Atlanta city council member Yolanda Adrean has a beef with the bathrooms at the world's busiest airport: The stalls are too small for those traveling with babies or assisting elderly relatives, she says.
Adrean, who chairs the council's transportation committee which oversees the airport, told airport officials at a recent committee briefing that she'd like to see the restrooms at Hartsfield-Jackson International made more "family-friendly" as part of the airport's terminal renovation project. The renovation is part of a $6 billion expansion and modernization of the Atlanta airport.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
"My experience as a female traveler, and observing other female travelers, is that the restroom configurations do not have sufficient room for women who are assisting their elderly relatives and/or their children, babies, and people with strollers. They're just too narrow, not deep enough," Adrean said.
"We need some better-labeled family restrooms because it's just very difficult," Adrean said. "I've seen women in lines that barely have room for all the stuff they're carrying," and with large strollers.
The international terminal, opened in 2012, has restrooms with larger stalls with more room for luggage and other needs. But the domestic terminal and other concourses are older and known for having smaller restroom stalls.
According to Hartsfield-Jackson, expanding restroom stalls is "presently... not in the scope of the project, but we will investigate alternative options to ensure our guests have access to family-friendly restrooms."
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