"Security wait times under 15 minutes, Hartsfield officials say"

Monday, November 26, 2007

Thanksgiving travel finishing smoothly, rain delaying flights
By S.A. REID
The Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution


Thanksgiving holiday-related travel was going smoother than even
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport officials expected Sunday in what
could be a record-setting day for airport volume - despite an on and off
drizzle that delayed some flights.

Low visibility due to fog was causing delays of up to two hours for some
arrivals Sunday night. Departures to New York and Chicago were also
experiencing weather-related delays, according to the Federal Aviation
Administration.

Security checkpoint wait times varied throughout the day, hovering around 25
minutes at mid-morning and falling to 10 to 15 minutes in the early
afternoon. All Transportation Security Administration lanes were open, and
extra customer service representatives were on duty, airport and TSA
officials said.

Hartsfield-Jackson has more than prepared for the record 324,000 travelers
expected to pass through the airport Sunday and the 305,000 anticipated
today, according to Hershel Grangent, an airport spokesman.

The airport worked with TSA to make sure all of its 28 checkpoint lanes
remained open all week, and that screeners were brought in from elsewhere to
help handle the crowds, Grangent said.

"We basically over-planned to account for any kind of crush of people coming
through," he said. "It looks like it's working for us."

Final figures could show Hartsfield-Jackson, the world's busiest airport,
handled an estimated 1.8 million passengers in the holiday week ending
Tuesday, 4.6 percent more than last year, Grangent said.

Winterlike weather, especially low cloud cover that reduced visibility,
caused delays of up to 15 minutes Sunday afternoon for incoming flights,
Delta and AirTran airline officials said.

"The rest of the system [outside Atlanta] is doing fantastic," said Delta
spokeswoman Susan Elliott.

AirTran spokesman Dave Hirschman said strong headwinds were slowing flights
from the Northeast.

"So far things are going well," Hirschman said. "Like everyone else in
Georgia, we're glad to see more rain, but we wish it would have held off for
about 12 hours to get us through this heavy travel day."

"Today, it was families and other people wrapping up their holiday travel,"
said Jon Allen, an Atlanta-based TSA spokesman. "Tomorrow, it will be a
combination of that and business travelers who start their work week by
flying out on Monday morning."

On the weather front, the misting drizzle was expected to continue through
Sunday night, with a 60 percent chance of rain, said Stephen Konarik, a
meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The rain could pick up a little overnight, but the real chance for some
much-needed accumulation is expected today; the forecast calls for a 80
percent chance of rain. Konarik said the Atlanta area could get up to an
inch.

For airline passengers, there could be a downside. Lightning and heavy rains
could cause some daytime delays, Konarik said.

But today's rain is expected to taper off later in the day, with just a 20
percent chance of showers by nightfall, he said. The skies are expected to
be mostly sunny by Tuesday.


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