Busiest Airport Removing Parking

The Busiest Airport in the U.S. Is Considering Removing Parking

Richard Lubrant/Courtesy of ACVB

Atlanta is responding to the growing popularity of ride hailing apps.

ANDREA ROMANO 

Finding parking at the Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, may soon be a thing of the past. Hailing a ride to and from your gate, however, is another story.


The rise in popularity for apps (like Uber and Lyft) has led officials overseeing upgrades for the Atlanta airport — the busiest in the U.S. — to rethink how they will plan parking structures.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the airport has planned $6-billion worth of upgrades in the next few years, and the current plan allows for an eight-story parking structure on the Terminal South side. But that could be scaled back due to new demands for transportation.

In addition to the eight-story structure, a four-story structure is planned to be built on the Terminal North side. The current structure on the Terminal North side is eight stories.

“We’re going to have to ask ourselves the question, ‘Do we still need eight levels on the South side?” Tom Nissalke, the assistant general manager of planning and development, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

With more passengers opting for apps like Uber and Lyft, the need for parking at the airport has significantly shrunk.

“We’re at an interesting point in the evolution of automobiles,” Nissalke said.

Officials are now reviewing plans for the parking structures, but no decisions have been made yet.