Heading to the Atlanta airport? Tips for the peak summer season

Travelers should prepare for the possibility of long lines to check bags and go through screening.

Airport officials recommend travelers arrive at the airport at least 2 to 2.5 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international flights.

Officials have been working to reduce long wait times at security checkpoints with the Transportation Security Administration, according to Hartsfield-Jackson CEO Balram Bheodari.

He said the airport has received a commitment from TSA to increase its workforce with 80 additional full-time equivalent employees in Atlanta, Bheodari said at a recent City Council committee meeting. These additions are in progress, he said.

“We’re seeing spikes here where we’re hitting 50 minutes” for security wait times due to staffing issues, Bheodari said.

“TSA headquarters is very aware of this,” he added.

Wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson’s main domestic terminal security checkpoint have already reached more than 50 minutes this week, when lines early Monday morning snaked through the lines and out into the atrium.

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

If you’re getting ready to travel and plan to avoid the crowds at the airport, here are a few other things you need to know:

MARTA Airport Station Reopens

After a six-week closure of the MARTA Airport Station for floor renovations, the station has now reopened and rail service directly to the domestic terminal has resumed.

During the closure, brick pavers were replaced with terrazzo floors on the lower level – a smoother surface for rolling suitcases – while larger tile pavers were installed on the upper level.

That said, the MARTA airport station renovation is still a work in progress and will still take years to complete. Many areas of the station are still under construction, including elevators, an escalator, a large wall that will become a mural, and a new location for a ride store.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

MARTA can be a convenient way to get to the airport while avoiding traffic jams and parking problems.

There is long-term parking at some MARTA stations for a daily rate of $5 or $8 per day, including at College Park, Doraville, Lindbergh Center, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and North Springs stations, according to the MARTA website.

Prepare for traffic

If you are driving, traffic jams on highways, around the terminal sidewalk and parking lots could delay your trip.

On the afternoon of Friday, May 17, for example, Hartsfield-Jackson warned of heavy traffic jams stretching across Camp Creek Parkway and the highway, and advised motorists to allow extra time to go to the airport.

If you’re picking up visitors, instead of making loops around the airport, you can wait for friends or family at the airport’s cell parking lot at 1920 Autoport Drive in College Park.

To get there, pay close attention to signs on airport roads directing those coming from I-85 South to drive past the terminal, following signs to the ATL West parking lot/rental car center. while staying in the right lane to bypass a loop towards the cell phone parking lot.

Credit: Source: Google maps, AJC

Credit: Source: Google maps, AJC

Car park? Have a plan

During peak periods, airport and off-airport parking lots and parking lots tend to fill up, turning away motorists who are then forced to circle the airport looking for alternatives while rushing to catch a flight.

As of Tuesday afternoon, for example, the airport’s ATL West Deck, International Park-ride, North Daily, South Daily and North Economy parking lots were all full, according to Hartsfield-Jackson’s website.

Some people completely missed their trip because they couldn’t find parking.

Credit: Steve Schaefer

Credit: Steve Schaefer

The problem worsened after Hartsfield-Jackson closed the popular South Economy lot last October to make way for a yearlong construction project to build a new parking deck.

It’s a good idea to know the parking options in advance and make a reservation. (Or take MARTA.)

At Hartsfield-Jackson, the airport offers parking reservations for the airport-operated ATL West Bridge and international terminal parking lots.

Many off-airport parking lots accept parking reservations, including The Parking Spot, WallyPark and PreFlight off Camp Creek Parkway, as well as Peachy Airport Parking north of the airport and FastPark & ​​Relax near the international terminal.

Know your ASD screening options

It’s often not possible to avoid lines at security checkpoints, but there are several screening options that can reduce some of the stress.

The airport currently has four passenger checkpoints at the domestic terminal.

They are:

The airport sometimes shifts traffic between checkpoints and, during certain periods, opens a line for PreCheck on the right side of the main checkpoint.

Credit: John Spink

Credit: John Spink

A PreCheck subscription costs $78 or $85 for five years, depending on where you sign up. It allows you to access a PreCheck queue, which can be shorter than the queue for standard screening and offers the opportunity to avoid the hassle of removing your shoes and removing your computer portable in your bag.

A Clear membership is much more expensive, with a standard price of $189 for a year to skip the regular queue and access a Clear line. It can be used with PreCheck or alone.

Delta Digital ID is an expedited security line for Delta customers who qualify and register, which will be processed upon entering the screening area using facial recognition in lieu of a driver’s license or ID. identity check.

Delta Digital ID is now available at Hartsfield-Jackson’s domestic and international terminals, as is PreCheck, although both have limited hours.

United Airlines launched its own PreCheck Touchless ID option at Hartsfield-Jackson South Checkpoint on May 15. It allows those who register through the United app to also be processed through facial scanning.

A simpler path to baggage claim

After more than two years of construction, new elevators for arriving passengers who take the plane-train to collect their bags are now operational at Hartsfield-Jackson.

Elevators at baggage claim begin operations on May 10. This means that passengers who need a lift no longer need to get off at Concourse T and then go to baggage claim from there.

The elevator bank is in front of the escalators that carry passengers from the plane-train tunnel.

Because elevators block the view of people waiting for friends or family to arrive, Hartsfield-Jackson installed a huge video screen in mid-April that shows passengers on screen as they ascend the stairs mechanical.

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi