Frontier Airlines a year and a half ago began flying internationally from Atlanta, but international passengers check in at Frontier’s domestic terminal check-in counter. Some new international flights have increased demand for the terminal-to-terminal shuttle. The airport is studying international terminal parking deck use, Bheodari said. That’s in addition to the regular volume of MARTA users and airport workers who rely on the shuttles. The full parking decks are prompting some international travelers to park on the domestic terminal side of the airport, increasing terminal-to-terminal shuttle ridership. That is happening even though international flight volumes have not yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to Bheodari. There are also staffing issues, Bheodari said, with shuttle operators competing for drivers who are in high demand.Īnother contributing factor to long passenger lines and waits at the international terminal are full parking decks at peak times. That’s partly because of supply chain delays for repairs to some of the shuttles, especially vehicles that run on compressed natural gas, according to Hartsfield-Jackson Chief Commercial Officer Jai Ferrell. The airport’s terminal-to-terminal shuttle operation has 18 shuttles in its fleet, but has only been using four of them, to the chagrin of waylaid passengers. A form of transit called Personal Rapid Transit - essentially podcars on a segregated track - would be “very expensive,” he said. “I’m very supportive of a transportation solution,” Bheodari said. Separately, the ATL Airport Community Improvement District has for years pursued possibilities for transportation options along the road between the international terminal and domestic terminal. It’s yet to be seen if the changes will reduce shuttle waits. He said he will also look into traffic management and signs to better direct motorists on crowded airport roads, as well as curbside options for passengers with disabilities.Īnd Bheodari said he has authorized the start of planning to expand international terminal parking. In an attempt to alleviate congestion caused by motorists picking up and dropping off passengers at the curb, the airport will now allow motorists to park for free in airport-run decks for up to 30 minutes, Bheodari said. “Is there anyone in charge of airport operations who cares?”Īmong the issues contributing to long waits are gridlock on airport roadways amid parking deck construction at the domestic terminal, along with heavy traffic at the international terminal. “We felt trapped in the endless shuttle line,” she added. Milton resident Stephanie Batcos said she waited more than 90 minutes for the shuttle after a trans-Atlantic flight earlier this month. “Hartsfield-Jackson does so many things very well but this situation has become an international embarrassment,” Kimbrough wrote in an e-mail to the AJC. ‘We felt trapped’Ĭraig Kimbrough, a traveler who lives in Atlanta, said he recently helped an elderly Dutch couple who waited more than an hour in line for the shuttle following their long international flight. The shuttles also help international passengers connect to the rental car center. Instead, the airport relies on terminal-to-terminal shuttle buses to transport arriving international passengers to the domestic terminal where the MARTA station sits or to return to their parked cars on that side of the airport. While there is a Plane Train beyond the security checkpoints to whisk ticketed passengers between terminals and concourses, outside the airport there is no train to carry people between the terminals, which are miles apart on opposite sides of the airfield.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |