New access restrictions are now in effect at the airport in Atlanta at both the international terminal and the domestic terminal in compliance with legislation that was passed by the Atlanta City Council on Monday, February 19, 2024, as only ticketed passengers and other select personnel are allowed to go through the security checkpoints of the Transportation Security Administration.
New Access Restrictions In Effect at Airport in Atlanta
“Effective April 2024, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) implemented new regulations in compliance with legislation passed by the Atlanta City Council. As a result, access to the Airport will be restricted 24/7 to ticketed passengers, personnel, individuals meeting or greeting passengers, those performing facility maintenance, and others who have legitimate business to conduct at the Airport”, according to this official announcement as governed by City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances Chapter 22 – Aviation, Article III, Division 3, Subdivision I, Section 22-115. “Passengers should plan to arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to scheduled domestic departures and three hours prior to international departures. Wait times at the screening checkpoint vary throughout the day. The busiest times usually occur between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., as well as days before and after holidays and long weekends. During peak times, please allow additional time for parking, rental car drop-off, airline check-in, and security screening.”
In addition to both terminals, the new legislation also includes the ATL SkyTrain, the Rental Car Center, and all parking decks. Violators of the new ordinance are subject to arrest and prosecution.
The priority of maintaining a safe and secure environment for passengers, workers, and vendors is the main reason for this legislation. Law enforcement officers may engage with individuals to verify their purpose at the airport. Individuals may be asked to show their boarding passes or proof of business at the airport.
Airlines may issue gate passes that allow one adult to accompany a disabled passenger or minor traveling alone. Gate passes are issued at the discretion of each airline. Certain items are not allowed beyond security checkpoints or aboard an aircraft.
The airport was experiencing a significant increase in the homeless population back in 2019. With the increase in population of homeless people also came an increase in health and safety issues. Because as many as 300 people would spend the night at the airport, the new ordinance was approved in order to address the issue of individuals who seek shelter at the airport.
Although the number of people who traveled to the airport to seek shelter declined after the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority — which is more popularly known as MARTA — put a plan in place to assist individuals in finding alternative accommodations, too many people still headed to the airport when the weather was cold or they simply had no other place to go.
Hours of Operation
Passengers can access all concourses and gates from any security checkpoint at the airport.
Location |
Screening Categories |
Hours of Operation |
| Domestic Terminal Main | Standard Screening | 24 Hours |
| Domestic Terminal North | Standard Screening
Priority Screening |
3:30 in the morning to 10:00 in the evening |
| Domestic Terminal Lower North | Standard Screening
CLEAR Standard |
3:30 in the morning to 11:00 in the evening |
| Domestic Terminal South | TSA PreCheck
CLEAR with TSA PreCheck |
4:00 in the morning to 10:00 in the evening |
| International Terminal Departures | Standard Screening
TSA PreCheck |
4:30 in the morning to midnight
7:00 in the morning to 10:00 in the morning 2:00 in the afternoon to 7:00 in the evening |
The screening hours of the Transportation Security Administration are subject to change.
Final Boarding Call
When winter arrives, so does the typical onslaught of frigid weather, blustery winds and frozen precipitation. The natural inclination to someone who is homeless is to answer the survival instinct of seeking shelter which is warm and offers reasonable comfort, which an airport provides.
I have seen quite a few people at the airport during my travels who were not ticketed passengers. Many of them would lay down in the main atrium area when it used to have more cushioned seating available. Although none of them ever accosted or bothered me, I remember reading news articles about some of them who became violent or belligerent.
I personally do not have any issue with people who are down on their luck seeking warmth in an airport terminal — which is typically heated all night long anyway — but why people who urinate or defecate on the floor in public areas of an airport do not simply use a public toilet instead is beyond me. There is no cost nor significant effort involved to do so…
…but more importantly is finding answers to resolve the homeless population in general — and doing so with dignity. Some people claim that shelters designed to temporarily house the homeless population are dangerous because they are reportedly infested with lice and bed bugs — as well as nefarious people who would think nothing of using a weapon on someone to steal their belongings.
Homelessness is a significant issue that is a problem in many major cities, with no easy answer on how to fix it. Skyrocketing real estate costs and inflation only exacerbated the situation…
…but I do not believe that converting hotel properties at airports to become affordable housing complexes or forcing hotel properties to house homeless people are the answers that will provide successful solutions…
All photographs ©2010, ©2017, and ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
