Even though the Fourth of July holiday has come to an end, another busy travel day is expected on Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The typical start of the workweek is when road warriors take flight. They’ll be joined by leisure travelers who made a long holiday out of the Independence Day travel period.
As of about 7 a.m., domestic security wait times were approaching 20 minutes at the three main domestic checkpoints and about 12 minutes for the South PreCheck line, according to the airport website. The posted wait time for the International terminal checkpoint was about 10 minutes.
More than 364,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport on Monday. The busiest day of the July Fourth period was Friday, June 28, with 367,000 forecast passengers.
To beat long security lines, crowds, and parking snafus, airport officials are recommending travelers arrive at least 2.5 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international flights. Travelers requiring wheelchair assistance should allow even more time. Peak wait times for security screening can reach 40 minutes or more during busy periods at the Atlanta airport.
Travelers should also prepare for potential congestion on airport roads.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Ashley and Jason McErlain, who were returning home to Illinois after a trip to Atlanta, lamented the long lines in the domestic terminal after checking their luggage. The couple, who flew into Atlanta on Friday to see the Braves play the Phillies at Truist Park for their anniversary, called Hartsfield-Jackson their least favorite airport in the U.S.
“We’ve traveled all overseas and been to different airports, and it’s frustrating,” said Ashley McErlain. “There’s no organization here when it comes to trying to put things together.”
AAA has said it expects the number of people traveling over the Fourth of July period to set records in Georgia and nationally. More than 70.9 million people in the United States are expected to travel at least 50 miles over the Independence Day period by air, automobile and other modes of transportation. That includes 2.3 million people in Georgia.
Over the Independence Day travel period across the country, the Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen more than 32 million people, up 5.4% from 2023 levels. On June 23, 2.99 million people were screened at TSA checkpoints across the country, the most ever in a single day. On June 28, this number was 2.93 million.
Because this year’s Independence Day fell on a Thursday, airports prepared for and saw increased passenger volume the weekend before the holiday and cautioned volumes would remain high after the holiday.
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