Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Parking and Other Information

[LEMJMcC]

Hi All-

 

Not sure where to post this thread, but since we're flying from Atlanta to Seattle to catch the Quantum of the Seas, I put it here.  I've never driven to this airport, so I need some advice.  I'll be driving four of us to the airport for a 7:00 AM Alaska Airlines flight.  We're staying the previous night in a hotel near the airport.

 

I plan to drop off my passengers and out luggage, then park my car.  With all that, when should I plan to arrive at the airport to ensure we make the 7:00 AM flight (we all have the TSA PreCheck)?  I'm thinking 5:00 AM, is this early enough?  We'll all some bags to be checked in, but not too many...I hope!

 

Which long term (10 days) parking lots are within easy walking distance to the terminal? 

Which offer a shuttle?

 

Thanks much!

Edited September 20, 2023 by LEMJMcC

[Meander Ingwa]

I assume you live a long way from Altanta itself.  If not I would consider an Uber / Lyft to the hotel and let the hotel transfer you to the in the morning.  It is a balance of cost of parking vs cost of the ride both ways

 

first of all check with your hotel, ones close to airports often have a long term parking program available.  They shuttle you to the airport.  Easy one stop for you.  If your hotel doesnt have this service, shop around and consider the convenience of one that does.  Alternatively, there may be a long term parking lot a reasonable distance / adjacent from your hotel.  You can park the car the night before and have the hotel shuttle you in the morning.  Again, see your hotel for info on the shuttle

 

The commercial parking lots, such as Pre Flight gives you a shuttle ride to your departure terminal check in.  The driver will ask you so make sure you have that info.  Usually they just need to know it is Alaska Air. They handle your bags so it is an easy transfer.  See the Pre Flight web site ( or other car lots) for info.  Shuttles are usually included in the car parking fee, tips welcome.  You need to book a reservation for the parking lot, many popular ones fill up.

 

Hartsfield is massive and is the worlds busiest airport  I would not use their long term lot as it is likely to be very expensive.  You can look up on the airport web site. If you do choose to park there, there is a tram that takes you to the departures.  Not as practical as an off property since it is all "do it yourself" but still doable .  I would not follow the plan you have written above.  It is a lot of  work, a lot of chances for it it go wrong looping around the roads from one area to another.  Keep everyone together and utilize the tram to the terminal together,  They are designed for passengers with luggage.

 

I cannot imagine attempting to walk onto the property.  I think your plan to be at check in at 5 am is good.  I would probably look carefully at your parking provider and see what schedule they run shuttles.  SOme are on demand, others are on a fixed schedule.  You might wish to buffer an extra half hour on that 5 am target.  The secret to early departs is to have everything set out so that it is simply a matter of getting out of bed, getting dressed and getting gone.  I do this regularly and it takes me 15 minutes from alarm to depart.  If you get up at 4am then you should have no issue with being at the airport in a timely fashion

[LEMJMcC]

Thanks for your response.  We do live about 5 hours from Atlanta.  I will check with the hotel we've reserved to see if they offer long term parking and a shuttle, that would be ideal!

 

The ATL website wasn't very helpful to me, but perhaps I'm just not looking in the right places. I'll shop around for other parking options.

 

Again, thanks!

[Meander Ingwa]

LEM that is a long drive for sure.  I hope you have/find a park at hotel option.

[The Other Tom]

My daughter's family stayed at a hotel near the airport and asked if they could park there for 14 days or so.  The answer was yes but I think there was a charge, which they paid.  Then they took the hotel shuttle to the airport the next morning. 

I would look for major hotels near the airport and call and ask.  I don't think they had the info on their website.

Edited September 21, 2023 by The Other Tom

[richart]

Most likely 2 hours would be sufficient, but you never know at ATL what might happen or what traffic tie ups may occur getting there. If you have a hotel close to the airport traffic should not be a problem.  Alaska Air flights usually use the North Terminal. Sometimes TSA can just go crazy for no apparent reason and have long backups. You can check current security wait times here: https://www.atl.com/times/

If you look for a hotel with parking and a shuttle, make sure their parking is fenced and gated and has 24 hour security. As a local I would be hesitant to leave my auto at any hotel in that section of town for an extended period.

The airport has good security in their parking lots. Here is the link to the airport parking page. https://www.atl.com/parking/ You can check the parking lot status on that page also before you head to the airport. 

The least expensive parking is Park Ride Lot C which costs $10 per day. There is a shuttle that will drop you and your party off at your terminal. This is the option we usually use when travelling.

You could also park in the North Economy parking lot which is near the terminal for $14 per day. You could still have quite a walk to the terminal unless you luck up on a close parking spot. Sometimes the Economy lots fill up and have no spaces available.

 

There is also the Atlanta West Parking Deck which is parking that you can reserve online for your specific dates. It costs $21 per day. If you park there, you proceed to level 4 after parking and catch the free Skytrain ride to the terminal. The train runs every 4 or 5 minutes and is only about a 3 minute ride to the terminal. https://myparkatl.com/AtlantaBooking/

There are a number of commercial parking lots adjacent to the airport that provide secure parking lots and shuttles to your terminal. You can easily find them with a Google search. I have never used any of them and have always parked at the airport operated lots.

Good luck! ATL is a big and busy airport. Having a 7am flight will be to your advantage because it gets really busy shortly afterwards.

 

[LEMJMcC]

Thanks rcihart, that is most helpful.