Hartsfield-Jackson sees record-breaking number of travelers ahead of Memorial Day weekend

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is on course to break another record with the number of travelers passing through in a single day.

The Transportation Security Administration says 111,000 people passed through its security checkpoints on Thursday. That broke the previous record of 104,174 which was set on the Monday after Atlanta hosted the Super Bowl back in 2019.

Channel 2′s Bryan Mims was at the airport Friday where there was again heavy crowds.

“With the way things are going with people flying again, just like they did well before the pandemic, I think people are more confident in flying and traveling now,” Airport spokesman Herschel Grangent Jr. said.

Grangent said operations were going smoothly Friday and wait times at security checkpoints were mostly under 10 minutes. But the airport hit some bumps Thursday night when a conveyor belt for screening baggage broke down in the International Terminal, causing luggage to pile up at the check-in counters. TSA workers had to carry bags to the screeners.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

A TSA spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News that the problem was fixed quickly, and the belt was moving again after about 30 minutes. Still, with so many travelers, it didn’t take long to create a backlog.

“It doesn’t take much with the volume of passengers and bags coming in,” Grangent said. “A delay of 10 or 15 seconds up to a couple of minutes can be a delay of 30 minutes on the back end.”

Airport officials urge travelers to arrive at least two hours before their flight and to check the airport’s official website for the latest on checkpoint screening times and flight information.

Nick LaRoche of Connecticut often travels through Atlanta, but he says he’d never seen it as busy as it was Friday afternoon.

“Right here it’s a zoo right now,” he said. “Last time I was here, it was a lot quieter. Definitely less people and definitely less rushed.”

TRENDING STORIES:

• Family provides new update on GA grandmother who got sick on cruise, stuck in Dominican Republic
• Gwinnett DA charges driver who hit, killed 4-year-old in Mall of Georgia parking lot
• Newly-elected Georgia state representative accused of lying about sorority membership

As for how smooth the experience is depends on who you ask.

Celine Hampson flew in from Philadelphia and described it as a breeze. “I braced for the worst actually,” she said. “I thought it was gonna be worse than this, so it’s really a lot lighter than I expected.”

But Esta Montanez, who’s flying to Puerto Rico, said it was a big hassle getting to the airport.

“Today has probably been the busiest day I’ve ever seen,” she said. Asked what advice she’d give to others heading to the airport: “Just stay home. Please stay home,” she said, laughing.

“That’s clearly not a choice for the many thousands swarming to Atlanta’s airport. “Be patient,” she continued. “Because it will be busy.”

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Family suing police and Buckhead restaurant 2 years after son's death at Fogo De Chao

©2024 Cox Media Group