Inside ATL: How Delta juggles 100,000 bags a day at the world's busiest airport

Delta Air Lines ramp agent Michael Davis prepares to load passenger luggage on his luggage cart while working on the tarmac at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, May 13, 2026. (Alyssa Pointer for NPR)

ATLANTA — Before the plane even arrives, Mike Davis is on his way to the gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“So we have two bags to pick up, with one stop,” Davis explained from behind the wheel of a baggage tug that ferries luggage to and from planes.

Davis works for Delta Air Lines on the ramp, as airlines call the bustling area of pavement between the terminal and the taxiway. He’s waiting when the jet pulls up, and bags start rolling down the conveyor belt. Davis grabs two suitcases off the belt, pulls out a handheld computer that looks like an extra-rugged iPad, and scans the bar codes on the luggage tags.

“Now I take it, I scan it, it gives me a green scan sign saying it’s A-okay,” Davis said.