Atlanta --- what a terrible hub!

[jodifla]

Can't believe they chose this as one of the U.S.'s busiest hubs. It's WAY too small and crowded for the amount of people they have going through there. Horrible layout as well.

Luckily, I don't have to fly through there too often. I'll redouble my efforts to do so even less!

It was GREAT to return to Detroit, which has a truly beautiful, comfortable, spacious, well designed -- and quite pretty -- hub.

 

[Brian Noble]

As a DTW local, I (perhaps surprisingly) don't mind flying through ATL. Each "arm" has its own restaurants/services unlike MSP, where you can be *far* from, e.g. a SkyClub or a restaurant. The shuttle between arms seems to work adequately, whereas at MSP (or SLC) you might (or might not) have a long walk ahead of you.

Don't get me wrong, I like MSP, and SLC is okay, but ATL isn't so bad either---certainly better than my few experiences at ORD.

 

[DebbieB]

I travel alot for work. I like DTW as a hub, it's easy to get around. When going south, I favor ATL as a hub being that there are alot of options if there are problems. Hubs I avoid - northeast metro areas - PHL, EWR, JFK, LGA.

 

[magicaldisney]

I chuckled to myself when I read your post. Not because of you, but because of me. I've always considered Atlanta a HUGE hub and here you are thinking it is too small!!!

 

[safetymom]

I love flying through Atlanta.

 

[SondraC]

I think it also seems small because it is the busiest airport! Worldwide!

 

[uva185]

I hate ATL too. Its just one reason I stopped flying Delta.

 

[lorac4disney]

I agree that it is extremely crowded at ATL. For the volume going through there, you would think that it would be much bigger. I cringe whenever I have to go through there. I guess that is why I prefer non-stop flights whenever possible.

 

[NancyIL]

Don't get me wrong, I like MSP, and SLC is okay, but ATL isn't so bad either---certainly better than my few experiences at ORD.

I live in central IL, so just about any flight on American has to connect through O'Hare. It's a big airport, but I rarely have any problem going from G (American Eagle) to H or K for American flights.

When considering Delta flights from Orlando to Bloomington, IL in December, my choices were to connect in Atlanta, Detroit, or Minneapolis. I would much rather connect in Atlanta in the winter than chance getting stuck in Minneapolis or Detroit.

 

[NotUrsula]

Ah, but the opposite is also true -- connecting at ATL in summer can be nightmarish because of heat and summer storms. DH now categorically refuses to connect in Atlanta between March and October, after the time we ended up sitting on a runway for 3 hours one July afternoon, on an MD-80 whose A/C only worked when it was flying. People were throwing up all over the place from the heat, including our son, who got sick all over me and several seats. No one could clean up because we were waiting for clearance to go, so we were all strapped in our seats the entire time, including the FA's. It was a certified waking nightmare in the middle of the day.

Hartsfield's passenger facilities are actually very large, at 5.8 million sq. ft. It seems small because it is crowded: it hit capacity not long after it opened, and exceeded it when AirTran opened a hub. Now, with the NWA merger the situation has just gotten ridiculous. Total ATL passenger numbers for 2008 were just over 90 million, as compared to 35 million for DTW, before the NWA merger.

 

[maxiesmom]

It is very interesting to get other people's perspective on this. I find Atlanta to be huge, but very easy to navigate. The only thing I really don't like is how long you can taxi around after you land. It seems you are driving for miles and miles sometimes!

I just flew thur Atlanta on the way to Grand Rapids over Spring Break. And I was actually quite suprised at how easy that connection was. We loaded up pretty darn fast, and didn't have to wait forever on the runway before taking off. I had expected it to be a nightmare, and it wasn't at all!

I want to add that Detroit is a joy now compared to how it was a few years ago. They have done a great job remodeling it.

 

[Tara]

I agree that Atlanta is pretty honking big! I've never had much of a problem getting around other than the fact that the train level is always so hot! (and I'm very cold-natured, so if I think it's hot, I can't imagine how "normal" people feel!

It also think it's a tad bit unfair to compare it to the truly lovely A concourse in Detroit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the A terminal isn't much more than 10 years old and it is open and airy and spacious because it was built AFTER Detroit became such a big hub. Atlanta, OTOH, has been more of a retrofit situation in which older concourses have been upgraded and modernized, but no major new construction has taken place to replace existing concourses.

 

[Brian Noble]

The DTW A concourse is one of the very few upsides to living in the Detroit metro area...

 

[jodifla]

I agree that Atlanta is pretty honking big! I've never had much of a problem getting around other than the fact that the train level is always so hot! (and I'm very cold-natured, so if I think it's hot, I can't imagine how "normal" people feel!

It also think it's a tad bit unfair to compare it to the truly lovely A concourse in Detroit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the A terminal isn't much more than 10 years old and it is open and airy and spacious because it was built AFTER Detroit became such a big hub. Atlanta, OTOH, has been more of a retrofit situation in which older concourses have been upgraded and modernized, but no major new construction has taken place to replace existing concourses.

You are right, it is an unfair comparison in a lot of ways. But if I have a choice, I'd not connect in Atlanta.

I had 50 minutes between plans (Delta's planned connection) and we were a half-hour late. I landed in A7 and had to make my way to D33 in the 20 minutes. I ran through what was an obstacle course of people...the corridors were just jammed.

On the way back, "mechanical issues" delayed my plane by three hours. I was able to get a standby flight that was only an hour and half behind mine, but I was the last person on that flight, with 30 more people behind me trying to get on. It looks as though there are a LOT of missed flights in Atlanta, as there are huge kiosks saying "MISSED YOUR FLIGHT? SCAN YOUR TICKET HERE TO BE REROUTED."

 

[jodifla]

Ah, but the opposite is also true -- connecting at ATL in summer can be nightmarish because of heat and summer storms. DH now categorically refuses to connect in Atlanta between March and October, after the time we ended up sitting on a runway for 3 hours one July afternoon, on an MD-80 whose A/C only worked when it was flying. People were throwing up all over the place from the heat, including our son, who got sick all over me and several seats. No one could clean up because we were waiting for clearance to go, so we were all strapped in our seats the entire time, including the FA's. It was a certified waking nightmare in the middle of the day.

Hartsfield's passenger facilities are actually very large, at 5.8 million sq. ft. It seems small because it is crowded: it hit capacity not long after it opened, and exceeded it when AirTran opened a hub. Now, with the NWA merger the situation has just gotten ridiculous. Total ATL passenger numbers for 2008 were just over 90 million, as compared to 35 million for DTW, before the NWA merger.

This is TERRIBLE! I can't believe it's legal.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, now I think that it woudn't be (because of the new runway hold law), but 9 years ago it was.

Also, I'm not sure if there are any US airlines that still fly MD-80's, because they are serious fuel hogs. That A/C thing was an ugly quirk of the aircraft, and after that I made sure never to fly on them in summer.

 

[DebbieB]

Delta and American still fly MD-80's.

 

[PurplePinkleEater]

I don't mind Atlanta as far as flying goes, but while there I've had a new venti carmel apple cider from a Starbucks dumped all over my new canvas tennis shoes when a guy bumped into me while rushing past. And that idiot woman who nuked my Cinnabon...the LAST one they had...too long, which you know, when they cool, it ends up dry and tough.

I'm scarred for life.