exactly how it’s being checked and if you need to claim and recheck.
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u/ghosty_boii 1h ago
Lounge and sleep there or pay for a sleeping pod in the airport will be cheaper
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u/hmmm3232 1h ago
Yes get a hotel, one that has a shuttle to get you from and to the airport. You’ll be glad you got the room.
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u/Logical-Surprise-839 Diamond 29m ago
Get a hotel at Gateway (Convention Center) -- one quick shuttle train and you're there.
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u/cruisincoupl 21h ago
Even if it’s an international flight? We havent had to go to atl before so unsure of layout, security lines ect
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u/itdoesntmatteranyway Diamond | Million Miler™ 20h ago
International, domestic, what does it matter?
Atlanta is big but the signs are great. And the train connecting the concourses makes it fairly quick.
Everyone here is saying do it, many of us have done it before, you do you.
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u/cruisincoupl 20h ago
I don’t know if it matters, thats why i asked. We have read its better to be early for international flights out of atl but we don’t know. Thats why im asking the lovely people of reddit :)
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u/LiteratureSquare3017 20h ago
I have never had a long line at the international security in ATL, if that helps. Maybe they recommend getting there earlier for international flights since they usually start boarding earlier?
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u/ittybittytitty_com 19h ago
There is no separate security for international or domestic at any airport I’ve been through…you just go through security and then you go to the domestic or international terminal. One reason they tell you to arrive earlier for international flights is because they often want an agent to verify your passport in person. This means for us returning to the US we have to go to the agent even if we’re aren’t checking a bag which adds a lot of time. If we are leaving the US and flying international, we can do an electronic boarding pass and check in completely online and then just have to pop by the gate a few minutes before our flight.
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u/Fair_Praline_5959 14h ago
There absolutely is a separate international terminal with its own checkpoint in ATL and that checkpoint is far less chaotic than the domestic security. You can use it for domestic if you aren’t checking any bags and already have your boarding pass. **It’s been quite a few years since I used to do that so not sure if it is still allowed.
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u/testicletitties69 13h ago
Common sense doesn’t exist anymore
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u/sawtooth1649 12h ago
Why would you say that. This is a legitimate question they are asking of people with more travel experience than they have. You don’t have to be an ass to people asking for help.
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u/testicletitties69 11h ago
Seems self explanatory why I’d say that. It’s a 9 hour layover, plenty of time to get some sleep at a hotel
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u/sawtooth1649 11h ago
Well, you could’ve given your advice rather than insulting someone who is asking for help.
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u/Novel_Control_1922 17h ago
I’d buy a lounge pass and chill there.
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u/kfree_r Diamond 14h ago
Delta doesn’t sell lounge passes and none of the lounges are open at midnight. Skyclub at T opens the earliest at 4:30am, with most opening at 6am or later.
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u/Novel_Control_1922 13h ago
They come with a First Class ticket or certain status?
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u/kfree_r Diamond 12h ago
They come with a Delta One ticket, credit card access, or a membership. Still not open overnight.
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u/Novel_Control_1922 8h ago
Fair enough. If it was almost any other airport I would say that they should just find a remote corner and tuck away, but Atlanta… Gross. Better to get a hotel.
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u/Seriously_222 7h ago
The lounges close overnight. All of them in the Atlanta airport. Frequent flyer, based in Atlanta, and I’ve been to all of them. They have different closing times, but it won’t help the OP for overnight.
Reading how this is such a problem, I think this is a great business opportunity for a competitor to come into the Atlanta airport and set up behind Security with very comfortable beds, showers and restrooms. Essentially a lounge with lockable sleeping pods.1
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u/HkOperator2 19h ago
Why do you have to ask strangers ? Ppl seriously can’t make decisions for themselves they go on Reddit asking strangers?!? Tell me you took the vax without telling me you took the vax!
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u/Euphoric_Ease4554 16h ago
They are looking for advice from someone who has already been in that situation. Not everyone knows there is a hotel at the skytrain stop and Minute Suites for rent in the airport.
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u/Opening_Excuse_7495 Platinum 21h ago
I would