Atlanta Hartsfield Airport

US airports are run very differently to airports in Europe. Arrived into the International Terminal on Virgin Atlantic and had to go through customs and security (again). Be aware that when arriving in on an international flight you have to claim your luggage and then give it in at the transfer area. We then had to get on the train in order to get to the other terminals/concourses. We transferred to Concourse B. Our outbound transfer in Atlanta was only an hour and a half but on the way back it was 5 hours so there was more time to explore this immense airport. A big surprise to me is when you board an aircraft. Often in the US they oversell a flight therefore some people may not get onto their flight. Another surprise was that passengers exited the aircraft into the shopping areas in the concourses instead of exiting into an arrivals area! This may be because the majority of passengers in Atlanta only transfer through it due to the low cost domestic US flights. On the way back we went straight to the new international terminal. I was surprised that there were only a handful of shops in this huge, brand new, state of the art terminal. Instead we went to Concourse E. We were told this is where the best shopping was and it was. It was like an enormous shopping centre with shops in each direction. There is a lack of restaurants at the airport due to the amount of fast food stands. Boarding for the international flight back to London could have been a bit more organised however I was satisfied with the service. Staff were adequate. Overall I would travel through Atlanta again and recommend it to anyone who is looking to connect to flights across the US.

Why do I have to pick up my bag and go through security again when I have connecting flights and already did all of this. Extremely long lines very unorganized. The workers have no idea what they are doing, they have no communication amongst each other causing lots of confusion. Very rare to find a polite worker here. They seem to hate their job and they even express it out loud.

Expect very long lines at immigration and security check. About one hour each, based on my most recent 4 trips into ATL from abroad, over the last couple months. Clearly the demand far exceeds the capacity when Delta int'l inbound flights cram in between 5am and 9am, making this airport the worst port of entry into the US.

The lines to go through customs and immigration were far too long, it took several hours to make it to our connecting flight. The staff were incompetent, and the immigration officer asked me to translate for him, since no German speaking personnel was available. My husband tried to wait for me while I did this, and got rudely directed to leave the area, so we got separated. Finally made it through and then had to re-check our luggage and go through security again. Another endlessly long line, no signs as to what to do, and no help from rude personnel. I've had better experiences on previous trips, the airport seemed to be very overwhelmed with the number of travelers. Wifi was a hassle to 'sign up' for.

This airport was very frustrating! It is, in no way, wheelchair or stroller friendly. I was traveling with my infant son and I had him in a stroller. I departed from Atlanta and then later arrived in Atlanta. When I was departing I noticed the gates are very crowded and tight and no matter where you try to park a stroller or wheelchair you are going to be blocking a walkway or other seats. Also the bathrooms are very tight and constricted. This became very difficult upon my arrival back to Atlanta when the bathroom was busy and crowded. There is no changing station. So you have to use a counter which is not safe for infants as there is no way to strap my child down. Also the handicapped stalls are barely big enough to fit my stroller let alone myself in there with it. The elevators are not clearly marked and I had to walk around in circles looking for them. Not to mention they are small and barely big enough for one person and a stroller/wheelchair. There was a line of about 5 wheelchairs and 5 families with stollers waiting to use the only 2 available elevators. They need to update their airport in order to accomedate their customers. Very disappointed!

Arrival at the International terminal at 8pm on the British Airways flight from London. As we previously had visited the USA, had a valid ESTA and a machine readable passport we were able to use the passport machines. Quite straightforward and my wife and I were able to get clearance in the same transaction. A little tricky getting our finger prints in the correct position on the scanner. The machines printed out a form which we handed to the immigration agent. A few brief questions and a passport stamp and we were through. This was much the quicker route than traditional queuing. Bags arrived promptly and 30 minutes after getting off the plane we were standing at the taxi rank. Some airport hotels don't send their shuttles to the international terminal so we took a taxi to the Hampton Inn College Park. About $15 and well worth it. The alternative would be to take a shuttle to the domestic terminal and then wait for a hotel shuttle. A most pleasant arrival, we were having our first beer in a restaurant 60 minutes after arrival. Departure - Dropped off our car at the central rental centre. A shuttle bus took us to the international terminal. The bus arrived after 5 minutes waiting - but it was small and some people were left behind. We arrived at the terminal 3 hours before our flight at about 7pm and no queues at the BA check in desk and security was very quick. Didn't do any shopping and went upstairs to the food court. I cant say I was impressed. An expensive restaurant and 4-5 fast food outlets. Similar to a shopping mall but twice the price. My recommendation is to eat before you get to the airport if you want a good meal at reasonable prices. Fortunately, we were able to use the Club lounge. Boarding a little bit chaotic as a full flight and a lot of carry on luggage, that the gate agents put many bags in the hold. Overall, a smooth departure.

Airports by nature are places where people are passing through for the first time. Very clear signage is the only there for critical for a decent airport experience. Atlanta was a huge fail in this regard.

Contrary to some reports here and given Atlanta is the world's busiest airport I found the experience very good. Deplaning from another excellent Virgin Atlantic flight at an early 2pm arrival I was through immigration collecting my bag through customs and transferring my bag to the connecting transfer belt within 30 minutes. Maybe I was lucky? The only queue was security through to domestic flights but then the airport train was quick and excellent. Very good signing if you open your eyes. I arrived at concourse B within 45 minutes from touching down.

Nightmare airport where the poor reputation is well deserved. Arrived from UK tired but happy after a fantastic Virgin Premium experience ruined by staff shouting but impatient if one asked for an explanation as to what to do. Pointless system of checking in electronically to have a big black cross because apparently I had been to America 5 years ago. I then queued for over an hour to be asked why had I not been back in 5 years. So I had been told by Virgin that luggage would be checked through it was not - I had to queue at electronic service then queue for immigration then queue at customs then queue to get bags through security again. Had to stand in a booth with hands raised above my head and then could go through - the shocker was how far the gates were apart. Make sure you take the train - I am pretty fit but after walking 20 mins had only done gate E and I needed A. I was hungry and tired and with a 2 hour layover had to go straight to boarding - not even a drink of water Deltas boarding was confusing and still don't know how it worked - so on my flight and no food at all as it was only 2 hours - they served a drink and a bag of pretzels the size of a teabag! Lessons learned - high probability of missing your flight - definitely take the train- buy food for flight if you have the time. Hoping my return flight will be better but now concerned.

Feb 12. Connect through ATL from MSP to FLL. This was the second worst airport I have travelled through only better than Paris CDG. I knew it was a crazy busy airport but it was far busier than I had thought. Very long walks had about an hour and a half. Lot's of walking involved but I don't mind the exercise. The part that made me sour the most was getting lunch. Lot's of food choices but nowhere to sit. Not the airport's fault but went to a Mexican place and they gave me someone else's order. I will try to avoid this airport whenever possible. Too bad it is a Delta hub because Delta is one my preferred airlines. Also there restrooms were hard to find albeit very large in size.