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Atlanta Airport Background.....
The Atlanta International Airport is enormous. For what is commonly referred to as “the busiest airport in America,” the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta offers an experience that isn’t nearly as bad as it could be. Anyone who has ever visited the facility would attest to the “largeness” of it all. It has it all. I counted dozens of restaurants, actually 29 just in the “A” concourse. Dozens more exist in other concourses. How about the most annual passenger movement in the world at 90 million passengers in 2010? It is a city unto itself. At over 55,000 employees, this facility is the largest single employer in the state of Georgia.
It is no exaggeration to say that this airport is crawling with travelers. If you take a look on some of the airline service maps, you’ll notice that the number of routes out of and into Hartsfield-Jackson is…above average, to say the least. This means that, in addition to serving as a starting point of many trips and as a destination for business travelers and vacationers from around the world, Atlanta frequently appears as a stopover on both domestic and international flights. Expect to encounter the full gambit of traveler “types.” And if your stopover is long enough to warrant an in-airport nap, earplugs are essential. Security staff friendliness levels frequently leave something to be desired, due likely to the large amount of confused and irritated travelers each officer is subjected to each day. And the bathrooms (Oh, the bathrooms!) can get pretty messy during periods of heavy travel. The Atlanta Airport is huge, but it is no royal palace. Why is the Atlanta Airport so big? Location, Location, Location. I use this phrase because the Hartsfield-Jackson facility exists within a 2-hour flight of over 3/4ths of the entire U. S. Population.
Atlanta Airport Car Rental Services.....
The airport is not just big. It’s also smart. So when it comes time to talk car rental, Atlanta (Jackson – Hartsfield) certainly has it together. They need to because more than 2,000,000 folks rent cars or other vehicles at the Atlanta airport. There has to be a streamlined approach to move that many folks around, so the airport management came up with a solution a few years ago.
Late in 2009, the Atlanta International Airport (Hartsfield) released to the public a fabulous 67 ½ acre facility that contains all of its rental car companies’ vehicles and operations areas. In this rental car facility are all of its agencies, including Advantage, Airport, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, E-Z, Hertz, I-Travel, National, Thrifty and Payless.
How do you get to this 60-acre plus facility? First, collect your checked baggage at one of the claim areas (currently there is a North area and a South area.) Then you will follow the signs (well-marked, by the way) and placards to the center. Leave the terminal thru the west-end via the covered walkway. You will then ride an escalator to the Atlanta Sky-Train station and ride it to Conrac (the acronym name for the new rental car facility). All rental car operations including payment (if pre-payment hasn’t been made), pick-ups and drop-offs will be located within the new facility. Currently the wait to get on the Sky-Train takes about 3 minutes and the actual trip to the rental car facility will take about 5 minutes.
Note that the Skytrain (the vehicle that delivers passengers to and from the car rental facility) doesn’t have a connection to the train that delivers the passengers to and from Atlanta airport concourse and terminal operations.
Use Eurocarrental.net to run costs on every rental car company in the Atlanta airport facility. See what you come up with and reserve your car today!
Other Airport Amenities.....
While there are many negative aspects to visiting an airport so heavily trafficked and in-demand as this one, the Atlanta airport’s identity as a thoroughfare also results in a few unique benefits. This airport is spacious—so spacious, in fact, that it has its own set of underground trains to help transport passengers to their concourses. Called the Automated People Mover, this system of nine four-car trains transports passengers across the airport at an efficiency that far surpasses the shuttles and trams of other airports I’ve visited. Simply roll your luggage onto the train, grab one of the many support bars or seating benches, and take the less than 3 minute ride to your concourse. The immense size of this airport also means that, even though the common areas are heavily populated and noisy, relatively quiet and peaceful nooks are available for discovery.
In addition, the heavy traffic attracts a long list of businesses and food chains to serve commuters. Expect to find a restaurant to serve even the pickiest of eaters, and stores varied enough to give otherwise idle travelers something interesting to look at.
If your plane ticket happens to be booked through Delta, you can pay between $40 and $50 to access one of the many Delta Club Sky Lounges located throughout the airport. These lounges offer nice amenities, such as drinks, comfortable furniture, and free Wi-Fi access.
Rental Car Driving Distances.....
Upon leaving the Atlanta Airport, you will no doubt, have a place in mind that you'd like to drive to in your newly rented car. So, we took the time to compile a list of towns nearby. Hopefully these estimates (that's all they are is estimates - If you need exact driving distances we always recommend a GPS for your rental car trip) will assist you in your journies. So, here it goes:
Atlanta Airport to Downtown Atlanta, 10 Miles.
Atlanta Airport to Augusta, 165 Miles.
Atlanta Airport to Columbia, 215 Miles.
Atlanta Airport to Charloote, 240 Miles.
Atlanta Airport to Birmingham, 145 Miles.
Atlanta Airport to Chattanooga, 115 Miles
Atlanta Airport to Montgomery, 145 Miles
Atlanta Airport to Athens, 75 Miles.
Car Rental Choices Available.....
There are many types of cars available to rent at the Atlanta Airport. These would currently include Economy Cars, Intermediate Sedans, Luxury Cars, SUV's, and even minivans. Use the booking engine above and you should find what you're looking for.
Finally.....
Overall, the Atlanta International Airport offers the same sense of efficiency, vibrancy, and chaos for which the city of Atlanta has become famous. It has all of the downfalls of a large and busy airport, but also offers some unexpected amenities. If you can learn to take the good with the bad, Hartsfield-Jackson should afford you an overall pleasant—if chaotic—experience.