Posted on 04/02/2012 5:30:40 AM PDT by barmag25
ATLANTA — The new $1.4 billion international terminal at the world's busiest airport will be a sleek launching pad for millions of passengers that's designed to help Atlanta grab a growing share of the lucrative market for global travelers.
Its wavy lines, expansive windows and eye-catching artwork offer a stark contrast to the boxy design of the rest of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Airport managers are already expecting an increase in international travelers over the next decade, and they hope the terminal set to open May 16 will convince airlines to route even more of their overseas flights through the city.
"This is America's new global gateway. It gives international passengers their own facility and it creates a new front door for the airport," said Al Snedeker, the airport's spokesman. "And it eases the load on the rest of the facility."
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
As an Atlanta metro-area resident ( suburbs, not ‘Atlanta’ itself ) and a FREQUENT flier, I can **GUARANTEE** you the nepotism and cronyism of the Atlanta city gummint will SCREW UP this new terminal within a year, to levels nearly equal to the 1996 Olympics in downtown Atlanta.
The new international terminal had better eliminate the get your bags, inspect your bags, go through security again, check your bags again, pick up your bags in the main terminal scenario ( one to the biggest Charlie Foxtrots for international arrivals). If not then shame on the designers and the idiots who approved it.
The new terminal is at the far east end of the terminal group, and parking and baggage claim are at the far west end. I hope they have thought this through for the travelers who don’t do travel for a living.
I have LOW expectations. ... and very few facts ... ;-)
My next door neighbor did some of the early engineering for that project. He has plenty of nepotism and cronyism stories.
Why the State of Georgia hasn’t taken the playtoy that is the airport out of the hands of the City of Atlanta is beyond me. Our politicians need to grow some skin and ignore the inevitable calls of RACISM! such a move would generate.
To wit, the article speaks to the baggage process:
“Another popular feature will be a new system that ends the baggage re-check process for Atlanta-bound international travelers, who previously had to relinquish their bags after clearing customs and then wait for them again at baggage claim. The airport believes it will cut travel time by 45 minutes for international flyers whose destination is Atlanta.”
We’ll see if it works for people terminating in Atlanta and also those transferring.
From the article:
“Legal challenges threatened to derail the project, too, after several firms that lost out on lucrative airport contracts challenged the bidding process. Most of the complaints were resolved and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said the one case still pending won’t delay the terminal’s opening.”
The Atlanta news recently featured a series of reports on how one of the Atlanta city council members had seen to it that a relative of his got a taxi contract in return for a huge kickback.
Nobody got fired. Nobody went to jail. No one was even ashamed.
Atlanta: front door to the garbage dump.
Atlanta is a close second behind Miami International Airport for Worst Airport, ever.
Atlanta is much better than that. I would rank it in the top 5 actually. LAX and Phoenix are the worst to navigate through. Orlando and Bush have the worst security screening process. Oakland is a dump filled with social justice posters. Long Beach airport is in a trailer. Miami and Charlotte have no transportation through the airport. Norfolk, Baltimore and all 3 New York airports are having a contest on who has the rudest employees. I would take Atlanta over any of those places.
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