Is Atlanta’s international terminal a security line shortcut? Not so simple.
For frequent flyers out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, there has been a quietly-guarded secret.
If you’re not checking a bag, travelers can pass through the security lines in the smaller — often quieter — international terminal off I-75 and still access the domestic concourses via the Plane Train.
In the last week, however, the riskiness of that perceived shortcut has become clear.
So many people tried to bypass hourslong lines at domestic Transportation Security Administration screening checkpoints in recent days via the international side, that lines there at times were even worse than domestic.
The smaller international terminal has far less TSA staffing and security screening capacity than the domestic side. (It also sometimes struggles with spotty cell and Wi-Fi service.)
Of all Atlanta travelers passing through TSA’s departure checkpoints in the first six weeks of 2026, a little more than 15% of them used the international terminal, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of TSA throughput data.
Social media posts on Sunday depicted hourslong waits in the international terminal. Last week, airport officials sent out a formal missive warning domestic travelers against using the international checkpoints.
But by Monday afternoon, the AJC observed short lines at the smaller terminal.
Alex Haines, a traveler bound for Austin, Texas, on Monday afternoon successfully leveraged the shortcut that morning.
Long lines at Atlanta airport
A partial government shutdown has left TSA workers unpaid for weeks, causing many to seek other work or childcare. Meanwhile security lines have ballooned with officials estimating wait times could reach four hours.
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The security line was basically nonexistent at the international terminal. His flight didn’t leave until late that afternoon. “Now we just have to wait,” he told the AJC.
Ultimately, as the airport’s live wait times tracking system has been down for days, it’s difficult to predict which situation passengers might be walking into.
And traveling between domestic and international terminals outside of security can also be unpredictable, given the shuttle connection that has for years been plagued by delays and long waits.
— Senior data editor Charles Minshew and staff writer Thomas Lake contributed reporting.
About the Author
As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
