The holiday hustle at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was real on December 26th as passengers faced lengthy lines and some delays, with the rush of post-Christmas travel reaching its peak. An abundance of travelers wove through security and ticketing lines that stretched unusually long, reported Atlanta News First.
The airport saw its busiest surge between the early hours of 5 and 10 a.m., with security lines spilling into the baggage claim area and one traveler lamenting the scene as "just a lot," Atlanta News First captured. Statistics revealed by the airport at 11:30 a.m. showed 262 delays and a pair of cancellations; this comes as AAA predicts an inflating bubble of 7.5 million air travelers nationwide that won't burst until the new year.
Adding to the tumult, an unusual number of employees phoned in sick, which compounded the post-blizzard delay debacle as rescheduled flights from the previous day crowded the tarmac, this according to WSB-TV.
With nearly 90,000 passengers at each airport, according to spokespersons, the efforts to manage the holiday crowds have left many fatigued. Check-in counters are congested with lines, and anxiety is palpable among travelers who find themselves shuttled from one checkpoint to another, as captured by WSB-TV.
A couple reflecting on their inaugural year of cohabitation and a Christmas parental pilgrimage matter-of-factly noted the snarl to be anticipated, and advocated patience to Atlanta News First, saying, “It always helps to be a little more patient and understand that everybody is having that same kind of stress, and it doesn’t make it any better when you’re freaking out because we’re all in a line,”
Airlines and airport personnel continue to press for passengers to arrive at least two to three hours prior to their domestic departures.
