Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport—the world’s busiest—expects more than 8.3 million passengers in April and up to 115,000 security screenings on Friday, April 3, eclipsing its previous one-day record. Airport officials issued the forecast on April 2, warning travelers to arrive 2½ hours before domestic flights and three hours before international departures. The surge comes as the DHS shutdown has left TSA short-staffed for weeks. Although the White House has ordered pay restored, thousands of agents remain in backlog status, and ICE officers temporarily reassigned to checkpoints lack full screener certification. Atlanta’s city council is even exploring partial privatization of security to prevent future disruptions. For corporate travel managers, Atlanta’s crunch is a bellwether: the airport handles a disproportionate share of U.S. connecting traffic, and extended queues there ripple across national networks. Several Fortune 500 employers with Southeast hubs have moved Friday client meetings online and instructed employees to avoid tight connections through ATL. Airport management says recent deployment of advanced CT scanners has shaved minutes off each lane, but real relief depends on the broader DHS funding impasse. If weekend wait-times spike, officials warn they may cap parking-garage capacity and divert drop-off traffic to remote lots. Travel-risk advisers recommend employees enroll in TSA PreCheck or CLEAR, monitor security-line apps in real time and budget rideshare surcharges expected during peak hours.
Source: Axios Atlanta
