Atlanta unveils new international terminal

Terminal case: New international facilities at Atlanta International Airport

By Mark Chesnut

International travelers arriving, departing and connecting at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are likely to notice something new on their next trip, thanks to the opening last month of the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal.

The first departure from the 1.2-million-square-foot facility was a Delta Air Lines flight to Tokyo; a Delta flight from Dublin, Ireland, was the first arrival.

A variety of retail outlets, restaurants and business services — as well as 12 new gates on the brand-new Concourse F — areamong the features. Eight security checkpoint lanes for international departing passengers and five security re-check lanes for connecting domestic passengers are designed to speed the flow.

Passengers originating their international travel in Atlanta can make use of the terminal’s own entrance and check-in area, which also connects to Concourse E to create a 40-gate international complex.

Connecting passengers can take the Plane Train, which has been extended to connect Concourse F and the international terminal to the airport’s other concourses. In addition. Atlanta-bound international passengers no longer have to recheck baggage, and can exit through the international terminal.

The design itself was conceived to make a lasting impression. With sweeping lines, lots of natural light and neutral shades of tan and gray accented by honey, dark blue and red, the LEED-certified facility participates in the Airport Art Program, with four signature pieces  — each made with different material by a different artist — giving passengers a chance to gaze at something more interesting than just a bunch roll-aboard suitcases.

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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. His first international flight was to Brussels, in the early 1980s.

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