Atlanta's answer lies elsewhere
Chicago has two airports served by airlines, New York has several. Houston has two, as does Dallas. Atlanta has one. Atlanta is a mess.
By Ralph Hood
February 2000
One runway was closed in Atlanta during a few recent weeks. This was preceded by an official announcement that the closure should not cause significant delays. Hogwash.
Atlanta had significant delays before the closure. During the closure it should have been declared a federal disaster area.
My unscientific assessment of the situation comes strictly from my own experiences, which were so miserable that I soon told my travel agent not to book me through Atlanta at all until the runway was reopened.
It's hard to fly out of the South without going through Atlanta, but I did it. I rode commuters, I rode weird routes. But I avoided Atlanta for several trips.
Unfortunately, I had already purchased some tickets through Atlanta that couldn't be changed. Those trips were pure hell.
On one trip to Harrisburg, PA, we were held on the ground in Huntsville, AL, for two solid hours. That, of course, made me miss my connection in Atlanta. No problem, they put me on the next flight. Then they canceled that flight. While running for a third flight I got into an argument with another man's luggage cart, and hurt my foot so badly I was crippled up for weeks. I missed that flight, too. They finally got me on a flight to Washington, DC, where I rented a car and drove to Harrisburg.
Did I mention that they lost my luggage? I stopped at the Big and Fat store and spent $300 on clothes. Couldn't find any size 13 EEE shoes, so made my speech that night in coat, tie and tennis shoes.
Simply put, Atlanta needs a second airport for airline service. Rumor has it that Southwest once planned to enter the Atlanta market by way of Fulton County airport. Supposedly, the powers that be in Atlanta, gently nudged by Delta, nixed the idea. Also supposedly, Herb Kelleher, Southwest's fire-breathing entrepreneurial leader, retaliated with a vow that Southwest will never serve Atlanta so long as he might live and hold the reins.
Methinks Atlanta screwed up.
There have been many proposals for a second airport in Atlanta, but none that pleased enough people to get the job done. Now, even if they could all agree tomorrow, I doubt they could possibly build one fast enough.
I have a suggestion for Atlanta. Make Dobbins AFB a joint-use airport. It is already there. It is, I am told, underutilized. It is well located. What more could you ask for? Yes, there are political problems, but not nearly so many as in getting Atlanta and surrounding counties to agree on the when, where, how much and who pays problems of building a new airport from scratch.
