The World's Busiest Hub: What Are The Operational Quirks Of Atlanta Airport For Pilots?

[@ellaluna5514]

If you live in the south and die, you will have to make a connection at Atlanta Hartsfield on your way to heaven. 😊

[@annabethwivell327]

😂 lol!

[@Malamba4231]

What about hell? Is that DFW?

[@ellaluna5514]

@ Yes!

[@Camden_Loves_Aviation]

lol!

[@Camden_Loves_Aviation]

@ for me, hell would be general boarding here at Hartsfield!

[@spades9048]

ATL is a great airport. I always find it funny when people start saying how much easier it is to fly out of closer airports. Well…yeah - the airports that have 5-10 flights per hour are generally less congested.

[@robertoriveraolmo5515]

Exactly

[@scottl.1568]

Whut

[@aidanpeairs1967]

Living in Atlanta and flying regularly I find the roadside terminal complicated but once past security (and for every connection) the airport is extremely simple and straightforward

[@gerardmoran9560]

Great video! Retired Delta pilot. ATL is busy but easy to get used to. I enjoyed flying in and out of NYC but EWR, JFK and LGA took a lot more time before I could reliably predict what the controller would say. I avoided DFW.

[@stickynorth]

Who knew that Atlanta was more than just a Coca Bottling facility and a Delta Hub, to quote Futurama! It might not be glamorous but it's the most efficient airport in the world and now we know why... Basic, efficient designs that skipped weird layouts and materials for just function which is why its a reliable place to land in the area... Makes sense/cents!

[@afb2]

ATL is honestly one of my favorite airports in the country. It is so efficiently run for how busy it is.

[@jerome718]

My home airport! I’ve always wondered what it’s like to have a layover here, which the majority of visitors are doing.

[@BenLowers]

I understand that the city is building a new airport hotel on top of the North parking deck. If so, THAT will change the layover experience greatly.

[@gearupweekly4982]

Book a delta flight to Europe out of Chattanooga to see for yourself. It’s also a bit cheaper to fly out of there as a bonus.

[@TMccrury]

My typical experience in ATL has been pleasant and smooth. I've passed through 100's of times with minimal issues. One time I had a 5 hours layover and so I decided to walk from my arrival gate to Terminal T then to E, this was before F was built, and then back to my next departure gate. I totally took my time and it took me about an hour to do that.

[@the_artist_sylveon]

I cannot escape ATL. When I had to fly to SYD for my abroad trip earlier this year, despite being in the other direction, I had to go to ATL in order to get to LAX (despite my airport already having a direct LAX flight, although it might not have flown that day or arrived too late to get to the international flight in time) Funnily enough I’m flying to ATL tomorrow to come back home from said abroad trip.

[@scpatl4now]

I'll be flying out of Atlanta tomorrow morning

[@doujinflip]

The detour provides one of two experiences… Economy Class: 😭 Business/First Class: 🤩

[@hanj31]

where did you start from?

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Excellent video. I've been based in atl for 5 years. Its as perfect as a large airport can get.

[@TABFS-ze3cm]

Atlanta airport is fantastic. I don’t know what people are talking about. Also flights out of hartsfield are generally much lower than other airports. It’s simple supply and demand. The gates are laid out extremely well and organized. The maintenance is just sub par and it could have better restaurants. But the SkyClub are solid and it’s easy to travel through there. For the tram, yeah they break down. But when you run millions of people through those trains every year, that’ll happen.

[@RealGaryGibson]

Better than the tram breaking down at Denver! No walkway there.

[@mteagleworld]

@@RealGaryGibsonEven if they had walkways in Denver, that would still be a disaster. The distance between the concourses of Denver is almost the double of that of Atlanta. That's gonna be some crazy cardio all the way from the main terminal to the C gates 😂

[@soccerguy2433]

7:30 what a quirki way to spell quirky 😀

[@Mlgraham22]

They also use some famous Braves players for waypoints and approach/departure procedures. I happen to live 20 miles to the north and can always tell when they use the NASA2 departure for planes taking off to the east but heading westbound. They do a boxy left hand departure to get headed in the right direction. When they make the final west heading left hand turn they are right overhead at about 10,000 feet. I often use my travel tracker to see where they are headed.

[@statikcitten9]

I noticed that the other day. I was trying to figure out the name(?) of the approach that goes past my house, makes a U-turn at Stn. Mtn, and going straight straight on to the rwy from there. I noticed they use a bunch of Star wars names too.

[@Colaholiker]

For plane movements, ATL is definitely a great airport. For passenger movement in terms of connections - well, the hikes can get long, but it is relatively easy to navigate. And you don't need to ride some inter-terminal bus. The connection tunnel gets you wherever you may need to go. What I think is terrible there, is the rental car situation. Especially when you drop off a rental car before an international departure. You drop the car off at the rental place, take a people mover to the domestic terminal, then wait for one of a few small buses that cart you and your luggage all the way around the airport to the international terminal. Certainly *not* efficient at all.

[@wdunh69733]

One quirk you missed: they use the phonetic Dixie instead of Delta at KATL.

[@mikebarnes2294]

On the passenger plane train they use David in place of Delta when approaching concourse D.

[@wdunh69733]

@ it’s the plane train … and not anymore. They’ve changed it to some marketing thing

[@taylorbreum2720]

Not anymore. We call it delta now

[@wdunh69733]

Really? That’s a shame. I guess some libs got butthurt about it.

[@thomasbrannon-e5b]

I was an Air Traffic Controller at ATL for 21 years . The reason we use taxiway Dixie is to eliminate confusion . "Pan Am one twenty three , hold short of Delta" ... two minutes later ... "Ground control , the Delta has taxied past us , can we continue taxiing"?

[@Alexstarfire]

"Some" on the Jjedi 3 arrival. Looks to be all of them as far as I can tell. Only thing I think sucks about Hartsfield--Jackson are the security lines. I've never been at an airport with worse lines. And it's not even close. I recently got to use the TSA-Precheck lines and that's typically the line size at other airports, even big ones like DFW. Hartsfield would need to double the amount of TSA agents to even get close.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing a great airport.

[@shanemooon]

Victor Loop FTW. Also Plane Train is the best.

[@Algorerhythm]

During one particular morning rush hour departure I remember counting 27 other aircraft waiting in the queue to take off from a single runway there.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Being number 20 takes less than 10 minutes

[@Rasscasse]

Loving the waypoint names ha ha 🙂

[@dogtaggamer1]

The subway underneath the airport is phenomenal!

[@pwalker317]

I think Atlanta, for people who are comfortable traveling, it's one of better experiences you can have. For those who aren't seasoned travelers, I can see how terribly overwhelming it can be.

[@Malamba4231]

I believe that ATL ATC uses “Dixie” instead of “Delta” as the phonetic pronunciation of D? To avoid confusion with the airline call sign. I heard that once while watching an Air France 777 flight deck video of a landing in ATL.

[@mwi7046]

They now use david. We still call it Dixie in company tho

[@scottshinbaum1772]

@@mwi7046 Correct. Dixie was abandoned as it is considered not as politically correct. The Plane Train that connects the concourses also uses David when referring to the D Concourse, for similar reason of confusion with the primary airline.

[@buckcampbell4292]

@@scottshinbaum1772 following the results of the election I went back to calling it Dixie.

[@BenLowers]

There are opportunities to calling D… Daisy Dukes. But that may itself create distraction/confusion. But it’d be Great for merchandising.

[@marcman844]

Love ATL and DTW, two airports I frequent quite a bit. Used to love IAH but it is getting to the point where they have jammed so much in there you even have to CHANGE TRAMS to get from one end of the other.

[@Chaden_Allen]

ATL is not the prettiest but it is one of if not the most efficient airports in the world. Never had a bad experience.

[@bretthansen4773]

The only issue with ATL is food in many of the concourses is average. Other than that as a hub or connection it is the best of any airport I flown

[@wetpaint86]

8:30 I’m here for the subtle shade😂😂 It’s facts! Everything is always under construction somewhere.

[@scottcalkins4607]

I think in the 6 years I’ve lived down here in Georgia I’ve flown out of ATL so many times but each time it’s like a different experience. I love to travel and you know, a smile goes a long way when you do. People see a happy person traveling with no cares in the world and it makes them think that yeah, this isn’t so bad.

[@ljacobs357]

I travel through ATL frequently. Indeed, it is a very efficient operation.

[@bilal9445]

So glad to work in ATL airport

[@arlandislewis]

Your name looks hella familiar..

[@JofoTubin]

The on-to-in at ATL is the boom (can't say anything about an airport is "the bomb"). I swear, most times, the plane never even stops until it hits the gate. And sometimes, pilots are flat-out hauling ass on the taxiway.

[@strafrag1]

Great video. Thanks.

[@SpottinPlanesForLife]

I live under the arrival path of runway 26R and so many planes fly over me, but mostly domestic since runway 27L is mostly used for heavies like the 747, only rarely will the fly into 26R which i keep an eye out for

[@markbooth1117]

I am an enthusiast who collects "tail numbers" in the UK. I would love to go to ATL, where would be the best place to get the best view of all runways if possible outside the airport boundary ? Easy to get to by public transport, as I don't drive.

[@TheSwagalicious]

The Renaissance hotel is right outside the airport fence. Might be able to see all 4 main runways if you’re high enough. I think the 5th runway is just too far removed though

[@markbooth1117]

@@TheSwagalicious I will check that out, thanks for that. That height in combination with Flightradar 24 plus my spotting scope should work.

[@TheMrPits]

On a 5 hour layover there I decided to test something. You can walk from the closets terminal in to the farthest terminal out faster than the train can. Why? The stops take so long, the people move so slowly into or off the train, and the doors close so slowly that it's overall time takes longer than walking. A hallway/path runs parallel to the track in the lower level of each terminal, and a basic walking pace is faster. Slow.... Slow train, just walk, it's faster and you get exercise.

[@pwalker317]

I almost never take the train. We've timed it out (being my home airport),, the train is 3-5 mins faster from D gates to baggage. well worth the exercise and stretching of legs. Unless im in a total rush, i'll never take the train to my gate.

[@aidanpeairs1967]

I always walk anyways, the exercise feels nice after a flight

[@notafanboy250]

lol this is not true at all and if you follow this person's advice, you won't make your flight.

[@Alexstarfire]

@@notafanboy250 For real. If it was, I'd do it all the time. Even when the train has just left, it's faster to wait for the next one. This is assuming you're going more than 1 terminal though. Though, it might be faster even then.

[@bretthansen4773]

The rule of thumb is 2 councourses or less unless there is no wait for the train, walk, otherwise ride the train. I've flown in and out of ATL thousands of times and this is THE WAY.

[@dragonfly-7]

I had been using ATL several times during my business trips to the U.S. and compared to the somewhat wierd structure of my home airport FRA ATL is a straight airport. The distances for pax at ATL are might a little bit too long when coming from the int'l arrival and need to transfer to the far most domestic concourse - or vice versa. But that's managable. Sooo: Thumbs up for ATL !!! It looks like the advantage of ATL is that it is founded on a reasoanble huge chunk of ground while e.g. FRA is more like a patch work with its runways "naturealy grown" over ages. And the structure of FRA - if you can call it a structure - with its two general purpose strips, one distinct departure strip and one distinct arrival strip - it is manageable but maybe not optimal. Maybe we germans need to ask Edmund Stoiber ... 😎🤓

[@markpell8979]

In its early days ATL was a typical moderate-capacity regional airport with intersecting runways pointing in various directions for wind coverage, similar to old O'Hare for example. A couple vestiges of that era at ATL are still visible today in the airport's layout as seen from above, with the angled taxiways Juliet and Kilo, connecting on the south side with the end of Runway 27L, being most obvious. Taxiway Echo-5 on the north side between Runway 8R-26L and parallel Taxiway Echo has the same NNW-SSE alignment. J and E-5 lie on the path of the old parallel taxiway to the former crosswind runway, and K lies where the runway itself used to be. At the far NW corner of the field these features are still visible as short sections of angled pavement near the fuel tanks and 'City Hangar.' The updated ATL airfield and ramp design that was phased in about five decades ago and has evolved since was futuristic and revolutionary, somewhat controversial, and became a model for other high-flow modern-era hubs primarily featuring multiple parallel runways and centralized ramps and gates for operational efficiency for scheduled airlines during high traffic demand, which is virtually all day now at our major hub airports. Good timing in a changing market is why ATL became what it is today. Just as with DFW and other similar superhub airports worldwide, the great majority of ATL passengers now are through-ticketed and only in town to change planes. This often means daytime layovers of up to several hours between flights, and occasional unplanned overnight stays in a nearby hotel (or snoozing in the terminal) when your inbound flight arrives late- which is not unusual. Several times I've arrived at ATL in the evening and been stranded there until late the next morning or midday. A couple times I decided to rent a car instead to continue home quicker. Thousands of passengers and aircrew know what I mean.

[@kimonass]

1:06 It was somewhat confusing to hear that both tracks of the strip are suitable to use these taxiways, since from only one landing direction would that be possible. Took me quite a while to figure it out >.

[@frzstat]

The Whisky Loop, great name!

[@scottcalkins4607]

Great puff piece for ATL but deservedly so! I love flying into Atlanta and leaving from it isn’t bad either. I don’t seem to have too much trouble getting through TSA (being a first class passenger with sky priority helps!) or getting to my gate. The “plane train” is a modern marvel and it runs seamlessly. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a delay or cancellation at ATL. People who complain about flying are really missing out on the fact that part of the experience is the airport itself. HINT: take the advice of your airline and arrive 2 hours early for your flight you will be pleasantly amazed by the short amount of time it takes for your to get through screening and have time to grab a snack or just relax before flying. Another thing, BEFORE YOU ARRIVE, please know and obey the TSA guidelines. Don’t try to get one over or think you’re special. You’re not! So don’t try to get away with something. Simply following the rules gets you (and everyone else) through faster.

[@taylorbreum2720]

By far the easiest major hub to operate at. Another huge advantage is the weather. No blizzards, and it actually tstorms a whole lot less that other major hubs in the Midwest and south

[@retiredatc8720]

The Blizzard of 1993 enters the chat.

[@jayschafer1760]

​@@retiredatc8720 The fact that you're referring to a storm from 30 years ago kinda proves the point about how rare significant snowstorms are there, though.

[@vbscript2]

Hmm... I'm not sure what's being counted as a "motorway," but 10/28 at ATL isn't the only operational U.S. runway built over an operational public road. BNA (Nashville's) runway 2C/20C crossing Murfreesboro Road, a.k.a. Highway 70S. It's not as large or busy of a road as I-285, but it is six lanes wide with quite a bit of traffic. I didn't know that about the SIDs and STARs being named after Tolkien and Star Wars characters, though. That's awesome. The ones we have at BNA are named after country music. So, our STARs are mostly named after (country music) stars. As far as experiences at ATL... as a Delta frequent flyer based in Nashville, I fly through ATL quite often. Aside from its efficient design for airplanes, it also has a very efficient (albeit not very luxurious) design for passengers. It's the busiest airport on Earth and I can get from any gate to any other in 15 minutes or less. Those parallel concourses are all connected to each other by a train that runs underground through the middle of the concourses, so you never need to walk much more than the length of one concourse for any possible connection... unless you just want to walk a lot, in which case there's also a large walkway (with moving walkways) that runs the full length of the airport between the train tracks. It's about 1.3 miles from concourse T to concourse F.

[@zlm001]

Thanks.

[@NerdyAviationGuy]

Can you do a video on peking daxing airport?

[@dtwon2]

The most passenger efficient airport!

[@buckcampbell4292]

ATL is one of the least quirky airports in the U.S.

[@derek777]

0:17 0:41 7:07 that’s me!!😁

[@Rasscasse]

Do you mean you were on each of those aircraft ?

[@derek777]

@ no i recorded the shots

[@derek777]

@ look up in the top right corner

[@Rasscasse]

Oh yeah!! Fame at last!!

[@Rasscasse]

You have the Simple Flying seal of approval!! 👌

[@saheelsaqlain2552]

Please do Chicago ORD

[@TheKiman2]

Passenger experience is subpar. Single point of entry for security often results in super long queue and wait times and the architecture and amenities are subpar and boring. The domestic terminals are narrow and have low ceilings and there's none of the grandness you see at other airports around the world... In the US at least, architecture-wise, O'Hare and Reagan give you the sense of wow.

[@retiredatc8720]

There is a second TSA checkpoint at the north end of the terminal (at least there was five or so years ago). ATL is not a grand experience for the passenger eye, but from an operational perspective, getting that many people to/from their gates, it is the best experience I have had in any major airport.

[@AnotherPointOfView944]

Never been there as a passenger, but would like to know if the Atlanta passenger terminal(s) are 1st class as well, or just as bad as all other US terminals.

[@ChuckConnNYC]

Same as other us airports

[@monicapappas5567]

I personally think it is one of the best. I genuinely enjoy flying through ATL.

[@annabethwivell327]

Well, I’ve flown into multiple airports in severely underdeveloped countries where the facilities are truly poor, and not just a rung below first-class Eurasian airports, so my standards may not be the same as most people here. But I’ve been through Atlanta a few times and I really liked it. It’s not aesthetically as attractive as some, it’s aimed toward serviceability rather than aesthetics. But it is very serviceable. It’s very easy to get around and navigate the airport even though it’s so huge. Unlike the maze that you get with older airports that have been retrofitted for modern-day air travel (I’m looking at you, Charles de Gaulle Airport!).

[@Microannapolis]

@@ChuckConnNYCwith the new D gates and other renovations i beg to differ. It’s been way better than most airports i’ve been in terms of tech advancements but the lobbies of the N S and I terminals sucks

[@ChuckConnNYC]

@@Microannapolis Fair enough, but as JFK is home I suppose I am used to such things - Couldn't agree more that digital ID was a game changer

[@mollari2261]

What a change from the 1990s when we called this place "malfunction junction."

[@EC4U2C_Studioz]

Should Philippine Airlines have a non-stop flight serving Atlanta Airport, this would easily make Atlanta Airport essentially the world’s busiest airport at an even busier rate than ever before.

[@jackgt1991]

I fly everywhere and live in Atlanta. It is the easiest airport I’ve ever been in to find your way.

[@eamonahern7495]

Where do passengers enter the airport? How do passengers get from one building to the next without getting in the way of planes on the ramps?

[@spades9048]

Train runs underground between all concourses or you can walk it. Originating passengers enter through either Terminal North or Terminal South. South is Delta. North is everyone else. There’s also an international terminal you can enter through but the Plane Train connects all concourses.

[@soccerguy2433]

they call it the "Plane Train"

[@MaxPower-11]

To add to the other comments, you can also access the airport using MARTA, Atlanta’s metro rail/rapid transit system.

[@icare7151]

Glad I have iPhone Maps when landing at Atlanta Airport.

[@dallascowboy2221]

I’ve figured it out, sorta, so it’s not too bad.

[@counterfit5]

You mentioned BLLBO but not BGGNS just before it? 😂

[@neverseenbeforenow]

Flown through ATL 8 times, its so quick, but it can get a little stressful with TFL screaming at me to take off my shoes but leave my watch on then change their mind 10 seconds later, Atl will Atl

[@ptauszig]

Just remember not to carry cash so you dont get robbed by the d.e.a.

[@retiredatc8720]

Apparently they stopped that as a result of that video.

[@ericjones7769]

I wonder what ever happened to Delta's ex Boeing 737-700s that they had at one point 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@Inkling777]

Flying in may be well-designed, but for drivers headed to a terminal ATL is a mess. Far too many lane changes.

[@bryanfraser4062]

@2:23 LAX and LAS (and probably others) would like to object. Both airports have runways (LAX has 2) that are built over freeways. If you meant interstates, yes, ATL is the only one. Freeways don't always have to be interstates, they are simply a road that does not have cross traffic, are access controlled (no driveways), have high rates of speed, and traffic is divided.

[@MarceloTrindade1]

Interesting video about the outside (airplanes flow). It would be better if it had some considerations about the inside as well (passengers flow)...

[@cgatlanta]

On the domestic side there’s a red and blue (north and south) side. But, it’s one big building once you enter (TSA is in the middle and exits East to planes via train) The international is all airlines and is an other side/end of train).

[@retiredatc8720]

I don't think there could be a more efficient way to flow that many passengers. If you've never flown into/ out of ATL look at the overhead map of the concourses. You'll go underground at the terminal and the Plane Train takes you to Concourse A, then B, etc. You exit at your concourse and take the escalator up, turn left or right, and walk to your gate. The signage is VERY easy to follow.

[@cpgoef6]

It all works well until Mother Nature has a say 😅

[@Plab1402]

Seriously hope this is the one video we're we don't fight over stupid reasons 😒

[@ChuckConnNYC]

Sticks are dumb, rocks are better

[@krishnamaggarwal9167]

​@@ChuckConnNYC you are dumb and sticks are better

[@fortyframed]

Why would there be fighting?

[@Plab1402]

@@fortyframed oh you have clearly not been paying attention to the month long fight between me and a couple other people and some diehard Boeing fan 😭

[@fortyframed]

@@Plab1402 okay, one month, with a die hard boeing fan, Im not a fan but I like some of boeing's recent planes, I can imagine that's tough, what was it even about?

[@thomasjsanford4369]

Because of it's location, Atlanta should be a regional airport, not an international one

[@EricPalm73]

What do you mean by that? Are you referring to where ATL is located geographically or the Atlanta market in general? Geographically, ATL is perfect because it's less than a two-hour flight from 80 percent of the U.S. population and doesn't suffer from a lot of the weather issues like other hubs (ie. Ohare). As an international jump-off point, Georgia is third in concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country with 19 HQs and top 20 of Fortune 500 companies in the world. A lot of credit goes to former mayor, Ambassador Andrew Young, who help homegrown global companies like Coca-Cola, Home Depot and Delta but also did a lot to bring international companies to the city. In particular, there's a large German presence here you wouldn't expect, but Atlanta is home to the North American HQ for Mercedes, Porsche, TK Elevator and others.

[@AutieTortie]

Omg, that looks like a horrible airport to have to use as a passenger.

[@Microannapolis]

@@AutieTortie it’s not really everything is just in one straight line and far apart (the annoying part)

[@Microannapolis]

@@AutieTortie inbounds are easy outbounds if u cant read or pay attention you’re cooked

[@doujinflip]

Not necessarily, it’s a very simple layout compared to some other terminals contorting to strange real estate constraints (Heathrow, JFK, and the old Doha airport come to mind).

[@liambengif7663]

It’s like a big version of Denver , everything is a simple straight line connected by trains

[@soccerguy2433]

very straight forward. plane train (tram) from terminal to terminal (a linear path). You can also walk the same route from Terminal T to International Terminal. 5 minute walk from adjacent terminals. about 35 min walk from T to International.