Atlanta Hartsfield Airport Passenger Reviews and Atlanta Airport Traveller Reports

Airline Reviews

Airline Seat Reviews

Airport Reviews

My main complaint concerns ground transportation at the international terminal. The airport does not permit any pick-ups by regional, hotel or downtown shuttle services (they do permit drop-offs). On arrival, you must take a small shuttle bus to the domestic terminal and the ground transportation centre if you need a regional, hotel or downtown shuttle van. Try getting 3 heavy suitcases on and off this small and crowded bus. I have never been to an airport with such an inconvenient and insufficient system. The airport should permit pick-ups at the international terminal! Otherwise, I found Immigration and Customs to be fast and friendly compared to my last trip. I was out of the airport within 60 minutes of exiting the airplane. Even airport staff were friendly and helpful. Evidently, management has worked to improve customer service compared to my past experiences at ATL.

Landed at the international terminal for the first time in 18 months. There have been changes. The first thing that struck me was the never ending walk to get to security - it is a long, long way. I was not happy about it until after I had gone through security (which was quite speedy - maybe 5-10 minutes). It was at this point that we realised that we had no double security check - no re-sending of luggage down to yet another carousel. Even taking into account the lengthy walk it was so much quicker to get through than with the old system. Anyone elderly or not entirely fir however will struggle with the walk. Our departure was also pleasant. Every thing was shiny and bright. Better choices for the food which actually looked nicely presented. The staff we encountered in all areas seemed much more pleasant than in past visits here, are they happier in their new environment or is it a new criteria laid down by management to try to get a better reputation for the airport? One thing that was appreciated by the smoker with me was the smoking room that he found, although it is not well sign-posted. These rooms must help the queuing situation as many times I have seen the smokers going out of airports and then having to go through security again - well done ATL. Whether arriving or departing from ATL there will be lengthy walks - the airport is vast. Get in training before your visit.

SJU-ATL-CMH. Airport was fine. I had a wait time of 3 hours 25 minutes. The flight arrived very early so I had about 4 hours to kill. I found my terminal very easily. Everyone was very helpful and friendly and the airport tram was very nice. I didn't go to the Atrium so I wouldn't get lost. My main complaint with this airport was the Wifi. You had to pay a fee for every use. Wifi should be free.

I connect at ATL quite a bit, after getting used to it, it works out alright. However, the airport layout isn't most customer friendly. There are some 40+ gates at each terminal, while when connecting to a different terminal, you have to walk to the centre of the terminal to get on the train (near gate 20 or something). I had several instance where I had to go from C40 to B30 or something like that. It requires a lot of walk and run. Why don't they build one or two more train lines to make terminal-terminal travel easier? Airports like DFW have multiple train stops at different gates of any terminal, much easier for connections.

The check in kiosks at the international terminal were very confusing but someone helped. Actual check in and security was very efficient, however our flight to MBJ was leaving from terminal E so we had to take the train. Lots of restaurants in terminal E (considering that so many European airlines used to come here). When we came back we came into gate E36 (the northernmost gate in terminal E). Since our final destination was ATL we had to go to a separate immigration hall in terminal F (17 min walk). If there's a new international terminal why not use it! Fortunately the line at immigration was very short and all our bags were there. Overall I think terminal F needs more gates.

Upon arrival at the airport from an international flight, I was shocked to learn that I would have to walk a mile to retrieve my luggage and go through customs. My husband is handicapped and was ushered in a wheelchair while I was on my own to try to keep up with the young woman pushing him at breakneck speed. Often she disappeared around a corner and I had to hurry to see which way to proceed. The people movers did not work and I was exhausted and finally ended up in a wheelchair myself. The design of this new terminal is grossly flawed in that the distance from gate to baggage and customs is at least a mile and there is no good way to get there! Customs is crammed into a small area with no place to put luggage for inspection. At almost 70 years old, I was not thrilled with scattering my things on the floor while everyone gawked. Surely Atlanta isn't proud of this.

While it may not be the best airport in the world, Atlanta Hartsfield is nonetheless possibly one of the best airports in the USA). It's a huge airport, while some may think of this as a negative aspect, Atlanta Hartsfield's simple yet effective design makes it an actually very walkable airport, and going from one terminal to another is not that bad as it actually seems. The facilities and amenities are great! There is a nice offering of eateries and shops that should be able to please everyone. Finally, staff are surprisingly friendly and courteous. Nevertheless, Atlanta Hartsfield is quite dirty, the signalling tends to be a little weak at times, and the public transportation is kind of poor. All in all a great airport.

Just traveled to Atlanta for a week long trip. The airport is large and generally easy to find your way around, but it can be crowded and loud at times. Finding a working pay phone both times I was there was impossible. The problems? In Concourse D, one phone took my money twice. Another had the mouthpiece literally hanging out of the handset. Many were simply removed from the metal casings with no explanation. At baggage claim I found a payphone that allowed me to hear the other party, but he could not hear me. If you have high roaming fees from your cell service or need to use a pay phone for some other reason at the Atlanta airport, good luck! My flight was delayed, yet I could not make the most of my time waiting due to this widespread problem.

Atlanta International is probably the one and only international airport worldwide without car rental return. Trying to get rid of the one-way rented car (to catch an international flight), I learned that there is no rental car return at all! There is no sign or indication what to do with the car. I left the international airport and drove to the domestic - there it is. Extremely upsetting, if in a hurry - since I drove by the domestic first and it is quite a distance. (I wonder what the responsible person thought of such a concept, I also wonder how many people are going to experience the same adventure every day, and are then too late - because, of course you then need a never-ending shuttle ride back to the international terminal). Unfriendly staff at the security, screaming all the time what to do and what not - instead of informing the passengers silently with signs and/or short movies.

Being a frequent flyer I use this airport a lot. I've used ATL as my starting, destination and layover airport and would say it is designed quite well to efficiently handle massive numbers of passengers. Considering its size and passenger traffic, it is very easy to change terminals for domestic connections and has a good number of shopping/eating options. The "Plane Train" is large, fast and very frequent and the new LED/LCD display inside the train cars looks great. I've had better results using "Plane Train" when changing terminals than trying to walk/run. I usually try to avoid having to go through security during peak hours on Monday mornings (even priority lanes get very long). Other times aren't bad but priority lanes sure do help a lot. "TSA pre" is also available in South Terminal which I heard is more faster and convenient than priority lanes ( haven't personally used that yet but colleagues of mine did). Baggage is also handled quite well. Never had a lost/delayed baggage when checked in at ATL. I've noticed many new exhibits/art works being displayed around the airport (not sure if it is to encourage local artists or anything but surely beats walking past lame advertisements or promotions). Overall its a nice, clean, huge airport that handles itself quite well. It has its share of issues (could use better signs, long lines at security at-times) but which airport doesn't.

The new international terminal is very nice. However, the airport does not permit regional shuttles to pick up passengers at the new international terminal (they are permitted to drop off passengers). When arriving, if you need to catch a regional shuttle (Groome Transportation) to another city such as Columbus, Ga. or Macon, Ga., you must first get on a small airport bus that takes you to ground transportation located in the domestic terminal. It is very inconvenient, especially with several suitcases. I have never seen an airport with such a system. Regional shuttles should be permitted to pick up passengers at the international terminal. Also, when exiting the international terminal, there are no signs indicating how to get to downtown Atlanta or other areas. The signs only say I-75 North, I-75 South and I-285. This is confusing. There should be big signs showing directions to downtown Atlanta, Macon and Montgomery (the domestic terminal has these directions/signage).

My biggest issue is when arriving from an international destination and terminating in ATL, if you come in to an E gate you have to walk forever to be screened and pick up bags in the new F terminal. Also with the international terminal when dropping off passengers and then parking there is no place to make a u-turn to get to parking. A rather stupid over sight.

Nice new International Terminal but there is nothing here! I appreciate it's not finished but to have only takeaway options at the Food Court is not good. The price of wine and beer at the bar was blatant profiteering. To pay between $8 and $14.00 for a glass of supermarket wine and then to be served in plastic glasses is appalling. To be fair the Delta staff at check-in were lovely and the TSA staff were less surly than some I've met. Boarding was quick and efficient but I would not choose to fly to or from Atlanta in the future.

If you have to change planes here, you feel like you're on a trek from gate to gate. There are trams available, but first you have to figure out which one to take and then you have to hope that it's not full. The place is always packed because so many flights originate here (it makes no sense that flights from the midwest to points west are often routed east through Atlanta) and the signs are confusing. Very long and slow moving lines at security so plan to arrive even earlier than recommended by the airlines. Also, it may just be our bad luck, but every time we have had to change planes there, the gates are changed at the last minute, requiring a sprint from point A to point B. I can completely understand why there are so many complaints about missed connections here. The one saving grace is that our luggage has never been lost at this airport. We have learned that even if it means extra cost, to avoid flights requiring the use of Hartsfield if at all possible.

This is my home airport and since I'm familiar with it, I probably find it less annoying that some. My husband and I recently took a trip to Europe. We left out of the old international terminal, Terminal E. No real problems. We had checked in prior to our flight, so we got the short check in line at Lufthansa. Security went quickly. Hopped on the train out to the terminal. We returned into the new international terminal. It had been open about a week and obviously the "bugs" hadn't been worked out yet. Our flight landed an hour early, which caused me concern. We got through customs in a reasonable amount of time. We went to pick up our luggage - it took over an hour. Good thing the plane was early. The luggage dribbled onto the carrousel at the rate of about 2 bags every 5 minutes. As we walked out to the departure lobby we saw an area immediately to our left marked for limo drivers. No one there with our name. When we were dropped off the driver didn't have a card, so I needed to find the limo service's phone number. Walked to the information desk in the lobby, asked for a phone book, so that I could call the limo service. She didn't have one. Asked if she could look up the phone number on the PC sitting in front of her. She gave some excuse about it didn't always work right. Finally gave me a number, that was wrong. Atlanta, if you want to be a true international city, you need to get your airport in order.

Atlanta is very illogical. Coupled with Delta's copious delays and cancellations make sure to have a lot of time for a layover there. My flight was listed on the screens as "At Gate" but it didn't have the gate number! Needless to say that's not the thing you want to see. After asking a pretty unhappy info desk lady, I found out it was at the end of terminal E, at that time the int'l terminal. The walks are long and you have to ride trains and sometimes buses.

This concerns the recently opened international terminal. First, there is only one place to eat in the departure level outside the security check point. It is rather small and often crowded. Second, the customs area is too small to handle all incoming flights. Customs officials are rude and bark orders to arriving passengers. Third, to catch MARTA or regional shuttles, you have to get on a shuttle bus to go to the domestic terminal and ground transportation. That means lugging your heavy luggage onto a shuttle bus. The domestic terminal was much more convenient and offers more services. The only advantage of the new international terminal is that passengers do not have to recheck their luggage and go through security before exiting the airport. Very poorly planned international terminal.

After travelling through most of the world's large airports in the past 20 years, Atlanta is by far the worst. The signage is diabolical, the staff surly, and don't even get me started on the illogicality of screening passengers and baggage after they've landed - you need to allow another 2-3 hours just to get out of the airport!

Flew in to the new Maynard International terminal. Staff at customs seemed to be surprised an international flight had arrived. Only 4 customs officers on duty, and very surly people then shouting at you to clear the area even if you were just waiting for friends or family to come through. On the journey back you see the new terminal facility and whilst gate areas are spacious, the facilities are very poor. There is a fast food court and a few shops and that's it. There was far more catering available in the domestic piers. Considering this must be a showcase terminal for international travel to not even have a restaurant or bar where you could sit down is ridiculous, the domestic piers are also notable for the number of passengers desperately running to catch connecting flights - it almost looks like a sport!

Even when you are on the same airline, connecting to another flight, there is a good chance you will miss the flight. This is mainly because the gates are so far away and very often depart from a completely different terminal. If you have less than 45 minutes to get to another terminal, another gate, you probably won't make it! Be prepared to push through people and run a marathon. I only fly through Atlanta when I have no other choice. I would rather drive than go through Atlanta airport.

This is the worst and most illogical US airport! To exit from the international terminal, you have to pass through security a 2nd time! You need a minimum 3 hours from arrival to the next international flight - unacceptable!

Took almost 2 hours to get through immigration. There were 2 immigration officials working. I was in transit and missed my connecting flight because of this along with everyone around us. Unless you have 5 hours between connecting flights, beware!

Slow immigration, bad attitude staff members, tough to find a Delta person to help you, hot, crowded restaurants, and that amazing double security check to leave the airport from the E gates. Let's hope the new terminal solves these issues. (I use the airport a lot by the way so this is definitely not a one-off complaint).

We fly to the USA once a year and arrival at Atlanta Hartsfield has been the worst arrival ever. After two flights and a long wait in between, we arrived at our destination, only to find out we need to be checked again, shoes off, x-ray, the works. On top of that staff are incredibly rude. Avoid Hartsfield if you can.

ATL is a nice airport, clean and many shopping/eating options. But if you're at a far end gate and have to transfer terminals its a long walk.

A reasonable airport. At times a little difficult, because of the many signs in the terminal especially on arrival. The only problem I have with this airport is, that you go through a lot of check points and at the end your baggage goes to a carousel in the main terminal. Everyone has access to that carousel. Its very easy for someone to steal your baggage if you don't go get it directly. There is no control of people.

If you experience any problems submitting comments on the above link, please use our general   Feedback Page