New Atlanta International Terminal

[Beach Runner]

Have any of you flown out of there? Hubby did for the first time yesterday. First of all, if you're coming from 85 south of the airport, you don't exit right off 85. You get onto 285 east, get onto 75 north, then exit onto a parkway that takes you west to the terminal (parallel to 285 that you were just going east on).

Hubby has global entry (was interviewed and paid for a background check) so he doesn't have to go through security. He travels A LOT and this makes it so convenient for him -- he goes through a special line, shows security his card, and he's outta there. Global entry is honored at every airport that he flies in and out of. Security at the old Atlanta terminal honored it. Security at the new Atlanta international terminal doesn't. So he had to go through the whole take off your shoes, take out your laptop, etc., etc. thing, Once he did that, his flight was leaving from Concourse E! So he had to take a train all the way back to the old terminal.

Makes no sense to me.

Oh, and then to leave the new terminal, I had to drive along a circuitous path of 6 miles of frontage roads to finally get back to 285 at the exit just before the exit to 85 south.

BTW it's not on Google maps yet.

Hubby says the terminal is pretty, but not more convenient for international passengers as it was touted to be.

If you've been there, just curious what your experiences there have been like.

 

[librarian]

thanks for the warning -haven't' used it yet but hubby may be in July and I'll alert him to these newly inconvenient conveniences.

 

[Will B]

Not sure which way you went to get back on 285. If you come out from the terminal and turn right on Loop Rd, the entrance to 285 is about a mile away. Easy! Sounds to me like you missed it and wound up driving behind the south cargo facility and over to Riverdale Rd.

Be warned...not all international flights go out of the new terminal. Not sure that they ever will. I know that either Air France or Korean is going to operate the new Airbus A380. It's too big and will have to go into gates E1 and E2 simultaneously.

On the other hand, if you have no luggage, are on a domestic flight, and are coming from the 75 corridor, you can check in there and take the train to your gates. It'll save you some driving.

 

[Beach Runner]

Not sure which way you went to get back on 285. If you come out from the terminal and turn right on Loop Rd, the entrance to 285 is about a mile away. Easy! Sounds to me like you missed it and wound up driving behind the south cargo facility and over to Riverdale Rd.

Be warned...not all international flights go out of the new terminal. Not sure that they ever will. I know that either Air France or Korean is going to operate the new Airbus A380. It's too big and will have to go into gates E1 and E2 simultaneously.

On the other hand, if you have no luggage, are on a domestic flight, and are coming from the 75 corridor, you can check in there and take the train to your gates. It'll save you some driving.

It seemed like all of the Delta international flights were leaving out of the old terminal.

That's what I did. Left the terminal and took the first right. Never was on Riverdale Road. Came out of the loop road just west of Clark Howell onto 285 west. Then quickly got onto 85 south at that confusing intersection at 285. From the point at which I left the terminal to when I hit 85, it was 6 miles.

Well, I'll get a chance to try it out again on Friday when I pick hubby up. I needed his SUV to drive to Seagrove because I was taking big Pepper in her crate, and that doesn't fit into my car.

Would hubby have been better off being dropped off at the domestic terminal because he was flying Delta to Paris? Or would he have had to have gone through security twice to get to his Paris flight even though he has global entry? It just seems crazy to go to the international terminal, check in, and then go back to the domestic terminal.

 

[tistheseason]

I haven't been yet. But my husband was there today. He said it was ok. He was picking up a minor coming in on an Air France flight and they kept switching the gate from E to F. Which is a bit of a pain. But if it will solve the stupid re-checking bags thing that Atlanta does when you come in through customs, I'm all for it! I have never understood that double check bag system -- and when I'm tired coming back into the country, it's really puts me over the edge!

 

[Beach Runner]

I haven't been yet. But my husband was there today. He said it was ok. He was picking up a minor coming in on an Air France flight and they kept switching the gate from E to F. Which is a bit of a pain. But if it will solve the stupid re-checking bags thing that Atlanta does when you come in through customs, I'm all for it! I have never understood that double check bag system -- and when I'm tired coming back into the country, it's really puts me over the edge!

Oh, yeah. Waiting for your bags before going through customs and then waiting for them a second time at the main baggage claim after a long trip is just too much.

 

[Will B]

That's what I did. Left the terminal and took the first right. Never was on Riverdale Road. Came out of the loop road just west of Clark Howell onto 285 west. Then quickly got onto 85 south at that confusing intersection at 285. From the point at which I left the terminal to when I hit 85, it was 6 miles.

My bad...I thought you were saying it was six miles to even get to the highway.