Not Just Delta: 5 Other Carriers That Also Have A Significant Presence At Atlanta

Summary

• Southwest Airlines takes second place at ATL with 40 direct destinations and seasonal routes, topping 135,000 seats to the top five destinations.
• Delta dominates with 50,000+ arrivals and departures, but Southwest, American, Spirit, and United together offer 3,232 flights weekly from ATL.
• United Airlines, offering 87,650 seats across 603 flights, focuses on accessibility for passengers with mobility issues in Atlanta.

When you think of Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines immediately comes to mind; however, are you aware of the five most popular carriers at the Georgia airport? This analysis will examine the other carriers making their mark at one of the world’s busiest airports. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), located ten miles from Atlanta’s city center, welcomed more than 100 million passengers last year. It utilizes its five runways to serve a long list of international and domestic destinations.

Named after the city’s former mayors, William B. Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson, the airport encompasses 4,700 acres (19 square kilometers) and has five runways. Since 1998, the airport has continuously been voted one of the world’s busiest airports by passenger traffic, with last year, the airport welcoming more than 104.6 million passengers. From its seven terminals, 192 gates operate for all sizes of aircraft, including the Airbus A380, which welcomes almost 30 domestic and international carriers to the airport.

Atlanta is the home of Skyteam member Delta Air Lines, where the carrier operates over 1,000 flights a day to its robust network of 225 domestic and international destinations. This is the world’s largest airline hub. Delta’s corporate headquarters and technical operations center are also located by the airport.

According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Delta is the airport’s obvious frontrunner and commands over 50,000 arrivals and departures this May, offering more than 8.2 million monthly seats. For a week in May, that represents 11,444 flights and 1.89 million seats. However, what about everyone else?

The following top five carriers in Atlanta, by flights and passengers served, are Southwest, Frontier, American, Spirit, and United Airlines, which combined demand 3,232 flights and over half a million seats per week, all to domestic destinations. Let’s look into the numbers:

1 Southwest Airlines

Major low-cost player Southwest Airlines is Atlanta’s second-largest carrier, with over 40 current direct destinations from this airport. Five additional seasonal routes are also added during the peak season. From here, its top five most popular destinations for May operate to:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
• Houston William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
• Dallas Love Field (DAL)
• Orlando International Airport (MCO)

In numbers, it transpires to 135,000 seats to and from Atlanta just in this top five, which is broken down into:

Southwest operates just one international route from Atlanta directly to Cancun, Mexico.

The airline’s overall daily weekday departures from Atlanta will soon reduce to 94 from the current 119 as the carrier reduces flights from Atlanta amid a more extensive network optimization. The low-cost carrier has decided to reduce the number of daily flights to and from the airport amid a more extensive reshuffling following a disappointing first quarter this year.

Southwest’s decision to cut flights from Atlanta comes close to its announcement that it will stop services from four airports in the coming months. These are George Bush International Airport in Houston, Bellingham International Airport in Bellingham, Washington, Syracuse Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, New York, and Cozumel International Airport on Cozumel Island, Mexico.

2 American Airlines

Oneworld’s founding carrier, American Airlines, comes in third place this May behind Delta and Southwest at Atlanta, with its top five routes reaching Dallas, Miami, Washington, Charlotte, and Philadelphia. This month, 93,205 seats are offered to these top five destinations, catered by 684 flights from the Dallas-based carrier. Its top routes and numbers are below:

At just 227 miles as the crow flies, Atlanta to Charlotte is America’s shortest flight in its top five from Atlanta. Back home to its biggest hub, Dallas, is almost three times that, at 732 miles. Unsurprisingly, all of these flights in the top five heading towards American hubs, its top two, Dallas and Miami, will undoubtedly feed into that airline’s more comprehensive international and domestic network.

Should your furry friend be traveling with you in American, since February 20th, 2024, American Airlines has implemented an increase of $25 to the carry-on pet fee, totaling the expense to $150. The US-based legacy carrier only accepts seven kennels on mainline American flights, excluding service animals, and five kennels on American Eagle services, including one in first class, guaranteeing space, though not particularly abundant. This fee will be used to deep clean the cabin to remove dog and cat dander, body fluids, and any ‘accidents’ the animal may have to safeguard against the spread of germs and bacteria. Any pet-related damage to the cabin will also be fixed using money from those fees.

Did you know that American Airlines, alongside British Airways, Canadian Airlines International, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas, founded the oneworld alliance on February 1st, 1999?

3 Spirit Airlines

Floridian ultra-low-cost-carrier Spirit features in the top five at Atlanta, commanding 84,896 seats across 439 flights to these destinations in May. Delta, Frontier, Southwest, and Spirit lead Altanta’s most popular route to Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida. According to airport figures, in 2023, the route carried 1,468,000 passengers between the two centers. Last year, the second most popular route was also southbound, with 1,291,000 travelers carried to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) onboard a mix of Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit.

At Atlanta, Spirit’s top five destinations include:

Its shortest jaunt from Atlanta is towards Orlando (MCO), at 403 miles, which sits in the shadows of its shortest route in the airline’s network. At just 178 miles, the airline flies between its main base at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO), where it also has a crew base located. The airline’s other shortest routes are:

• 197 miles = Tampa International Airport (TPA) – Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
• 200 miles = Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• 223 miles = Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) – Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)
• 226 miles = John Wayne Airport (SNA) – Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)

4 United Airlines

Star Alliance member United Airlines features in Delta’s list of popular carriers. While it’s a fair distance from its closest hub in Houston, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), 689 miles as the crow flies, this airline operates 87,650 seats from Atlanta across 603 flights to its top five destinations from the Georgia airport. Its leading destinations from ATL include:

Travelers on any of United Airlines’ routes in Atlanta or across its network who have mobility issues need not fear. United has consistently proven to be a leader in ensuring advanced accessibility. Over the past few decades, it has continued to innovate to make the inflight experience as seamless as possible for those with disabilities. On March 28, the carrier took another step forward in its pursuit, launching a new digital tool to improve the booking and passenger experience for those traveling with wheelchairs.

This will make it simpler for customers with wheelchairs to find the appropriate flights to accommodate their mobility devices. Specifically, the application will allow passengers to include the specific dimensions of their wheelchairs during the booking process, allowing them to find aircraft that suit their needs.

5 Frontier Airlines

Lastly, the Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier takes to the skies. The airline currently serves Atlanta with 25 year-round and seven seasonal services. This month, five new routes will be added to Grand Rapids, Long Island, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse, raising the airline’s presence in Georgia. By number of international destinations ex Atlanta, Frontier currently serves four years round, being:

• Cancun, Mexico
• Montego Bay, Jamaica
• San Jose, Costa Rica
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

Three more are added seasonally, including:

• Guatemala City, Guatemala
• Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

By numbers, Frontier offers 73,748 seats and 379 services overall, breaking it down into these five top markets:

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Delta demands a 72.45% market share of all operations in Atlanta, followed by Southwest with 9.01%, Spirit at 4.47%, and Frontier at 3.63% in the calendar year of 2023. All other operations comprise less than 10% of the airport’s overall flights.

According to OAG, which provides flight data and statistics, Atlanta remains the global leader by seat numbers, with April surpassing 5,207,792 seats, and marks an additional 3% compared to March. This is followed closely by Emirates Home at Dubai International Airport (DXB) with 4,879,128 seats, Tokyo Haneda (HND) with 4,460,693, and London Heathrow at 4,253,739. For other US-based airports, its next closest competitors are Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), 4,110,577 seats, Denver (DEN), 3,992,502, or Chicago O’Hare at 3,858,108 seats.

Based on international passengers, Atlanta isn’t even featured in the top ten, with no US airports featured. For April, Dubai remains the top airport, with 4,879,128 international passengers (not surprising given that Emirates doesn’t operate domestic services).

The airport is located in Clayton County and is connected directly to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), a terminus on the Red and Gold lines. Terminating directly at the Domestic Terminal, you can jump on the Plane Train if you’re heading internationally. Not only is public transport readily available, but up to 30,000 car parking spots are on offer. If you’re renting a car, there are more than 150 different providers, which stretch as far as limousine, car rental, or shuttle bus companies.

When was the last time you took off from Atlanta? Let us know in the comments.

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  ATL/KATL

  Country:

  United States

  CEO:

  Balram Bheodari

  Passenger Count :

  75,704,760 (2021)

  Runways :

  8L/26R – 2743m (9,000 ft) |8R/26L – 3048m (9,999 ft) |9L/27R – 3776m (12,390 ft) |9R/27L – 2743 m (9,000 ft) |10/28 – 2743 m (9,000 ft)

  Terminals:

  Main Terminal | Domestic Terminal