CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is gearing up for a record summer. It’s also continuing to welcome the world with the global spotlight of the FIFA World Cup.
“We had over 100, over 375,000 people come to the airport on Friday. So these are a lot of people who are beginning their Fourth of July visit. Some of them are FIFA as well,” Ricky Smith, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
It’s already shaping up to be one of the busiest travel seasons of the year at the world’s busiest airport.
“We expect the days after Fourth July, the 5th and the 6th, to approach about 370,000 travelers as well on each one of those days. But we’re prepared. I mean, we’re the busiest airport in the world,” Smith said.
He knows the stakes are higher as the airport is also serving as a major gateway for FIFA fans from around the globe.
“From gates the goals, right,” Smith said. “The goal there is to make sure that not just that you get through the airport in a seamless way with great experience, but when you leave the airport and you’re using model or whatever form of transportation you use to get to the games, that you have a pleasant experience.”
Smith says preparations for FIFA have been underway for years, from infrastructure upgrades to enhanced customer service.
“If you go into our international concourses, you’ll see many of the countries that are competing in FIFA here in Atlanta,” Smith said.
His message for holiday travelers is simple: Plan ahead arrive two hours early for a domestic flight, three if you are flying international.
“You won’t have any issues with TSA. We’ve introduced some new features there to get people through more quickly,” Smith said.
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