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Hotlanta Airport Not So Hot for Delta?

Frequent travelers always gripe about Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the most congested airport in the nation but that could possibly change in 2010. The master lease agreements that several large airlines have with the airport are due to expire in 2010 and naturally, the airport wants to charge airlines more for new leases. But some airlines aren't down with that.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., the world's biggest carrier, and discount carrier AirTran Airways, a unit of Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran Holdings Inc., say that if their costs are too high they may be forced to move some connecting flights to other airports.

Together, Delta and Air Tran represent nearly 93 percent of the airport's traffic. Things also get a little more complicated at ATL as the airport is attempting to secure more financing for a planned $1.6 billion new international terminal. That construction has already begun with the new terminal to open in 2012.

While Delta and AirTran want to stay in Atlanta, the possibility of moving flights to other Delta hubs in Memphis, Cincinnati and Detroit, is very real.

So what does this mean right now for you travelers making connections in Atlanta? Nothing right now. But later this summer or next fall, you could be connecting in one of those cities mentioned above instead of Hotlanta.

Related Stories:
· Airlines threaten to move flights from Atlanta [AP News]
· Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport [Official Site]

[Photo: FrancoFolini]