Undoubtedly, bigger airports are difficult to handle. The Atlanta Airport, officially known as the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest in the world.
Multiple major American air carriers have hubs in Atlanta, USA. These include Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.
Apart from low-cost air carriers, you can book business class deals to India, the rest of Southeast Asia, Europe, and, of course, North America.
However, the airport continues to provide a comfortable passenger experience. The Atlanta airport has about 200 outlets that serve passengers.
This article will help you recognize how the airport maintains smooth operations.
Let’s discuss some of its essential features:
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5 Parallel Runways
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has five runways. They are on either side of the airport. While two tracks lie to the north, the remaining three are located to the south to the airport.
The innermost runways that are closest to the terminals are the longest ones. Jets use these runways as they need to cover a larger area to take off and land. On the other hand, the outermost runways have sophisticated landing support systems.
1) Productive Design
The key to smooth functioning is well-designed infrastructure and well-defined operations. Atlanta Airport has a total of five runways that are placed parallel to each other from east to west.
2) Efficient Operations
The airport can handle international and onward Miami to Mumbai flights, as well as Chennai to Boston flights at the same time. This is the benefit of parallel runways.
Multiple flights can take off and land at the same time. Hence, Atlanta Airport can handle 90 arrival and 100 departures every hour during favorable climatic conditions.
The airport also offers repair, maintenance, and refueling. So, for example, if a Bangalore to Los Angeles flight needs emergency refueling, they could get help.
3) Hi-Tech Support
The outermost runways have an Instrument Landing System (ILS). They emit radio beams that guide the pilot to land successfully. This hi-tech support becomes even more helpful during adverse weather conditions.
For instance, if you are traveling on Hyderabad to Boston flights via Atlanta, these radio signals pinpoint the location and direction of the runways.
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The Atlanta Airport Complex
The airport complex covers an area of 156 acres (6.8 million square feet). It houses two separate terminals for domestic and international traffic.
1) Two Terminals:
The terminal building is designed to heighten passenger comfort and experience. The design features open, light, and airy spaces.
a) Domestic: The terminal that handles domestic flights lies on the western end of the airport complex. Further, the terminal can be divided into North and South Terminals for the ease of baggage claim, ticketing, and check-in.
The South Terminal handles only Delta Airlines flight. All the remaining domestic airlines are based in the North Terminal.
Also, the area that lies between the North and South terminals includes numerous facilities. They include a bank, interfaith chapel, seating area, ground transportation center, and more.
b) International: The name of the international terminal is Maynard H Jackson Jr. For example, if you are to board round trip flights to India, you will commute from here. It is located on the eastern side of the airport. The terminal has different levels dedicated to arrivals and departures.
Inside the ticketing hall, you can find around 80 check-in counters and over 60 self-service kiosks. So, if you wish to check-in or book cheap flights to India, say Bombay or Kolkata, you can do it using these kiosks.
The terminal is replete with world-class facilities, from advanced baggage systems to security checkpoints.
2) 7 Concourses:
The Atlanta International Airport consists of 7 concourses.
a) T Concourse: This concourse is connected to the domestic terminal. There are 17 gates at concourse T. At this concourse, you will find multiple outlets. Famous food and beverage stores include Checkpoint Grill, Corner Bakery Café, Bojangles, Saucy Blues, and many others. Also, you can find vending machines.
Furthermore, visit this concourse for American Airlines Admirals Club, Delta Sky Club, and Smoking Lounge. Suppose if you are on a layover at the Atlanta airport, waiting for the second leg of your flights from New York to Ahmedabad, this is the place to be.
b) A Concourse: There are 29 gates at Concourse A. Also, you will find around 24 different food and beverage outlets and several vending machines. You can even choose from 17 retail stores. Domestic flights use concourse A.
c) B Concourse: A total of 32 gates are located in this concourse. Domestic traffic also uses concourse B. Here, you can choose from 18 F and B outlets and 21 retail shops.
d) C Concourse: Just like other concourses, passengers can enjoy a wide range of outlets, including 12 shops, 15 restaurants, and various vending machines. Also, there are a total of 34 gates here.
e) D Concourse: Clubs in this concourse are the United Club and Delta Sky Club. Concourse D has the most number of gates, i.e., 40.
f) E Concourse: Concourse E is an international terminal with 28 gates. Since Atlanta Airport is home to many budget airlines, you can board some of the cheapest flights to India and other international destinations from concourse E. There is also a federal inspection station for connecting passengers.
g) F Concourse: International flights also use Concourse 5. For Instance, onward Hyderabad to Washington flight will be routed here. This concourse has the least number of gates, which are 12.
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Hotels at Atlanta International Airport
There is only one hotel inside the terminal along concourse B, i.e., Minute Suites. However, one can still easily reach nearby hotels that are connected to the airport via SkyTrain.
Three such hotels are the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway, Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport, and the Springhill Suites Atlanta Airport Gateway.
You can make use of accommodation options, in case of international or domestic flights with long layovers. Also, long-haul flights such as San Francisco to Ahmedabad with a stopover at Atlanta will give you enough time to relax and enjoy the airport facilities.
Are you stopping by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, then the above-listed information is useful for you.
Enjoy the endless assemblage of world-class amenities and facilities at one of the world’s most significant airports.