ATL To Fill 2,000 Positions

Next spring's opening of a new international terminal at the Atlanta airport will bring more than just room for more people and planes. Airport officials say they expect about 2,000 new jobs to be created as a result of the $1.4 billion terminal.

Some of the jobs will be at the airport itself, while others will be in surrounding hotels and related businesses, they say.

Either way, the project --- which has already accounted for about 3,000 jobs during years of planning and construction --- could be one of the largest job generators in recent years for metro Atlanta, which continues to struggle with high unemployment.

Specifics on the jobs, such as which companies will be hiring and how much they will pay, remain limited. The city has yet to pick concessionaires for the new terminal, for example.

Hartsfield-Jackson International's general manager, Louis Miller, said he expects not only concessionaires but also airlines, ground handling firms and government agencies to add jobs for various operations at the 1.2 million-square-foot international terminal.

The terminal will include 12 new gates, eight security checkpoint lanes for international passengers, five security recheck lanes for passengers connecting to domestic flights, parking decks, stores and restaurants, lounges, shuttles and other services.

"There will be some job growth there," agreed Bruce Seaman, an associate professor of economics at Georgia State University, but he added the deeper, longer-term effect will come as the terminal enhances Atlanta's standing as an international air gateway.

The ultimate economic impact will depend on airlines adding international flights, which could take time, Seaman said.

Metro Atlanta's unemployment rate rose to 10.4 percent in August, according to the Georgia Department of Labor, with more layoffs in construction, trade, administrative and support services, and accommodation and food services. The region had 25,900 fewer jobs in September compared with a year earlier, a decline of about 1 percent, according to the department.

The airport is owned and run by Atlanta, and major city contractors such as large concessionaires must fill half of their entry-level positions through the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency's First Source registry.

The city itself is adding about 73 positions for the international terminal, most of them police officers to cover the terminal, baggage claim, roadways and other areas.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, the largest airline tenant for the airport and the new terminal, expects to add a few hundred positions, but the company has not yet announced whether those jobs will be new openings, transfers or upgrades from part-time to full-time work, Delta spokesman Anthony Black said.

The Transportation Security Administration last spring said it hoped to add about 200 part-time workers as it prepares for the terminal opening. The agency, which has about 1,000 officers in Atlanta, has hired about 90 people so far, TSA spokesman Jon Allen said.

The TSA jobs start at $14.59 an hour, and the agency's posting last spring drew about 6,000 applications, Allen said. The agency would draw from that pool for additional hiring, he added.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also add positions, according to Miller, the airport chief, but that agency does not discuss specifics on staffing at particular ports.

"As we get close, we're going to have a lot going on," Miller said. "It's a large expansion."

Where the jobs are

TSA: hiring about 200 officers, already has 6,000 applications

City of Atlanta: adding 73 positions, most of them police officers to cover public areas

Retail, parking, shuttles: number unclear until contracts awarded; significant chunk will come via Atlanta Workforce Development Agency's First Source registry (atlantaworkforce.org)

Airlines: Delta will add some jobs, but could be transfers or upgrades from part time