Atlanta airport’s newest expansion: three gates and its first autonomous store
In its latest expansion, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has opened three new gates and its first autonomous store on an extension of Concourse E.
The new $100 million wing on the north end of Concourse E adds capacity at the world’s busiest airport that handles hundreds of thousands of passengers a day.
That is especially needed amid a broader $1.4 billion construction project to widen Concourse D.
The ongoing work on Concourse D requires the closure of four to eight gates at a time.
The three new gates on Concourse E that opened last month are aimed at adding some extra capacity to mitigate flight disruptions, according to airport officials. A $40 million federal grant helped pay for the Concourse E expansion. While the new gates are now up and running, there is work continuing on Concourse E to reconfigure several other gates for use by larger aircraft.
The new gates — E40, E41 and E42 — are on a pier that veers to the east off the end of Concourse E, since there’s a taxiway directly north of the end of the concourse.
E41 and E42 are leased by Frontier Airlines, while E40 is a common-use gate that can be used by multiple airlines.
Passengers flying out of those gates get there via a pedestrian walkway that is an extension of the concourse.
A new retail shop opened Monday in the expansion area called On Your Way, which allows travelers to scan a credit card, enter the store, grab items and walk out without going through a standard checkout line.
Cameras track each customer coming in and the items they take with them, according to concessionaire Areas, which operates the store.
The technology is similar to Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology that is used in stores in other airports and cities, but the shop at Hartsfield-Jackson uses technology from AiFi, a competitor to Amazon.
“Especially in larger airports, connections can be very tight,” said Sal Mendola, Areas director of brands, in a written statement. “On Your Way provides high-quality travel essentials in a format that keeps pace with our guests and is conducive to their needs.”
Ty Smith, Hartsfield-Jackson’s chief revenue officer, called the cashier-less store “a new retail experience at ATL.”
Areas also plans to open a Johnny’s Chicken & Waffles on the concourse extension in the coming months.
About the Author
As business team lead, Kelly Yamanouchi edits and writes business stories. She graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern.
