100 days of rental car center operations
By A.B. Snedeker

For nearly 11,000 days, renting cars at Hartsfield-Jackson was no easy task. Long waits and bumpy shuttle-bus rides to distant parking lots were not uncommon.

Then, one day in December, all that changed forever …

After reviewing the first 100 days of operations at the rental car center, Hartsfield-Jackson officials are pleased to announce that the transition to the Airport’s new, state-of-the-art facility has been a success.

“I could not be more proud of the Airport team and of the seamless activation and transition to the rental car center,” said Aviation General Manager Ben DeCosta. “Our customers are raving about how easy and convenient renting vehicles has become at the world’s busiest airport.”

More than 400,000 customers have passed through the rental car center since it opened on December 8.

“I travel quite a bit, and this is really the nicest facility I’ve seen,” said E.C. Meckes of South Florida. “I couldn’t believe how quickly we had our bags and were at the center picking up our car.”

Getting customers like Meckes quickly to the rental car center is the ATL SkyTrain, the automated people mover that connects the terminal with the rental car center.

Since it opened, the ATL SkyTrain has been running at an operational reliability rate of 99.88 percent. This level is vital, because the ATL SkyTrain makes the scenic, five-minute trip between the terminal and the rental car center nearly 500 times a day. It has traveled more than 75,000 miles since it began service.

The ATL SkyTrain’s daily trips are benefiting the area’s economy as well as customers. The ATL SkyTrain’s route includes a stop at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC), which has been good for business, according to GICC marketing officials.

“Since the rental car center and ATL SkyTrain opened, our business has increased 15 percent,” said Andria Towne, GICC director of marketing and public relations.

Shortly after the rental car center opened, the first of two new Marriott hotels being built in the shadow of the ATL SkyTrain’s GICC station also opened. The SpringHill Suites Atlanta Airport Gateway has 147 suites and is a two-minute ride on the ATL SkyTrain from the Airport.