Atlanta airport gets high marks for business travel, survey says

The busiest airport in the world, with nearly 2,500 landings and departures a day, has also been ranked as the best airport for business travelers to make a connection and get good food and helpful amenities.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport won most of the top rankings in a survey of 930 travel agents, managers and others who book travel by Minneapolis-based Travel Leaders Group, one of the nation’s largest travel companies.

Los Angeles International Airport ranked eighth.

What business travelers look for in an airport are features such as good wireless Internet access, ample places to recharge a phone or laptop battery, on-site conference rooms, comfortable lounges and plenty of choices for food, said Kathy Gerhardt, a spokeswoman for the travel company.

The Atlanta airport has all of those feature and then some, said Louis E. Miller, general manager of aviation at the airport.

For example, the 130-acre terminal has 125 eateries, plus about 90 retail outlets, a pet relief area and a business that rents travelers small rooms with daybed sofas for a quick nap. “It’s like a city here,” Miller said.

On an average day, about 250,000 travelers shuffle in and out of the airport, and 95% of them are simply making a connection to another destination, officials said.

Gerhardt said the sheer size of the airport may explain why it also came in third in the ranking of worst airports to make a connection. Chicago’s O’Hare International and New York’s John F. Kennedy International airports came in first and second, respectively.

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