Holiday travelers — plan for busy Friday and Monday at ATL airport
Air traffic starts with foot travel and Atlanta airport officials expect thousands of more feet traipsing through security this Memorial Day weekend than last.
And that is not even close to the number who will be bellying up to the bars or plunking down in cafes passing through on connecting flights, said Scott Henry, spokesman for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. That number could easily be five to 10 times the number of people originating their travel there. Here is what the projected numbers look like for people originating travel at the airport, according to Henry :
- 59,864 on Thursday
- 62,350 on Friday
- 43,177 on Saturday
- 43,057 on Sunday
- 56,548 on Monday
- 50,037 on Tuesday
Thursday is normally the heaviest travel day but Friday is already close to twice the daily average, Henry said. Tuesday, for instance, had about 34,000 travelers flying out of Hartsfield, he said.
The projected numbers for the holiday travel, Henry warns, will only get busier.
“People buy a lot of last minute tickets,” he said. “The numbers get revised every day.”
What can you do? Seasoned travelers generally offer commonsense advice.
- Plan for extra time to get through the security lines.
- Take MARTA if possible to Hartsfield-Jackson.
- Get your boarding pass online from the airline website the night before. You can also often pick your seat if you haven't already. If you fail,use check-in kiosks to avoid standing in line.
- Expertflyer.com recommends packing small for the carry-on bag and checking no more than one bag.
- Independenttraveler.com recommends not checking a bag at all. It reminds travelers may bring liquids and gels in 3.4-ounce containers in the carry-on, packed within a single, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag.
- To stay up on airport wait times or changes in flight information, check these two web sites: Check here for the status of flights or wait times through security lines.
