Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Robert Clark

18 May 2006

Huge airport that can get confusing at times. However, I find it well put together and enough amenities to make it a great place to fly into. It will be a tight squeeze if your layover is anything less than 1 hour. Try to get at least a 2 hour layover if your flight brings you to ATL, otherwise making your flight could be problematic. Overnighters: The area around the airport is very questionable. In my earlier days when I made a lot less money I had an overnight layover before a flight into Panama City Panama. I stayed at the Econo Lodge, which is in a ghetto type neighborhood, and pretty far from downtown ATL where all the cool things are.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Andrew Gibbs

17 January 2006

Atlanta airport is a nightmare to be avoided. The designer clearly marvelled at efficiency for cargo and aircraft, without much thought for the impact to passengers. If you arrive at the farthest terminal, you have to pass through every single other one before you get to the main concourse where you can get out of there! Hub and spoke design works, because it minimizes the intra-airport travel time for passengers and lets you get from A-D as easily as A-B (ATL insists the former journey be taken A - B - C - D!) I hate it and wish airport designers would be sentenced to spend a year getting from A-D in their nasty airport designs!

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Oscar Alarcon

14 December 2005

I was impressed with its huge dimensions, 6 Terminals a subway but it lacks of organization. For International flights the Immigration was slow, there were almost 50 desks, but just 4 opened, then you go to baggage claim, take your luggage and them have to give them again and get into the subway, arrive to the main terminal, take your baggage again and leave. The parking lots are a mess, a complete disorder.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Louis Prestwood

19 August 2005

Air travel from NW Florida to any destination almost always leads to Atlanta Hartsfield via Delta Airlines. While Delta's flight crews are among the best there is a school with many vacant seats awaiting Delta's Hartsfield "gate keepers." First course for that school would be Politeness 101 or how to overcome a built in rude attitude. Other courses recommended: verbal communicative skills, job knowledge and motivation.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Kim Shields

15 August 2005

My family live in Georgia, so my English husband and I visit them quite often. The Atlanta airport is my most dreaded airport. The Customs Officers never fail to be completely rude and robotic to my poor husband. We get off of the plane at the same time, enter the same area, yet when he steps into the three designated areas for Internationals, and I step into the ten designated areas for US Citizens, I know we have a long wait before seeing each other again. The worst aspect of the airport, is the design of the baggage claim area. Whilst my husband is going through immigration etc. his luggage will be circling on the baggage carousels for an unimaginable amount of time, unclaimed, unguarded, and right next to an entrance/exit door. So any individual that wishes to walk in from the street, select some luggage and walk right out will have to face no security or hindrances.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Stefan Paetow

12 July 2005

International Arrivals has a huge hall for Immigration Control. Yet, for some unknown reason, only a fifth (if not just a tenth) of that capacity is being used. International baggage handling is woefully inadequate for the volume of passengers arriving at ATL, especially when you have three or four international flights arriving at the same time (as was the case with myself). Immigration (INS) is courteous when you get to the desk, Customs is absolutely rude and does not treat your luggage with any respect at all, especially when you ask that sensitive electronic equipment in luggage be handled carefully.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Stefan Paetow

12 July 2005

Seating areas in domestic terminals after transferring are small, low-ceilinged, not particularly very air conditioned, and make life very difficult for tired travellers. Facilities are woeful. I understand that ATL is trying to bring business to the city after the Olympics were held there, that the airport is trying to place itself as a major hub, but if you do, please expand, please renovate, please make it pleasant for the passengers!

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Richard CRiley

15 June 2005

I live in Atlanta, though originally not from the state. I must say at time things are a bit confusing, but Hartsfield is trying to keep up with the air traffic demand and an ever-complaining public. Companies are cutting back which in turn makes for disgruntled workers who emit an attitude or a careless attitude. Be satisfied that Atlanta HAS an airport , and lastly, it's one of the world's busiest airports.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by John Duggan

7 June 2005

I sympathise with the comments made by Mr Dougan. A couple of months ago I travelled from London to Costa Rica with Delta via Atlanta and returned through Atlanta. The immigration and security staff are lacking all outward signs of humanity and my treatment was rude and humiliating. I would dread to think what conditions must be like in a US prison. Being a British Citizen I have to fill out a green “Nonimigrant Visa Waiver” form which proclaims “WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES! In the darkness of the aircraft cabin I had put my date of birth on the wrong line. The gruff immigration officer made me go and correct the form then rejoin the end of the line, rather reminiscent of my school days. On my return to England I phoned the US Embassy who told me to put in a complaint to the State Department which I have done. When your only purpose in landing in Atlanta is to change planes to go to another country, I fail to see why you should be “processed” by US immigration, you could simply remain airside. The fact that transit passengers are forced against their wishes to step foot on US soil, to be finger printed, subjected to humiliating treatment and even be asked what their business is in their destination country portrays an image of extreme arrogance and hardly likely to endear the US to the outside world. I and my fellow Brits will do anything to avoid being in transit in the US. I shall shortly be returning to Costa Rica and have booked a flight on a non US airline via Canada which does not touch down in the US. This is a pity for Delta which I found to be excellent. I am not anti American and on my past visits to the US have found the people warm and friendly once you get past the “Public Relations” department at the airport.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Tyna Edwards

6 May 2005

Today I dropped my mother off at Alanta Hartsfield and was appalled at the chaos, confusion, lack of signage and assistance by both staff and police officers. My mother is elderly and I needed a hand with her needs and was refused - and then ticketed because I had to leave my vehicle to assist her myself. Shame on Atlanta for treating their patrons so poorly.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Colin Langham

6 April 2005

I transited through Atlanta to and from Mexico recently. On the return leg I was 'processed' by the Immigration officer from hell!. Basically he was annoyed with previous 'customers who hadn't completed there forms correctly, and took out his aggression verbally with me. Had I not been travelling on a buddy-pass I would have certainly complained. I was treated with no respect, absolutely no courtesy. All other staff were fine, but for me having been finger printed twice within a couple of weeks, and treated like dirt left a remaining impression.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Robin Dewar

5 April 2005

Thankfully I check in real early for flights since most of my flying is in Africa. But Hartsfield - help! There is a distinct lack of accurate signage. Airline and airport staff are uniformly rude / discourteous / disinterested. I walked about 2km to find my check in desk and then, oh then, the TSA. 07h30 check in for 10h10 international departure should be fine - it took 2 hours to get to the gate! As a side bar - why is there no transit facility for international to international ?? I missed my first connection to Mexico due to immigration/customs. Never again ATL.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Tom Birkland

21 March 2005

The worst is if you land at gate 1 or so in any concourse, and then have to connect at gate 34, clear the end of the concourse. There are no moving walkways, the halls are crowded, and Delta's staff often don't really know the real departure gate for any flight. I've traversed the whole length of a terminal and back because my flight to Albany (ALB) was moved; no announcement was made in the terminal nor was the proper gate posted on the monitors until about 10 minutes before departure. if you have to fly DL (something I will soon be giving up) do everything you can to connect though Cincinnati instead of ATL. The lamest aspect of ATL is the total lack of WiFi connectivity except in the Airline club rooms. A neat trick, though--if you have T-Mobile WiFi, you can camp outside the club and usually get a decent connection. But if ATL is such an important business airport, why is WiFi impossible to get?

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Gregg Hillier

11 March 2005

I am a weekly Flyer who has seen many Airports and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is one of the worst facilities I have ever experienced. You are guaranteed a long walk through miles of wide open spaces - and that is if you are in the same concourse ! If you have to ride the train between concourses, you are in for a filthy, crowded experience - think New York subway trains from the 1970's. Heaven help you if you arrive on an international flight - you must walk for miles to baggage claim, then stand in horrendous lines for "Baggage Recheck" and then trek to your gate. The Airport Staff (particularly those employed by Delta) have no Customer Service skills and no one cares about keeping this place clean. In short: avoid this bit of Southern discomfort.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Henry Coates

9 March 2005

The train system so beloved of one commenter is a high risk arrangement that often fails - being a serial arrangement one failure causes whole system failure, and colossal walk. Inbound security to handle the transit requirements of the linear layout is a added inconvenience that sets ATL apart. Add to the generally weak staff, thin food service, poor signage, nearly nil retail outlets and you have lots of reasons to find another place to travel through. This airport was just not well thought through, maybe they had too much space to play with so got slack.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Maria Haindl

16 February 2005

The most confusing I have ever been. The train system connecting the different terminals is good but the double and triple luggage check on arrival and the absolutely non-existence of maps or information where you have to go next are a nightmare.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Jim Wallace

15 January 2005

I arrived in Atlanta after a 23-hour flight from Cape Town so I was rather tired. We were notified on the plane that you were not allowed to use a cell phone until after you go through passport control. I stood in line for 45 minutes at 8:00 a.m. to get through passport control and I'm a U.S. citizen. I will think twice about going through Atlanta on an International flight.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by John Oram

13 December 2004

The arrival security checks are ridiculous. You have just arrived from a 9hr flight before which you were screened perfectly adequately. You are re-united with your baggage for 10secs because they don't have system to get it straight to the terminal and, suddenly, it's a seciruty risk and you're in another line facing the ever increasing ranks of the TSA. Absolutely, utterly pointless.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Adam Stuart

4 December 2004

I have used this airport several times on business during the last year. The security line is the worst of any major domestic US airport - one line for the entire airport - even when it is fully staffed, it still moves slowly. Pre-security shopping and dining options are not bad, but you want to get through security! The secure area is very dated. A few decent eating and shopping options in concourse A,B&C--the main Delta concourses. Probably a good airport for connections as the tram between the concourses operates well. But this is primarily a featureless airport--not the best impression for int'l visitors

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Stephen Morrow

5 November 2004

My wife and I recently flew in and out of Atlanta and found the experience not as bad as some reports would suggest. On arrival the queue at immigration was as long as expected. One tip is when the airport staff move foreign passport holders to the far end of the hall don't go too far. The queues for American passport holders disappear quickly so if you are nearby you can get processed quickly once they have finished. After this the trek to collect luggage, have it screened again, the train journey and final luggage collection went very smoothly. The whole process from starting to queue for immigration to walking out of the terminal took no more than about ninety minutes at the most. The return journey was somewhat quicker but I agree with other people that the food outlets are not very varied and the duty free shop is certainly not of the same standard as in Europe. We found the airport easy to navigate and the staff more friendly than some other US airports. Overall we found Atlanta a much more pleasant airport than Heathrow (thank goodness we flew from Gatwick) and would definitely use it again.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Robert Perry

24 September 2004

Since moving to Atlanta 4 years ago I have traveled 3 – 5 times a year to international destinations. I would agree with the comments others have expressed on the ugliness of the airport, the wretched food choices and inconvenient and time-consuming security procedures both on departure and arrival. Tired and dazed after a long flight, it is not pleasant to wait for baggage claim at customs only to have to put my bags on the conveyor belt again, wait in the incredibly long lines for security and then wait AGAIN for bags to appear at the main terminal baggage claim. The whole process can take up to 3 hours! I too have had things confiscated at the security checkpoint … things I brought with me from home that have cleared in Atlanta on departure and at numerous points in between …certainly not guns or box-cutters, either. I understand the argument that we are entering a security zone after customs, but passengers have already gone through checkpoints as good as those in Atlanta before boarding their international flights. Regarding guns, the writer defending the security system as it stands must certainly have seen the hordes of hunters returning from South Africa with boxes (and boxes!) of rifles. Of course it is a balance, and with more checks one is more likely to pick up things others have missed (I brought a tennis racket as carry-on from Atlanta to Uganda, but I was forced to check it as baggage in London because they would not allow "sporting bats" into the airplane cabin) but passengers could be checked every 10 yards and things could still get through. Either the checkpoint should be made to accommodate the number of passengers efficiently (like a 10 minute delay, max!) or the airport speed up plans for a direct exit from customs to the outside world.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Mike Chaudron

22 September 2004

I have flown through Atlanta for 15 years on domestic flights. I flew through there last week on my first international flights. I find the Atlanta airport laid out well and the good thing is that I know it like the back of my hand, which gives me a good deal of comfort. Coming back through Atlanta and US Customs is an event. I went though customs at Turkey, Germany, Bahrain, and The Netherlands and all of them are MUCH more efficient that US Customs at Atlanta. The lines are long, slow, and the people are not helpful. ATL is not a bad place for layovers, just not as efficient as Frankfort or Amsterdam regarding customs.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Rich Jenkins

3 September 2004

I use Hartsfield 1-2 times a month for domestic service and several times a year as a launching point for international and am a local resident. The airport is more servicable for changing planes than as a destination and most passengers are merely passing through. The concourses are overlong, dimly lit, and do not have people movers. They do have annoying golf carts to help shuttle people, although the procedures for using them are never clear. CNN tends to be broadcast at high volume and the general ambience is often one of chaos, exacerbated by the weak ground service by Delta (which controls 85% of the flights). Food service has improved slightly in the past couple years, although the selection remains narrow and generally unhealthy. Security, as others have noted is poorly organized and the lack of separation between arrivals and departures creates long walking distances in the main concourse. The time needed for security is extremely erratic and before the government took it over, the security was utterly incompetent. The close-in parking facilities are poorly labeled (making it easy to forget where you parked and how you got there) and the transit to remote parking lots is inconveniently located (you cross traffic from the bus to the arrival area and cross more traffic and wait amid fumes for the bus back). Customer service tends to be poor and airport employees often don't know about the availability of rapid transit (which goes straight to the airport). Overall, an outmoded airport that is particularly annoying as a destination.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Iain Mottram

30 August 2004

Recently flew out from ATL to LGW on Delta. There seems to be a lot of remodelling going on inside the domestic terminals. This seems to be a good this as it is quite tired looking. There is no separation of arriving and departing passengers at this terminal though which creates the chance of bumping into someone. The terminals are easy enough to navigate and the train connecting the terminals was easy to use and quick. Terminal E was clean and comfortable enough, the food concessions average for an airport of its importance. This airport is user friendly enough for to travel through it again in the future.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by John Dougan

2 August 2004

Upon returning to the U.S. after a month teaching in London, I made an error while clearing immigration at Hartsfield airport. I was separated from my wife and son and, although I'd located my wife, could not see my son anywhere. Concerned (and tired from the long flight) I stepped out of the line and crossed the yellow line that functions (symbolically anyway) as an international border. After locating my son I stepped back into the line. I realized that I'd made a mistake and was told by the person at immigration that this was unacceptable. I apologized, told him why I had stepped out of line and thought my faux pas was over until I went up to him to show my passport. Then I was met with a stream of invective and threats (including and interrogation and search in an area called the "orange room"), along with it being utterly humiliating (and unnecessary and done in a voice that could be heard by everyone nearby) once he found out I was a university professor he cranked up the verbal abuse questioned my intelligence and suggested that perhaps a remedial reading course was in order. My dressing down concluded with him throwing my passport at me and telling me to "get out here." I don't deny that I breached airport protocol, it was simply a mistake made by a tired traveler trying to keep tabs on rambunctious 8 year old child in a large airport. Had I responded in kind, I'm sure I would have been detained long enough to miss my connecting flight as well as been subjected to further and greater humiliation. I understand (and am supportive of) the need for increased airport security. But this was well beyond a reasonable response.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by D Beggs

2 August 2004

Atlanta Hartsfield is the design others should adopt. The concept of all terminals feeding into one train system leading to the baggage and exit area is brilliant. No necessary walking, trains come every few minutes, are clean and large. I have never had a time that no matter how fast the train went, I beat my luggage to the carousel. This is how it should be done.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Johnathan Quint

26 July 2004

Having a connection in Atlanta, I initially didn't believe my layover was going to demand a plane change. However, as we pulled up to the gate I was made aware that there would indeed be an equipment change. Having never been to this airport before, I must say it was very easy to navigate. Mind you, I did not have to go thru security and do know that when passing here you best be sure to have 90 minutes between flights or else your probably going to miss one.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Keith Little

11 July 2004

Atlanta is not a great airport. Arriving from abroad the passport control is curt to the point of being rude. We aren't all bad guys, why treat us as if we are. Security on the way out is very sloppy. Big on routine, not big on attention; groups of staff chatting not paying attention and so on. In fact services all round the airport are kind of 'why are you bothering me, I could be doing something much more interesting.' No food - you call that food? Claiming bags for a connecting flight - what's that all about (but all over the US)? What's the point? Overcrowded, and not a nice place.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by N Sweeney

30 June 2004

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is one of those airports that suffers in the extreme from having been designed to reflect pre-9/11 security standards. The architecture simply cannot cope now with the pre- screening, with the result that perhaps 1,000 people at a time are forced into tight lines in the Atrium area. The inconvenience is bad enough; but what about the security risk? This is the area before the metal detectors and X-Ray machines: were someone to release a chemical/biological agent, or even toss a hand grenade into that mass of people, the carnage would be horrific. If you are connecting in ATL, you escape all this. But if you have the misfortune to miss a late connecting flight - an increasingly common occurence, as packed schedules fail to cope with Atlanta's well-known weather conditions - you have the choice of either sleeping in one of the concourses or having to endure the security mess the next morning. And, of course, you can't tell anyone in the terminal that this is a security risk because you're liable to end up in the cells.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Hans K Pauley

18 June 2004

Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is quite unique. On the one hand I marvel at the efficiency and production of moving millions of passengers almost effortlessly like a production. I would say the effect is artlike at times. Note: this is in reference to connecting, not originating. I well recognize the TSA shortcomings of moving passengers through security and the need to massively improve said. Having said that, and drawing on the analogy of artwork, Atlanta has to be the worst impression on the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, and the United States of America that could be possibly brought forward. Quite simply the ugliness, drabness, and colorless atmosphere is depressing at best.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by D Burke

17 June 2004

Twice a year I have relatives flying international through Atlanta. You know it's a City run operation. Every trip is a new and dreadful experience. The funniest is the roped area at 8am when they check to make sure your a passenger. The area was never designed for a holding area. Then the city adds a new name (Jackson) to the name. Like it needs money spend to change the name. But the really most horrific to me is the prices after getting past security. $6 for a hamburger is too much. And they have you getting to the departure gates to early that you need something while waiting that hour of two because you never know when the security is going to be backed up. Also take a look at the pickup and drop off all in the same area. For me, the parking is just so nuts and has changed that I'm a regular and know where to park just to pick and drop off. But I couldn't imagine how bad it is for a normal person. You get a real feeling of how the employees feel when you get to pay for parking.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by W Faustman

11 June 2004

After clearing customs I recently ran into a nearly one hour long line for a security check. The crazy element of this whole process is that everyone is screened by security after arriving on an international flight, even if you live in Atlanta (or are not catching a connecting flight) and just want to go home. Despite having a near two hour connection I actually came close to missing my connecting flight. In addition, it took almost 30 minutes to get through the passport check station on another recent arrival. People may complain about how dirty JFK is in New York, but for international arrivals I actually prefer it over the inefficient mess of Atlanta.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Geoffrey Fox

6 June 2004

I would like to express my horror at how we treat people entering the United States, through Atlanta's Hartsfield airport - we just returned from Europe and were treated quite well in Paris and Manchester and arrived in Atlanta to be dragged around, yelled at and generally abused. Stop and think for a moment if this was your first impression of a country? Maybe the powers that be that are running the airport and customs should try going through this on a daily basis as a regular customer and see how the system works. I fully understand the need for security but rudeness should never be tolerated especially in a "customer service" job.

Atlanta Hartsfield Airport review by Maria Roose

4 May 2004

Efficiency is not quite what comes to mind when I think of Atlanta/Hartsfield, mainly because of very poorly organized security checks that simply cannot process the numbers of departing passengers on busy days within reasonable time. Arriving 2 1/2 hours ahead of a flight is no longer enough, as I just experienced on Friday afternoon, traveling to Miami. It had already taken me nearly an hour to check in. It then took another 45 minutes to get to the top of the endless line to the security check point in the main terminal, where I was told--cheerfully, as if I had just won the lottery-- that I had been selected for a 'special search.' Since this was, as I later found out, marked on my boarding pass (the 'ssss' code), why wasn't I put in a separate line from the start? It took some 20 more minutes to be 'specially searched,' without any regard for the fact that my flight was, by then, about to depart. I was, among others, asked to stand with my legs spread 'as widely as I possible could,' so that my crotch could be checked with the metal detector--all of this within easy view of all who were passing through security. I am a middle-aged female professional with no criminal record or any involvement in political or religious radicalism and have to wonder how 'homeland security' could possibly benefit from subjecting people like me to such unnecessary indignities. When I was finally allowed to proceed, it was about 5 minutes to my flight's departure time on concourse A and I only made it because the flight was slightly delayed. Granted, most of this is the fault of Atlanta's TSA officers, who obviously need to be called to order, but the Atlanta airport authority also needs to make a greater effort to organize the movement of passengers through the airport more efficiently and to add more check points, if necessary. Otherwise, just admit we should come at least 3 hours early. Miami airport, which I once most loathed as a traveler, now moves like a dream compared to Atlanta.