Hartsfield-Jackson Ranked 10 out of 22 in survey. (Atlanta: airport, moving, train)

[cqholt]

America's Best and Worst Airports- Page 11 - Articles | Travel + Leisure
Readers of Travel+Leisure voted ATL 10 out of 22 in the ranking of best major-city airports. Hartsfield-Jackson was applauded for its access to public transit. MARTA is very accessible, located in the terminals and is a 15 minute ride to Downtown.

[MathmanMathman]

No, Hartsfield-Jackson was rated 10th worst airport.

The best rated by Travel + Leisure are
1. Minneapolis
2. Charlotte
3. Detroit

I don't know how accurate this rating is but Charlotte scoring so well should worry Atlanta.

The worst airports (according to T+L)
1. La Guardia
2. Los Angeles LAX
3. Philadelphia

[Mishap]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

No, Hartsfield-Jackson was rated 10th worst airport.

The best rated by Travel + Leisure are
1. Minneapolis
2. Charlotte
3. Detroit

I don't know how accurate this rating is but Charlotte scoring so well should worry Atlanta.

The worst airports (according to T+L)
1. La Guardia
2. Los Angeles LAX
3. Philadelphia

I don't know how that'd be the case. Few people would drive 200 miles to fly out from Charlotte b/c the amenities are nicer since most flights would wind up routing through ATL anyway. It's not like Charlotte/Atlanta are fungible. I've done ATL-CLT and since it wasn't a Monday...ATL was a breeze as was CLT. CLT is relatively tiny though and it's not really a hub so I don't see Delta moving hub operations up there shy of NC gifting the airport to them.

Atlanta is focused on throughput and a lot of travelers are just headed onto another city so a lot of things aren't even considerations. But LGA/LAX are hideous in comparison.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Mishap

I don't know how that'd be the case. Few people would drive 200 miles to fly out from Charlotte b/c the amenities are nicer since most flights would wind up routing through ATL anyway. It's not like Charlotte/Atlanta are fungible. I've done ATL-CLT and since it wasn't a Monday...ATL was a breeze as was CLT. CLT is relatively tiny though and it's not really a hub so I don't see Delta moving hub operations up there shy of NC gifting the airport to them.

Atlanta is focused on throughput and a lot of travelers are just headed onto another city so a lot of things aren't even considerations. But LGA/LAX are hideous in comparison.

As before with other rankings, I'm dubious about the results. But it would be better if Atlanta was thought of more favorably.

No, CLT is a hub...for US Airways. And while CLT is smaller, they do about 40 million passengers. Not an insignificant amount. They are a hub competitor in the southeast.

[neil0311]

As a frequent traveler who uses many airports across the country (and the world), I can offer the following comments for what they're worth:

- The one terminal, one security choke point, one baggage claim, one arrival concept sucks. Many other airports have multiple terminals that have direct access from the street, with separate parking, security, baggage claim, etc.

- Because of the one entrance concept, you either wait for and ride a train, or you walk. I usually choose to walk, but for some, the walk is long and time consuming. The train can be crowded. Additionally, why aren't the moving sidewalks wide enough for someone to stand and allow other people to walk? There is a bunch of space and room enough for all kinds of sculptures, but the moving sidewalks are narrow and often get bottle-necked by rude people who don't stand to the right or walk at the speed of a glacier. The distance from the street to the gate is enormous.

- The international experience (up to now) really sucks. The need to go back through security and do baggage claim twice is in dire need of change and the new terminal will hopefully take care of that.

- The individual concourses are long and crowded. Often walking from the escalator to the end of the concourse rivals driving on I-285. I'm used to it, but it's not a great experience for a casual traveler. If you happen to walk in the wrong direction, it can be a mile walk back. The obnoxious beeping carts that thread their way through the crowds add to the ambiance.

So...not saying ATL is a bad airport, but it has lots of room for improvement and is not IMHO up to the same standard as many of the large airports that have multiple terminals all accessible from the street, with separate security checkpoints, and a much shorter distance from gate to street.

[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 do agreed the concourse design is bad, especially deal with gate change.

[JC84]

Most people seem to hate ATL, but I think the layout of it is ingenious- especially compared to other airports like BOS, PHL and IAD.

The only downside is a lack of cell phone waiting lot. Why do we still not have one? The 'circle around' nazis are ridiculous. I was forced to circle around even as my boyfriend was walking out the glass doors!

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by cqholt

America's Best and Worst Airports- Page 11 - Articles | Travel + Leisure
Readers of Travel+Leisure voted ATL 10 out of 22 in the ranking of best major-city airports. Hartsfield-Jackson was applauded for its access to public transit. MARTA is very accessible, located in the terminals and is a 15 minute ride to Downtown.

Philly is the 3rd worst and it also has rail service from each terminal to downtown and then connections to all over the meto area so that didn't help the rating much.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by JC84

The only downside is a lack of cell phone waiting lot. Why do we still not have one? The 'circle around' nazis are ridiculous. I was forced to circle around even as my boyfriend was walking out the glass doors!

Their is one on the South Terminal side now.

[alco89]

Originally Posted by JC84

Most people seem to hate ATL, but I think the layout of it is ingenious- especially compared to other airports like BOS, PHL and IAD.

The only downside is a lack of cell phone waiting lot. Why do we still not have one? The 'circle around' nazis are ridiculous. I was forced to circle around even as my boyfriend was walking out the glass doors!

There is one now. I think it opened in February or so...