Some Suggestions on How To Book A Flight To the USA

What is the best connection, which is the best route? Rates and Prices are not the only relevant factor when it comes to planning a long-flight connection. This is a short summary of my flights to Atlanta, an airport that gets you anywhere in the US.

Non-Stop Flights vs. Multiple-Stop Flights

I live in the South of Germany. Stuttgart is usually the best and easiest solution for us. But I’m not a fan of taking a flight from Stuttgart to Frankfurt (the most important airport in Germany) and a larger plane from Frankfurt to the US, maybe even requiring a second stop in the US. I had similar offers from Munich (Stuttgart – Munich – New York- Miami for example). These connections can easily have a total travel time of 20 hours or more, never forget waiting time, time to make sure you don’t miss a flight etc. Doing that needs energy, persistence and time. Spending too much time waiting at airport is really not such a great thing to do.

Assets of a Connection from Stuttgart to Atlanta (Delta Airline)

Over many years of traveling and many different experiences, I turned out liking one thing: Stuttgart has a daily connection to Atlanta. This flight is operated by Delta Airlines.

On the plus side of this flight are:

  • Getting a connecting flight from Atlanta is really easy. Atlanta Airport is huge. According to Wikipedia it has the highest number of passengers worldwide. You can go to any place in the US from here, even smaller airports. There are also many connections to Mexico, Canada, and Latin America. Delta Airlines in particular has many options but not exclusively Delta, many other airlines as well.
  • The flight Stuttgart – Atlanta was started many years ago. It is a well-established connection. You don’t need to worry about the flight being canceled all of a sudden. There are still US soldiers in Stuttgart, their travels home are very likely part of the reason why that flight has been successful for so long.
  • It’s a 9.5 hours flight. That’s long but kind of necessary to reach the US. But it’s not as long and painful and almost unbearable as a flight to Los Angeles (12 hours). In these terribly small, extremely uncomfortable Economy Class seats, 10 hours is kind of a maximum to me. After 10 hours time stands still and I barely manage to kill the last two hours. I’m always happy to stop in Atlanta.
  • So far I have had only positive experiences when it comes to organization and routines in Atlanta airport. Atlanta has two terminals: national and international. A subway connects different parts of the terminal. The airport has several zones, named from A – F. All international flights leave from E and F. Having these separate six zones makes the crowds a bit smaller. Because you only spend time in your own zone, or only change from one zone to the other, everything is less full and less crowded than in many other airports. In spite of the fact that Atlanta airport is so huge, this is always a major asset. Every zone has a shopping area, restaurants, shops and cafés. People have possibilities to spread and that makes waiting times ok.
  • Stuttgart Airport is a smaller airport with very few international flights. You don’t need to plan too much extra time (the time you plan to make sure you don’t miss the flight because of long waiting lines). Even the hand luggage security check is usually done quickly. You don’t need to be at the airport four hours before the flight.
  • You arrive in the US with a big plane of course (Boeing 767) but not an airbus A 380. A few numbers: Boeing 737 has 375 seats, A-380 850. This immediately has consequences at the immigration counters. Immigration to the US always takes a long time and is rather difficult. With fewer co-travelers in the plane, you can save a significant amount of time and spend much less time waiting in the line. I never had to wait more than 30 minutes; other people in different flights told me stories about waiting for 2 hours or more.

Things that Might Bother You about That Stuttgart – Atlanta Connection

No, Delta Airlines is not paying me, neither is Atlanta Airport. I only describe my experiences. Of course, some things about this connection might bother you as well:

  • Stuttgart is in the South of Germany. Maybe that is not so good for people in the North of the country. There is also a connection Düsseldorf – Atlanta. Maybe that is an option for you.
  • Atlanta is huge; you should definitely plan enough time to change planes there. Travel agencies recommend 2 hours of buffer. I agree, I think that is about right. The most critical point is always immigration and how long that takes. Even walking distances (and distances you do by subway) are not that short, always plan enough time for that. On the plus side: Atlanta always has many connections to basically any US airport. You can always book the next flight and have enough time.
  • Geographically, Atlanta only makes sense for some US cities. It’s not good for a trip from Germany to New York or Boston. But it worked well for Miami.
  • Their planes are not super-new. On one flight I did not have my own screen at the seat, just overhead entertainment. But that was a while ago, in the last couple of years I always had my own screen.

Recommendations

I’m a fan of that Stuttgart (of even Düsseldorf) – Atlanta flight. I suggest taking it whenever you are heading to the South (Florida, South or North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, etc.) or the West (California, Nevada) of the country. It does not make sense for East Coast Cities. A stop in Atlanta is also good for flights to Mexico or Latin America. Atlanta has so many connections anywhere, definitely always a good option. I would only choose Frankfurt if I get a very good non-stop connection to exactly where I want to go.

 

Website of Stuttgart Airport: http://www.stuttgart-airport.com/?cl=en

Atlanta: http://www.atl.com/

 

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