Parking at the airport

Hartsfield has about 31,000 parking spaces, including more than 14,500 in closed-in decks, 8,000 in economy lots and 8,500 in park-ride lots. Special parking spaces are provided for the disabled. However, because many handicapped spaces have been closed off or moved back after Sept. 11, the airport recommends that disabled travelers park in the park-and-ride lots where a bus will come to their car to pick them up and take them to the terminal. Hartsfield closed 3,034 spaces, or about 10 percent of total airport parking, after Sept. 11 because of security concerns, and has been reopening them. For parking information, try the Hartsfield Web site or the recorded message at 404-530-6725 or reports on the airport's radio station, AM-830, within a 10-mile radius of the airport. Long-term rates: economy (uncovered) $1 per hour, $8 per day; park-and-ride (uncovered) $1 per hour, $9 per day; daily (covered) $1 per hour, $12 per day; short-term rates: $1 per hour for 1-2 hours, $2 per hour for 3-6 hours, $24 per day and $48 for each subsequent day or fraction thereof.

Parking at private lots

Private lots provide 14,700 spaces within 10 to 15 minutes of the airport, most on Camp Creek Parkway. Most cost $7-$15 per day, including shuttle service. Some offer valet too.

Parking at MARTA lots

MARTA offers about 3,000 long-term parking spots. Per-day cost at the Lindbergh, College Park, Doraville and North Springs stations is $6. Cost at the Lenox, Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs stations is $3. Fare to the airport is $1.75. For more information about MARTA parking, call 404-848-4711.

TRAVEL TIPS

If lost, seek out Hartsfield's customer service representatives. They are easy to spot with their teal green sports jackets.

Add one hour to your travel schedule to ensure that you can deal with check-in and random security screenings.

Keep handy a photo ID that matches your name on the ticket. Travelers 18 and over must have a government-issued picture ID and must be prepared to show it at check-in and the security checkpoint. Delta encourages but does not require children to carry picture ID.

Check-in: Curbside check-in is available on an airline-by-airline basis. Delta and AirTran, Hartsfield's biggest carriers, have curbside check-in.

Check as much luggage as possible, especially large child safety seats and golf clubs. Passengers are allowed only one carry-on item and one personal item through the security checkpoint and onto the plane.

In general, only ticketed passengers can pass through the security checkpoint. But people accompanying small children or disabled passengers can also get permission. Others can make their case to airport officials and try to get a pass. Members of airline crown rooms are allowed to pass through the checkpoint even if they aren't flying that day.

Place pagers, cellphones, keys, change and other metal objects in your carry-on bags. Computers must be removed from their cases when passing through the security checkpoint.

Call ahead to your airline if you need a wheelchair.

Curbside parking is strictly prohibited. Violators will be ticketed and/or towed.

Consider taking MARTA to the airport.

If you're wondering what you can take in your carry-on bags, here's the official list from the Transportation Security Administration:

Items allowed: Pets (check with airline), walking canes and umbrellas (once inspected), nail clippers with files, nail files, tweezers, safety razors, syringes (with medication and professionally printed label), insulin delivery systems, eyelash curlers.

Among items not allowed: Ammunition, automatic weapons, axes, baseball bats, BB guns, billy clubs, blackjacks, blasting caps, bows and arrows, box cutters, brass knuckles, bullwhips, cattle prods, compressed-air guns, corkscrews, cricket bats, crow bars, disabling chemicals or gases, dog repellent spray, dynamite, fire extinguishers, flare pistols, golf clubs, gun lighters, gunpowder, hammers, hand grenades, hatchets, hockey sticks, hunting knives, ice axe/icepick, knives (any length), batons, large, heavy tools (such as wrenches, pliers, etc.), Mace, martial arts devices, meat cleavers, metal scissors with pointed tips, numchucks, pellet guns, penknives, pepper spray, pistols, plastic explosives, pool cues, portable power drills, portable power saws, razor blades (not in a cartridge), religious knives, replica weapons, revolvers, rifles, road flares, scuba knives, sabers, screwdrivers, shotguns, ski poles, spear guns, starter pistols, straight razors, stun guns/shocking devices, swords, tear gas, throwing stars, toy transformer robots (this toy forms a toy gun), toy weapons.

Note: Many of the above items may be transported in checked baggage. For more information go to www.tsa.dot.gov or call your airline.

HARTSFIELD FACTS

The world's busiest airport, Hartsfield handles about 2,500 domestic and international flights daily. Most major airlines serve the airport, with Delta Air Lines accounting for about 75 percent of the passenger volume. The airport is off I-85, about 10 miles south of downtown.

Mailing address: P.O. Box 20509, Atlanta, GA 30320

Main phone: 404-530-6600

Web site: www.atlanta-airport.com. The site has current flight information on departures and arrivals, the same information as is displayed on the monitors at the airport. It also provides regular updates of the parking situation, showing which lots are open and which are full.

Owner: City of Atlanta

Average number of daily passengers: 210,000

Number during peak travel times: About 250,000

Yearly passengers: 75.8 million in 2001

Projected passengers in 2015: 121 million

Runways: Four (construction has begun on a fifth, scheduled for completion in 2005)

Total land area: 4,670 acres

Terminal size: 130 acres or 5.7 million square feet, including the terminal buildings and concourses A, B, C, D, E and T

Airport train: Connects concourses with the terminal; has nine four-car trains operating on a 3.5-mile loop track. The time between trains at any of the 13 stations is about two minutes.

Ground transportation: MARTA is at the west end of the main terminal. Also available: eight on-airport rental car companies with bus service; three off-airport rental car companies with bus service; 12 scheduled bus service operators to destinations throughout metro Atlanta; 22 scheduled bus service operators to destinations in Georgia and surrounding states; 86 limousine operators; 18 hotel/motel shuttle bus operators; and 300 taxicabs.

Concessions: There are more than 200 concession outlets, including 75 food and beverage, 82 retail and convenience, and 21 staffed service outlets.

Estimated economic impact on region: $16 billion annually

OTHER METRO AIRPORTS

Cherokee County Airport: 1800 Airport Drive, Ball Ground 30107. 770-479-6389. www.airnav.com/airport/47A

Clayton County Airport -- Tara Field: 474 Mount Pleasant Road, Hampton 30228. 770-946-3153. www.co.clayton.ga.us/trans&dev/tara_field.html

Cobb County Airport -- McCollum Field: 1723 McCollum Parkway N.W., Kennesaw 30144. 770-422-4300. www.northsideaviation.com

DeKalb-Peachtree Airport: 2000 Airport Road, 212 Administration Building, Atlanta 30341. General aviation, charter flights and flight schools. 770-936-5440. www.pdkairport.org

Fulton County Airport -- Brown Field: 3952 Aviation Circle N.W., Atlanta 30336. 404-699-4200. www.airnav.com/airport/KFTY

Gwinnett County Airport -- Briscoe Field: 770 Airport Road, Building 148, Lawrenceville 30345. 770-822-5196. www.co.gwinnett.ga.us/low/transportation/div_aviation.htm

Hall County -- Gilmer Airport/Champion Aviation: 1 Aviation Way, Gainesville 30501. 770-532-4136. www.airnav.com/airport/49A

Newnan-Coweta County Airport: 115 Airport Road, Newnan 30263. 770-254-8102 or 770-252-6410. www.airnav.com/airport/KCCO

Peachtree City -- Falcon Field Airport: 7 Falcon Drive, Peachtree City 30269. 770-487-2225. www.kffc.org

South Fulton Airport: 7775 U.S. 29, Palmetto 30268. www.airnav.com/airport/8A9