<p>No direct flights. Best choices in terms of departure times are a connecting flight with a 52 minute layover at DTW (Detroit) or an hour layover at ATL (Atlanta). Travel is for the end of September. I have been delayed more times than I can recall in Atlanta (several times for very long periods, like overnight and longer). I can’t ever recall going through Detroit . . . Any advice?</p>
<p>I always shoot for at least 90 minute layovers, just because things happen and I prefer not scrambling because the first flight arrived late. It has saved us numerous times, as those with the under 90 minute connection times didn’t make their connections but we managed to. Haven’t flown through Detroit ever. </p>
<p>Detroit is no picnic. Take whichever is convenient for you. You might want to check how many flights there are AFTER yours as if you miss the connection you don’t want it to be the last flight of the day. Best advice is usually to take the earliest flight in the morning.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. HImom I agree that a slightly longer layover would be better but given the flight schedule it would mean leaving a lot earlier (which would cause a lot of hassles, including trying to get time off) or a lot later, and it’s a short trip as it is. The slightly good thing is that these two flights are early afternoon and there is at least one flight scheduled to our final destination after the flight we would book, so if our flight were cancelled we might not be stranded.</p>
<p>I am leaning towards Atlanta because it’s the devil I know, and because the planes are larger.</p>
<p>Familiarity is always a plus. I fly in and out of DTW all the time (as it’s my local airport) and is honestly one of the easiest airports I’ve ever been through. </p>
<p>^^I agree. DTW is usually my final destination, and I’ve been flying in and out for over 30 years visiting family. Even when I’m making a connection, I choose Detroit. It’s pretty easy to navigate, isn’t too busy and I’ve never had a delay issue (fingers crossed).</p>
<p>Good that there is at least one flight to get you to your destination just in case you miss your connection. Good luck!</p>
<p>Check to see what flights are available to your destination after your intended flight that you may be rebooked on if you miss your connection. If the flights are infrequent, then you may be stuck at DTW or ATL overnight or longer.</p>
<p>DTW is easy to navigate, at least in the linear main terminal, but is very long, so if you arrive at one end but need to get to the other end, you need to run for it or hope that the tram gets there in time.</p>
<p>I would say it could go either way, pretty much the same, 52 min layover in DTW, or 1 hour in Atlanta. I spend plenty of time going through both hubs, and I don’t really have a preference. I’m assuming you’re flying on Delta.</p>
<p>However, if you are flying a commuter flight into DTW and you haven’t checked your bags, but have pink tagged them at the gate, you’re going to have to wait for them to pull them off the plane and put them up on the ramp. And DTW can be SLOW, they have a bit of an attitude at that hub. They also used to park the commuter jets at a different terminal that is far away from the others, which means if you’re going from little jet to big one, (or vice versa), you’re going to have to make time. I’d heard they were going to change that, as too many people were missing their connections. So maybe that’s not an issue.</p>
<p>As you know, Atlanta can be really busy, and you often have to take the tram to get to your terminal. For some weird reason, even when the planes are late, they seem to take off on time. Annoying.</p>
<p>So really, as long as you have a backup flight, I don’t know that either one of them would be a bad decision. You never know what’s going to happen. Often they are early, so you wouldn’t even have to worry, and weather is generally fine in September.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, especially the thoughts about Detroit. This morning I realized that I had enough frequent flier miles to book the trip through Detroit, so that made the choice easy. It was at the highest points level which irked me for a moment until I realized that I am not at all airline brand-loyal so all those miles were from flights I would have taken on Delta anyway.</p>
<p>The first flight is not a commuter flight but I suspect that it will still be too small for the carry-ons to fit in the overhead bins. I might think about checking the bag or trying to pack super-light in a squish-able Vera Bradley tote that will fit under the seat.</p>
<p>I fly thru both atl & dtw a lot and much prefer dtw</p>