Atlanta airport to get 1,800 volunteers to assist with Super Bowl visitors as government shutdown drags on
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) expects to see an additional 125,000 passengers ahead of the February 3 Super Bowl
- The world’s busiest airport will have more than 1,800 volunteers to help passengers navigate over a 10-day period before and after the game
- ATL handles about 270,000 passengers a day – four times the capacity of Mercedes Benz Stadium where the NFL event takes place
- TSA said the airport had planned additional resources for the event before the government shutdown
Atlanta airport will be ready to field the tens of thousands of additional visitors expected for next month’s Super Bowl despite the ongoing US government shutdown, which has left critical airport personnel unpaid, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), already the world’s busiest, expects to see an additional 125,000 passengers ahead of the February 3 game and is bringing in reinforcements to meet the additional numbers, said Elise Durham, the airport’s director of communications.
More than 1,800 volunteers will help passengers navigate the airport while additional customer engagement agents will be on hand to assist people entering and exiting the city, she added.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) expects to see an additional 125,000 passengers ahead of the February 3 Super Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (pictured)
The world’s busiest airport will have more than 1,800 volunteers to help passengers navigate over a 10-day period before and after the game
Durham said the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the federal agency responsible for airport security screening, had committed additional resources for the Super Bowl, before the government shutdown.
‘That commitment still stands and we expect to have additional TSA officers to support the increased operations,’ Durham said.
‘We also will have additional contract security on hand during the 10-day operational period.’
ATL handles about 270,000 passengers a day – four times the capacity of Mercedes Benz Stadium where the NFL event takes place
She said the airport typically handles about 270,000 passengers a day.
‘(That) equates to about four times the Mercedes Benz Stadium at capacity — every day,’ she said, referring to the venue where the NFL’s championship game will be held.
‘As the first touchpoint for fans traveling to the big game our first priority, as it is every day, is the safe and secure movement of our passengers and employees.’
TSA said the airport had planned additional resources for the event before the government shutdown
The partial US government shutdown, which is the result of a political dispute over funding for a wall along the US southern border, entered its 25th day on Tuesday.
The shutdown has led 800,000 federal workers, including TSA agents and air traffic controllers, to go without pay.
A jump in unscheduled absences by security screeners was seen on Sunday but a TSA spokesperson said security had not been compromised at U.S. airports.