Atlanta Airport Expects More Than 4.2M Passengers For Holiday Travel
David Goldman / Associated Press
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is expecting more than 4.2 million passengers to travel through the airport during the holiday period that runs from Dec. 16 through Jan. 3, airports officials said.
Travelers leaving out of Atlanta, however, shouldn’t have to worry too much because the bulk of the passengers will be from connecting traffic, said Reese McCranie, the airport’s director of policy and communications.
“From a passenger perspective, if you’re leaving from Atlanta, you won’t really see that passenger volume if you’re going through the TSA security checkpoints,” he said.
The airport also has several more “smart” lanes that are intended to speed up lines through security. The airport now has a total of five such lanes, compared to three during the Thanksgiving travel period, and is expected to have 20 by the summer, McCranie said.
Airport officials say they’ve increased staffing to handle the holiday travel, and that TSA will also have more workers checking documents and carry-on items.
Unlike Thanksgiving, the holiday period for Christmas and New Year’s is extended over several weeks, versus a single weekend. The busiest days will be Friday and Dec. 30 – as well as Jan. 2 and 5.
McCranie said the airport expects about 70,000-75,000 people to fly out of Atlanta this Friday and the next.
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