Atlanta’s air travelers bracing for impact of big parking changes at Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta airport warns to plan ahead for parking
What passengers say could be a years’ long parking nightmare started Monday at the world’s busiest airport. Overnight, crews shut down the South Economy Parking Lot to make way for a new deck that's expected to double capacity. But here’s the problem, parking could be difficult for years, including the upcoming holiday season.
ATLANTA - On Monday at the stroke of midnight, the South Economy Parking Lot at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will shut down to make way for a new parking deck, eliminating more than 3,000 spots temporarily.
The airport says it will be a challenge to find space for a car as they work on their master plan to overhaul parking.
"It’s moving really, really slow, a lot of congestion," observed Gekeetah Williams, traveling from Chicago. "If it’s gonna be worse than this, it’s gonna be a problem."
Airport officials and travel industry insiders plan for it to be.
"We always recommend anything you can do to take stress out of the equation," said Brett Snyder, who started a travel assistance company called Cranky Concierge. "Get a ride from a friend who owes you a favor, you can take rideshare, taxi, Marta -- anything that will work that can avoid that hassle is always good. If you are going to drive, you can always book parking in advance."
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The airport offers online parking reservations in advance in the west deck, select lot, and international lot. Snyder also recommended the website CheapAirportParking.com, which advertised daily rates at ATL starting at $6.
The parking lot closure comes as the airport reopens the closed portions of the North Deck. It is one of three they will build at the domestic terminal in the next 10 to 15 years.
"We’re really excited about the program, but I’m just going to get to the point, it’s not going to be very nice," said Jai Ferrel, an airport deputy general manager.
The first parking deck will open in late 2026 at a cost of $514 million. The airport says it will have nearly 7,000 spaces and feature smart technology.
"Once completed, this structure would tremendously benefit our passengers in terms of space availability, technology and convenience," said Jan Lennon, another airport deputy general manager.
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Once the first deck is completed, they will demolish and replace the current South Deck before doing the same to the North Deck.
Once the upgrades are completed, they believe they will have enough parking for at least 30 to 50 years.
The airport says there are options like ATL West or ATL Select. They recommend you have a plan and follow signs to available parking. If your car is parked in the lot beyond Oct. 23, the airport says it will relocate it to another airport lot. Impacted passengers would need to reach out to the parking office to be told where their car is located.
FOX 5’s Tyler Fingert contributed to this report.