Ever had a really tight connection, and found out that your gate was in a different terminal? Ever missed your flight because of this? Well this post is about the time I found out my gate was in a different terminal during a tight connection and had the gate changed.
Having a medical condition means you may not walk as quickly as you can, and in an airport, unless you are in a wheelchair you may not get to use the cart to take you where you need to go. I’ve been in airports where I’ve tried to get a cart to make a connection, and been refused because I was not in a wheelchair (looking at you Minneapolis Airport!). I did not want this to happen again, so I decided to be proactive when I took a trip through Atlanta to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Before I boarded my flight from my hometown to Atlanta, I looked on my TripIt Pro App (one of my five must have apps in this post) to see that I would land in Terminal D24, but my connecting flight would be in Terminal T2. I began to worry as my flight to Atlanta was getting more and more delayed, and with an already tight connection, my TripIt Pro was informing me the amount of time it would take me to get to the gate was shorter and shorter. It said it would take 18 minutes, not factoring in that this was after deplaning and when a train would arrive. If you have been to the ATL airport, its not always consistent, and taking the walkways would add even more time.
This is what my TripIt Pro app was showing me:
Knowing I was limited in my walking ability, needing to pre-board, and that there were no other flights to San Juan that day, I contacted Delta about my issue.
I was in talks with Delta while boarding and during my flight saying my issue: the gate was too far for me to walk within the connection time and due to a medical condition I needed time to be able to pre-board, and asked what could they do to help me. I was informed that no carts would be available, and they would try and do what they can to help me make my connection. Thirty minutes before landing, while in the air thanks to Delta's free messaging, I was informed by the Delta agent, and confirmed by my TripIt Pro App, that our plane was now arriving into Terminal T, Gate T1 to be exact. My connecting flight was leaving out of T2.
I went from being probably 25 minutes away from my gate to less than one minute away. I easily made it to my gate, pre-boarded, and got to San Juan for my vacation.
The point of this story is that being upfront and vocal about your medical condition and needing to pre-board will make people understand your traveling situation, and they will help you as much as they can to ease your travel. I know that this will not happen each time I travel, and it may have been a great coincidence, but it is a great story about how Delta and TripIt Pro helped me in one of the busiest airports in the world make my flight and travel experience a little easier.
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