There is no worst 'case of the Mondays' than the Super Bowl exodus at Atlanta airport
The fireworks are over, the Lombardi Trophy is reacquired and everyone is ready to get out of Atlanta after the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday.
Naturally that’s creating a problem.
A record of more than 100,000 passengers are expected to go through security at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Monday, a day that’s already high on business travel. Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport, servicing approximately 60,000 to 65,000 people through checkpoints on a typical Monday, per the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Regular Monday business travelers told the paper even they were “shocked and surprised” at the lines. Mark Howell, the area’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regional spokesperson, said the volume at the airport is the heaviest he’s seen. He reported that 25,300 of the travelers went through between 4 and 8 a.m.
Check-in lines are winding around the foyer and out the doors. AJC reported that the airport opened early and removed chairs from the terminal in anticipation of the crowd.
Mondays, right?
Volume @ATLairport the heaviest I’ve ever seen, but @TSA officers working hard to keep lines moving. Wait times have grown to over an hour in the @ATLairport domestic terminal. All lanes in operation. Traffic to the airport heavy as well, so plan accordingly! pic.twitter.com/O1Ktx2GCv8
— Mark Howell (@TSAMedia_MarkH) February 4, 2019
Current @TSA wait times @ATLairport between 90-120 minutes. All lanes are in operation, and volume continues to be extremely heavy into the 10 a.m. hour. pic.twitter.com/WW31KZZcab
— Mark Howell (@TSAMedia_MarkH) February 4, 2019
Never seen TSA lines as long as this morning in Atlanta. Good luck catching flights from the Super Bowl City. Ridiculous. Plan to get to airport 3-3 1/2 hours early. @WBBMNewsradio pic.twitter.com/yBptj8zqDf
— Jeff Joniak (@JeffJoniak) February 4, 2019
This is one of several lines — just to get INTO the security line at Atlanta’s airport. Get here 3 hours before your scheduled flight! @cbs46 #SuperBowl #MassExodus #NoJoke pic.twitter.com/36Szfb7vmO
— Rebekka Schramm (@SchrammCBS46) February 4, 2019
Wait times continued to grow throughout the morning as more people and flights were involved. As of 10 a.m., the standard screening time was 90-120 minutes. People were warning on Twitter that arriving the recommended three hours early was still not enough.
Aptly, while they were still in an OK mood, people supplied the humor.
Security line at Atlanta airport estimated 2 hours … and growing … pic.twitter.com/GEhbTuQPy3
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) February 4, 2019
I think I might be over tired.
Is there a zebra in the security line?#SuperBowlExodus pic.twitter.com/GFXMpJ1meq— Shannon Mulaire NBC10 Boston (@ShanNBCBoston) February 4, 2019
The cool thing about the airport security like being two-plus hours long and stopping all the time is that it’s like a re-enactment of last night’s game
— Benjamin Hoffman (@BenHoffmanNYT) February 4, 2019
Making my flight after arriving only an hour before it departs may be one of my biggest life accomplishments.
Shuttles, cabs, sprinting, bribes, sweating, showing pictures of my kids and begging but I got it done. 👍 https://t.co/f0XUUtHIGN
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) February 4, 2019
If I hear, “Hey, at least I’m getting my steps in” one more time, I’m tearing this whole place down.
— Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus) February 4, 2019
Atlanta airport feels like Fyre Fest
— Colleen Wolfe (@ColleenWolfeNFL) February 4, 2019
More Super Bowl coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Wetzel: Super Bowl LIII was a complete disaster
• LeBron among the many confused by halftime show
• National anthem performance sparks different controversy
• Grading the best and worst Super Bowl ads
