Hartsfield-Jackson in the news

Hartsfield-Jackson in the news

The sudden closure on June 22 of the Clear registered traveler program brought the media to Hartsfield-Jackson for comment. Clear charged an annual membership fee in return for access to special lanes (at Hartsfield-Jackson, just two lines leading to the security lanes) and prescreened ID cards for speedy movement through security at airports nationwide.

The news articles and broadcasts about the program's discontinuation gave Hartsfield-Jackson representatives an opportunity to emphasize the Airport's efficiency in security screening and the dramatic decrease in security wait times after the expansion of the security checkpoint area in October. The changes included 10 new security lanes and the implementation of the Transportation Security Administration's Diamond Self-Select program. In fact, wait times for all passengers rarely have exceeded 10 minutes at Hartsfield-Jackson since October, minimizing the need for registered traveler programs in Atlanta.

Among the news outlets covering the effect of the Clear program's discontinuation on Hartsfield-Jackson were The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CNN.

In other news:

Aviation General Manager Ben DeCosta was invited to contribute an op-ed piece to an AJC editorial package about how prominent Atlanta businesses and organizations, including Hartsfield-Jackson, have made bold moves that shaped the region's future and have remained visionaries.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle covered Hartsfield-Jackson's plan to re-enter the bond market to raise as much as $800 million for the completion of the planned international terminal. The story updated the Airport's progress on that project, which is scheduled to open in 2012.

USA Today surveyed its panel of "Road Warriors" (frequent travelers) to reveal their favorite restaurants and shops in the nation's airports. Hartsfield-Jackson's concessions were on their list.