| This is one of the busiest airports
in the United States, and it got even bigger in 2006 with the opening of the new south
runway (see map). They don't have an "official" observation
area, but many people watch the traffic from the roof of the South
Parking Garage (4th level). If traffic is operating to the east,
planes will be taxiing to runway 9L and will pass directly in front of
the garage. The down side is that it will cost you a parking fee
of $1 per hour to enter, and you can expect to be approached by a
Security Guard if you're taking pictures. They say it's not
allowed, but from my experience the Airport Operations Dept. does not
have a problem with people photographing at this location. In
addition, the northeast corner of the North Parking Garage will offer a
good view of planes taxiing into the "T" gates.
Another area is at the entrance to a sewage treatment
plant on Lake Mirror Rd. just off the I-285 service drive. This
spot gives you a good view of traffic landing to the west (runway 27L)
or taking off to the east (runway 9L). Photography of landing
traffic is best in the afternoon but departing traffic can be
photographed in the morning due to the sun angle.
Another spot is a
recycling center which is a place where people can go
and drop off cans, bottles, and paper goods into special dumpsters.
It is located at the corner of Riverdale Rd. and Sullivan St. and is
pretty much the opposite of the sewage plant spot - a good view of
traffic landing on runway 9R or departing runway 27R, and the best time
for photography is reversed from the other spot as well. People
(including myself) have visited these spots recently and not been
approached by Atlanta Police.
There isn't a great variety of traffic
here. Most of what you'll see is Delta and its regional affiliates Comair & Atlantic Southeast Airlines; and AirTran Airways. In the
course of a whole afternoon you'll see very few other airlines such as
United, American, and Continental. There are a few international
carriers, including Lufthansa, British Airways,
Air France, and various cargo airlines that operate 1 daily flight at ATL such as China Airlines and Martinair.
Overall I would give ATL a 3 1/2-jet rating. The
South Parking Garage can give you some very close-up views but its not
free, security can be a hassle, and you will see mostly Delta aircraft.
One other spot I should mention is the Renaissance Hotel on the north
side of the airport (see map). Half of the rooms face the airport
and offer close views of the north runways - you can photograph from a
good angle right from your room! Interesting trivia: this airport was named Harsfield-Atlanta in 1971
after Atlanta's late Mayor William B. Hartsfield, and was renamed in
2003 for the late Mayor Maynard Jackson, who ran the city during the
years when ATL's current terminal was built (1977-1980). The
original airport was named Candler Field in 1925 in honor of Asa
Candler, the man who turned Coca-Cola into a household name by 1900.
Click here to see photos from the South Parking Garage
Click here to see photos from
the sewage plant site
Click here to see photos from the recycling center site
Back to the Airport ratings
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