Hartsfield-Jackson Ranked 10 out of 22 in survey. (Atlanta: courses, rain, work)

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by yukycg

neil0311, are you talking about ATL airport?
There are two check points, main one at the south terminal, and there is one small north terminal check point next to it.

I am only aware of the main, central security checkpoint. My understanding is that north and south terminal are just references to assist people with ticket counter services, but there is only one checkpoint that leads to the same train and walkways.

If there is a second, it must be hidden or otherwise not clear.

[ATLTJL]

I'm not a huge traveler, but I can say that compared to airports of similar size like LaGuardia, LAX, and O'Hare, ATL is leaps and bounds better. Smaller airports like Orlando are naturally much easier to deal with.

However, since we aren't talking about resting on our laurels, these are the biggest problems with Atlanta's airport as I see them:

1) There should be signs at the end of the jetway when you get off your plane telling you which baggage claim carousel your bag will be at so you don't have to look at the gigantic display in the baggage claim area. It's a small thing, but I appreciate it in other airports that do it.

2) The food needs to be better. Not only does the food need to be better, but we need some kind of food directory (as far as I know, there isn't one). You know, something that says if you want McDonald's, it's in concourse B, if you want Chili's, that's in the terminal, etc. A lot of people are in the airport for long layovers and have time to travel between concourses to get what they want.

3) The people that work at the airport need to not be so rude. I haven't had any problems with the security check-in people, I'm more talking about the people who work in the restaurants, gate agents, etc. I understand that being on the south side of town and paying menial wages it is probably a challenge to get decent hires....but this is a world class airport, this is no place to display the Atlanta "bad attitude" that is common in certain parts of the city.

4) The airport needs more things to pass time. People get stuck in our airport for hours and right now there is precious little for them to do if they don't want to shop at a Hudson News. The place where you can take a nap is an excellent idea, but why not have an airport Dave & Busters or a movie theater?

5) There needs to be more you can do in the terminal. Have you ever had to pick up someone at the airport and their flight gets delayed and you're stuck for a couple of hours? Practically everything to do is past the security checkpoint, which you can't get past if you are not ticketed. I understand that most of the amenities should be for travelers, but they can at least do a little better than what they have now.

Overall, I think the airport is good. It serves my needs great, but it's my home airport, so I don't know what it is like to be stuck there all day. My biggest gripe is I wish baggage claim was handled a bit better, but it's not like it's awful. I also really appreciate the fact that Hartsfield has not only relatively clean, but also adequate bathroom facilities. No matter how busy things are, you never have to wait for the bathroom. They are frequent and clearly marked.

Oh yeah, one other thing.....when I was a kid, I seem to remember luggage lockers. You know, if you are stuck in the airport for a while, you can shove a few quarters in a locker and stuff your bags in there so you don't have to deal with them. Does Hartsfield have any luggage storage options for people who would like to store luggage for a few hours? I've never seen it.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by neil0311

I am only aware of the main, central security checkpoint. My understanding is that north and south terminal are just references to assist people with ticket counter services, but there is only one checkpoint that leads to the same train and walkways.

If there is a second, it must be hidden or otherwise not clear.

What bugs me is the TSA area looks so....crappy. About as spartan as you can get. I mean the Post Office shows more pride in its appearance.

[MathmanMathman]

I hadn't flown in a long time. So I went to Hartsfield the day before to scout the place out. Good thing too. For someone entering the place for the first time, it is confusing. After hours of walking the place and talking to a Delta Redcoat, I had an idea what to do the next day.

When I came back, I spent some time walking the concourses. Again, pretty confusing for the uninitiated. After a few more hours, I think I understand the place and its layout. The funny part was, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to exit the airside into the main terminal. And when I found two such exits, they weren't clearly marked. Maybe that's the TSA's fault?

Plus, aesthetically, inside and out, Hartsfield-Jackson is not appealing. But the MARTA rail line is a huge plus.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by neil0311

I am only aware of the main, central security checkpoint. My understanding is that north and south terminal are just references to assist people with ticket counter services, but there is only one checkpoint that leads to the same train and walkways.

If there is a second, it must be hidden or otherwise not clear.

They are 3 checkpoints at the airport. Main one in the Atrium area and 1 on the North and South gates but they are at the extreme end of the terminals so most people never notice them at all.

[testa50]

We had a thread about this recently, but I'll reiterate:

Many of the common complaints (lots of people, relatively long hike from gate to car, single security checkpoint) are all part of the package deal of being a big time fortress hub. Try running a massive operation with in excess of 1,000 flights per day out of a single airport, and needing each gate to be accessible from each other gate without going through security.

The common airport design with several terminals radiating out of a single concourse (SFO, CLT, MSP, BWI, OAK) would totally fall apart under that sort of traffic. There just isn't enough real estate within walking distance of a single point to have ~200 gates accessible by large aircraft. MSP expanded all it possibly could, and ended up having to use band-aid solutions like very long moving walkways, satellite terminals that can only be accessed by an underground walkway, and a nearby commuter facility with a shuttle service from the main airport.

There's a reason Atlanta tore down its old terminal, which was laid out with the exact philosophy some people like (the single concourse with several radiating terminals), and replaced it with the current terminal design. They foresaw that no number of band-aid fixes would create an efficient airport capable of handling ~100 million passengers per year--an entirely new approach would be needed.

Yes, it can be confusing and chaotic. I would liken it to a city: if you want an airport that offers a ton of options in terms of destinations and frequency, you're going to have to forego some comforts. Airports like PDX will probably always rank higher than ATL in terms of customer satisfaction, but PDX just couldn't ever do what ATL is doing now, or what it is capable of doing in the future.

[toll_booth]

Well I, for one, actually like the physical layout. One of it's biggest advantages is that planes can travel two-wide while taxiing to and from the gates, and they can enter and leave the gate areas at either end. And if you get stranded due to a delay, you can go to any concourse to shop, eat, etc. There's a reason why a lot of airports, such as Denver and Washington-Dulles, copied this design. I can't remember the last time the whole security process took more than ten minutes; they've really got that part down to a science. The trains tend to be crowded, yeah, but they arrive like once a minute now. And having direct MARTA service is almost unbeatable.

Check-in lines do tend to be a little long, however. And why are they just now putting up laptop charging stations? Other big airports have had them for years.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

They are 3 checkpoints at the airport. Main one in the Atrium area and 1 on the North and South gates but they are at the extreme end of the terminals so most people never notice them at all.

Are you sure these aren't just additional inflows to the single, central checkpoint. I don't believe TSA has more than the one checkpoint.

How do these other checkpoints lead to the train and concourses?

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

What bugs me is the TSA area looks so....crappy. About as spartan as you can get. I mean the Post Office shows more pride in its appearance.

That doesn't bother me so much.

Not having clearly marked lines/lanes and a lack of good signage is a real problem though. People who are not familiar with the fact that the lines fan out to multiple lines often block the way for more seasoned travelers like me and hold up the flow.

Same with the wait to get your ID checked by TSA. Everyone gets jammed at the outside and despite people trying to move people over, the design of the lines always seems to jam up people.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Are you sure these aren't just additional inflows to the single, central checkpoint. I don't believe TSA has more than the one checkpoint.

How do these other checkpoints lead to the train and concourses?

Nope. Separate section/lines.

When you go through North, you come out on the extreme left side, if memory serves right. Then, you are on T concourse and you go around the corner to go down the escalators to the train.