As more travelers take to the skies, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Saturday will officially open the first phase of a new parking deck connected to the domestic terminal by SkyTrain.
The airport has already used the new ATL West deck as overflow parking during Easter weekend and subsequent busy periods when economy lots filled up.
But it won’t be at full capacity or have its full technology systems complete until this summer. The seven-level deck will have only 2,250 of its 5,000 spaces available. Its new parking technology system, when complete, is designed to allow Peach Pass holders contactless entry and exit and signs will show the number of available spaces.
Airport officials are opening the deck to increase parking capacity as travel recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are starting to see a significant uptick in passengers as people feel more comfortable traveling,” said interim airport manager Balram “B” Bheodari in a written statement.
However, at $14 for one day and $12 for subsequent days, the ATL West deck will cost more than the airport’s economy parking next to the terminal at $10 a day.
The airport’s park-ride lots are temporarily closed due to the pandemic to reduce the use of crowded shuttles, which is exacerbating a parking crunch as travel recovers. On Friday afternoon and other busy periods, both the daily and economy lots at Hartsfield-Jackson have been full.
Motorists can get to the ATL West deck by following signs to the ATL West Deck/Rental Car Center. After parking, travelers can use the airport’s free SkyTrain to get to the terminal. The SkyTrain is mostly used by visitors to Atlanta who rent cars or are headed to the Georgia International Convention Center or nearby hotels.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
For travelers returning to Atlanta and retrieving their cars, the ATL West deck is at the SkyTrain stop for the Georgia International Convention Center. The pedestrian bridge to the ATL West deck is on the same end of the station as the AC Hotel, Renaissance and Springhill Suites, with an entrance beyond sliding glass doors.
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