The new international terminal in Atlanta has the longest walk from departure gate to Passport Control for local departing passengers of any airport I have ever seen. It seems like miles. Just how long is it? We were offered a golfcart ride for part of one leg of the trip, but there was still a long walk after an elevator ride to the next level. Does anyone here know if moving walkways are planned or are they a cost-cutting concession? I can handle the walk easily enough, even with a backpack, but my wife has knee problems that make walking long distances difficult. I predict a large increase in the wheelchair crowd if the airport does not do something to reduce the walking burden.

I know its a long walk and especially so if you have to go to the domestic terminal to transfer and catch a flight which requires a bus ride. I am just thankful I can still manage it at a run if need be.
Didn't Erma Bombeck once say "you can't get to heaven without going through Atlanta" when it first opened.

I hate Atlanta airport even with a wheelchair twice they took us to the wrong gate!!!Andthe wait was longafter departing the plane!!

I figured out why our walk was so long. The flight docked at Terminal E but we had to walk to Terminal F for passport control. The airport train was not an option for arrivals departing in Atlanta, only for departing passengers.

Very strange as terminal E has its own passport and customs area and terminal F has its own passport and customs control area? There must have been something totally out of sorts that day as it normally does not happen. The new gates out of F are closer to their own passport and customs area than the gates at E which do have a long walk but do have the people movers.

Has to do with whether someone is connecting or terminating in Atlanta. If I remember correctly, terminating in Atlanta means CBP in F regardless of concourse of arrival. Those with connecting flights do CBP (and TSA) in whichever concourse they arrived.

Thanks, NFZ, for clearing that up. I was still wondering if I had guessed correctly about the reason for the long walk. The moving sidewalks only took us part of the way to the passport control station in concourse E. There were none between E and F, where they are really needed.

I hate to bring up an old post again, but this beats repeating the same information. It has been a year since my last RT international flight from Atlanta and I am planning another trip. Has ATL improved the situation for Delta flights returning from Germany or are departing passengers still forced to walk halfway to Macon before they can leave the airport?

No! If your arraival gate is E you get to hike to F. E no longer has any "passport" control points etc. If you get lucky and land in F the hike is long but not AS long. Europe has a better shot at F then places like the Caribbean, but you can get stuck!

To me the hike is worth it as I no longer have to go through the TSA line just to go HOME LOL!

If the walk is an issue the airline can arrange a wheelchair transport.

Thanks for the update. My Delta flight was a return from Munich. I will play it safe next time and ask for a wheelchair for my wife when buying tickets. it seems a ridiculously bad case of airport planning to force such a long, roundabout walk on passengers on Delta's home turf. I can handle the long walk fine but my wife has major knee problems and I would not risk subjecting her to that trek again.

It is a problem. I think the airport authority really believed they would take ALL flights into F which of course didn't happen! The problem is that F is really a LONG LONG way from the rest of the airport. (It's got a whole different Interstate to use to get to it, it's own exit etc..) It's basically a satellite "terminal" but....there were space issues on the existing airport where you couldn't make room for the new widebodies so....

Here's a map that shows you why you are walking so far

http://www.atlanta-airport.com/inter...bout/maps.html

They really should have put in more moving sidewalks or ramps. They did increase the number of little carts, but those can be hit or miss.

Both E and F terminals BOTH have customs,agriculture and passport control. Both terminals now have the installed Kiosks for US/Canadian citizens for faster passport control. The problem appears to be if you are terminating in Atlanta, you must go over to the new F terminal to pickup your luggage and exit there.

"The problem appears to be if you are terminating in Atlanta, you must go over to the new F terminal to pickup your luggage and exit there."

That was the point of the question.

I should add, departing passengers have to go from E to F and keep going, being forced to walk through virtually the entire airport, instead of being allowed to board the AP train, even when they just have carryon. I was hoping that the airport had changed things to make it better for departing passengers in the past year. Apparently not.