Hartsfield-Jackson sees hundreds of delays from weather on peak travel weekend

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had hundreds of delayed flights because of inclement weather across the country on their peak day for Christmas travel.

“You’ve got layovers, you’ve got delays. We are here to make that as pleasant as possible for you,” said Robert Meadows, who plays piano at the airport.

A smile isn’t always what passengers come in with during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

“It’s crowded but it’s Atlanta,” said Jordan Holmes, a traveler.

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Atlanta’s airport has a customer experience department to change that perception-especially on days like Friday when there are hundreds of delays on top of record-breaking numbers.

“We have music, we have entertainers that are coming out. We have trees that are decorated by our consulate core in our international terminal,” said Karen Ellis, the assistant airport general manager for customer experience.

Airport officials anticipate that 4 million people will pass through in the two-week holiday period of Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza and New Year.

“Everybody’s super nice. It’s pretty straightforward. We just dropped off our bags,” said Xuandan Shi, another traveler said.

As of Friday night, there were over 700 delays at Hartsfield-Jackson, according to FlightAware.

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