Atlanta may reimburse Southwest $6.2M for airport work

An Atlanta City Council committee has recommended that the city reimburse Southwest Airlines $6.2 million for its costs to upgrade and reconfigure spaces at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

A resolution approved this week by the Transportation Committee cites a 2010 agreement in which the city promised to finance up to $6.2 million for work on Concourses C and D to accommodate additional Boeing 737-700 aircraft, and to improve customer service, operations and the overall space.

Now that Southwest has completed its merger with AirTran Airways – which gave Southwest its entry to Hartsfield-Jackson – and consolidated their routes, the carrier “desires to return 10 Gates, Boarding and Apron Level support premises on Concourse D in order to consolidate operations on Concourse C,” a city staff memo says. “Southwest will also release 136 square feet of office space in North Terminal.”