Xjyuk

I have a flight with Delta from Philadelphia to Atlanta (19:18 to 21:47), and then a flight with KLM from Atlanta to Amsterdam (22:40 to 12:55).

I am very concerned about the short layover and the possibility that (since I spoke with Delta and KLM and they said my luggage can have its destination designated as Amsterdam so I don't need to re-check my luggage in Atlanta) the baggage teams will not have adequate time to get my luggage to my next flight.

Is this a valid concern? If so, what is my best option? Ask to re-check my own luggage at Atlanta? Look into getting an earlier first flight to extend my layover time?

Cheers

With a connection time of slightly under an hour, you're right that it's a possibility your bags won't make the connection.

It's quite likely that your bags will be labelled (or marked in the electronic tracking system) as "hot", meaning "get this bag off the plane and onto the connecting flight ASAP".

Re-checking your own luggage at Atlanta probably wouldn't help, if anything it would make things slower, as you'd have to wait for your luggage, queue up to drop it off then possibly re-clear security.

Changing your first flight might help, but it's important to remember that nothing will guarantee that your bag makes the connection. If it doesn't, the airline will usually deliver it (at their expense) to wherever you're staying, so as long as you can go a day or two without your bag, you'll be fine.

Frankly, there's not much you CAN do, and I would advise against re-checking your own luggage as this would make your connection tighter.

Personally, I have had some really tight connections at busy hubs (50 min at DUB in Dublin, 1 hr at JFK in New York, and 1.25 hr at LHR in London) and I have never had any issues. Missed connections for luggage are the exceptions, most of the time it works seamlessly. Enjoy your trip and don't worry about it! :)

It is a valid concern.

Landing in Atlanta, checked bags will be unloaded and sorted. Only those with final destination Atlanta will be brought to a baggage carousel. Bags checked for a connecting flight will be taken from plane to plane.

Unloading, sorting and loading with some transporting in between will of course take a little while, but in some cases this is completed before passengers have disembarked.

There is never any guarantee that bags will make a connection, but a longer layover does increase the chances. A 53-minute connection will work under normal circumstances, but your chances would be far better will an additional hour or so, especially if your first flight is slightly delayed. Also consider that a short connection also increases the risk of you missing your connecting flight.

You can find baggage trackers online, GPS or bluetooth, with the latter being shorter range.