Nov 2023 Update:

Last week marked yet another successful visit to my OG hometown airport to visit the fam.

For being hailed as the “world’s busiest airport” for more years running than I can even count (and your girl is wicked good with numbers btw…), Atlanta sure knows how to get stuff done… and FAST!

I arrived at Concourse C (4 full stops away from baggage claim on the sky train for those of y’all who aren’t familiar with the layout, or half the length of the ginormous airport), and yet, from the time the plane docked at the gate, I was deplaned (no not from first class… Yelp reviews unfortunately do not pay the bills, or any bills for that matter 😂), had time to hit the restroom (zero wait time and extremely clean, thank you awesome bathroom attendants 👏🏼), rode the sky train and the super tall escalator up to baggage claim, all in less than 10 mins. And I was by no means hustling.

But I’ll tell you who was… everyone working behind the scenes at Hartsfield-Jackson (yeah, yeah, I know it’s probably called something else now, but I’m old school). Because guess whose bag was already out circling round the belt as I walked up? This girl’s! 👈🏼 (here’s looking at you, Delta Airlines 😉)

So would I recommend ATL International Airport? 1000% yes! It’s an experience to be sure, and is a city unto itself. So if you’ve never been there before, please allow yourself plenty of extra time to get your bearings so that you don’t end up completely stressed about making your flight on time (because it can be confusing if doing it at first without someone who’s been there before and knows the landscape. Plus, if you accidentally end up with some extra time to kill, there is PLENTY to see…

The international concourse is like one big shopping mall and worth checking out, even if you’re only flying domestic. 🤫

But for goodness sake, when the Sky Train tells you to “please hold on, this train is moving”… HOLD ON! It’s no joke. Every stop starts and ends with a sudden lurch that will have you unexpectedly making out with the large window at the front or the back of the train car, and the natives will snicker at you and “bless your heart” under their breath.

So if you’d like to keep your dignity (and all your teeth), please heed my advice. Otherwise, don’t say I didn’t warn you, and feel free to check out my other reviews for a referral to my personal dentist who is fantastic in a dental emergency.

Keep up the good work, ATL! I’ll see y’all on my return flight back to Portland later this week! :)

— 2022: Busiest airport in the world - yes. Most to do at any airport in the world - also yes. Got here early with more than 3 hours to kill, and it was no problem finding a restaurant that would let me post up with my laptop and my charger to work for awhile while grabbing a bite to eat without rushing me in the least (thank you P.F. Chang’s on Concourse A).

This is my hometown airport, and even though I live in Portland, OR now, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I’m sure it can probably be a little difficult to navigate if you’re unsure of the layout. But once you’ve got the navigation down, it really is a breeze. Can’t wait till my next trip back in October. Until then Atlanta! — 12/03/21 Update: Flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson again today on my flight back to Portland, and this time I went through the international concourse. It was the week after Thanksgiving, yet the airport was still well run and organized for the large volume of people going through it even early on a Friday morning. And the International Concourse was beautiful and looked more like an upscale shopping mall than an airport. Would’ve loved to have had some more time to explore. Maybe next time. Once again, we’ll done Atlanta!