Atlanta Airport (ATL)

In 2010, Atlanta Airport was announced as the busiest in the world. The tag was made in reference to its number of flights and passengers. The airport can accommodate 90 million passengers annually which are approximately 243,000 passengers daily. The almost one million flights are mostly domestic. Hartsfield-Jackson has 199 gates for both international and domestic flights.

The airport is located 11 kilometer or seven miles from south of Atlanta’s central business district. It is the prime hub of Delta Air Lines, AirTran Airways, and Delta Connection.

On April 16, 1925 Mayor Walter A. Sims committed the city of Atlanta into developing an airfield in an abandoned auto racetrack after he signed the five year lease of the land. Originally, the 287 acres of land is named as Candler Field. It has been used as a landing site even before 1925.

In September of 1926 Florida Airways started to deliver mail for the residents of Atlanta, Tampa, and JacksonVille. In 1929, the city purchases the land and renamed it as Atlanta Municipal.

Atlanta airport first control tower opened in March 1939. By May of 1948, the officials decided to move the operations to a war-surplus hangar as the plans for building a larger terminal is in motion. By that time, some 1 million people are coming through the airport already.

Following the death of William B. Hartsfield on February 22, the airport had been renamed as William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International. In 1980, B. Hartsfield opened the world’s largest air passenger terminal complex that can accommodate annual passengers up to 55 million. In October 2003, the airport name was again changed, this time to Hartsfield-Jackson International. This is to also honor the late Mayor Maynard H. Jackson. Thus, the facilities then honor two great leaders of Atlanta.

ATL received a number of national recognition and honors for its services. It was named by Forbes Magazine as the top airport in the US for WiFi connectivity. Because of the growing number of passengers, the airport launched a development program dubbed as “Focus on the Future”. This involves construction projects that aim to serve around 121 million of passengers by the year 2015. The total cost of the project is now likely at more than $9 billion.

To fully serve the needs of the passengers, the Atlanta airport has opened the Hartsfield-Jackson Rental Car Center in December of 2009. It houses ten top car rental agencies in the city with a capacity to accommodate additional rental companies. The building has 9, 900 parking spaces which is divided within a four story parking levels. The building is situated on a 2, 800, 000 square feet center for customer service with 140 gas pumps and 30 washing bays complete with water recovery system. The facility is connected to the airport and the Gateway Center of Georgia International Convention Center. In interstate 85, a four-lane roadway had been constructed connecting Hartsfield-Jackson Rental Car Center towards the road network.

Holder/Moody/Bryson has been awarded the contract that will expand and renovate concourse D recently. With this project, there is going to be 60, 000 square feet of space, a couple of new escalators by the main level and Transportation Mall, three elevators linking the second to third levels, and expansion of a new retail outlets for food and beverage. The cost projection is said to be less than $37 million with target completion on the spring of 2014.

The ATL has two terminals used for checking-in and claiming of bags, this is the North and South Terminal. These two terminals are parts of a building wherein the building also has the Atrium that is used for open seating with conference rooms, bank, concessionaires, an inter-faith chapel, offices, ground transportation center and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA which is the airports own train station.

Meanwhile, a six parallel concourse building serves passengers when boarding. The first concourse is called Concourse T (Terminal) it is connected towards the main terminal. The other five concourses are positioned successively by distance after the terminal; these are concourses A, B, C, D and E. In 1994, Concourse E replaces Concourse T as an International terminal. This is also the time that the city is preparing for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

International Passengers who are arriving at ATL undergoes a security re-check after they have cleared themselves with customs. This is because of the flaws in design which guides the passengers to the concourse when they should be lead to the lobby of the main terminal. All concourses are connected through an underground Transportation Mall that starts from the main terminal and crosses under the center of all concourses.

On the other hand, the Transportation Mall also features automated people mover. This is an addition to the pedestrian walkway that includes moving walkways that connects the concourses. This automated people mover situates a station by the end of main terminal serving passengers who are cleared with the security screening and intends to enter the Transportation Mall. There is one station for each concourse serving passengers.

In August of 2010, this automated people mover had been named as The Plain Train.

The top airline companies serving ATL for International Flights: American Airlines, AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Continental Airlines, Spirit Airlines, GeorgiaSkies, United Airlines, and US Airways.

Domestic Flights are carried by Chautauqua Airlines, Express Jet Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Compass Airlines, ComAir, Pinnacle Airlines, Shuttle America, Mesaba Airlines, Express Jet Airlines, Shuttle America, Skywest Airlines, Air Wisconsin, Mesa Airlines, American Eagle, Mesa Airlines and Republic Airlines.

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport also provides charter services with the Omni Air International, Ryan International, and World Airways. Also, ATLK has foreign flag airlines that include Air Canada, Air France, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, and Lufthansa German Airlines.

Although the airport is tagged as the World’s busiest, its officials are doing its best to provide the passengers with all their needs. There are dining and shopping areas on site plus the needs for ground transportation and easy access to the city had been arranged. While you are coming across a number of people in the airport, your personal needs is the airlines top priority.

Useful links for travelers at Atlanta Airport:

• See and compare all rental car companies at Atlanta Airport
• See more information about taxis at Atlanta Airport
• More information about train services near Atlanta Airport
• More information about buses to and from Atlanta Airport
• See more information about short and long term parking at Atlanta Airport
• See a selection of tourist attractions in and around Atlanta

The Air Transport Association (IATA) code for Atlanta Airport is ATL. It is also identified as Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International We have provided the GPS location which are as follows 33.63667, -84.42806 to help either your arrival directions to or perhaps give you directions from the airport to your chosen destination.

Please find below a selection of Airlines, Destination and approx flight times from Atlanta.