Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport - Page 68

Atlwest281 · #**1341** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 8:06 PM**

I agree during the Campbell administration he was very very divisive. But suburbanites need to do there part as well. The constant belittling of the city and trying at every opportunity to take from the city doesn't foster a good rapport. Things have gotten better but I mean what do you want the airport to do to make the experience more palatable to the suburbanite? I mean they are putting in high end retail. Putting in new restaurants that will appeal to a more urbane taste, updating the decor I mean what else can they do? Put an Ann Taylor Gap Starbucks every 10 feet? Or have betty's in Kate Spade helping people get to where they need? I mean all sarcasm aside what do YOU think needs to be done since its such a third world experience.

OCA REP · #**1342** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 8:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

Atlanta should welcome state involvement and try to find ways to accommodate the rest of us surburbanites, instead of alienating us and everybody else by way of a schlocky experience at the airport.

Maybe if the state had been involved, the proposed international terminal would not be forced into being named for Jackson. I will always believe one or the other should have happened; not both. Add his name to the entire airport title or name the new terminal after him. Overkill is overkill!

cybele · #**1343** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 8:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

Again, I'm not a fan of (city of) Atlanta, but we're all in this together. Atlanta should welcome state involvement and try to find ways to accommodate the rest of us surburbanites, instead of alienating us and everybody else by way of a schlocky experience at the airport. And it is schlocky.

When I come in from the suburbs the airport just seems like a regular airport to me. What's schlocky or alienating about it?

It is time for the state to start ponying up some money for the airport rather than just continuing to ride on the back of it. But it would be a fiasco for the state to attempt to run something that complicated. Look at the way they've "handled" issues like water and transportation in the metro area.

Okay, they did pass a law saying it's okay to pack heat in the airport. I guess they get advanced management kudos for that.

Atlwest281 · #**1344** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 9:08 PM**

I think what is being hinted in terms of it being alienating is that the make up of the workforce at the airport is not the typical suburban fare so thus its disconcerting for some. That is basically what is trying to be said but in not so many words. I might be wrong, but I doubt it. Most people who use the airport see it as a means to commute or travel not as something that should be a suburban utopia. As i said before Hartsfield will not be Changi or Bangkok, or KLIA, or even DXB. Different culture. What Hartsfield will be is an efficient mover of people from point a to point b with decent amenities and a myriad of air services to choose from. hmmm pretty much what it is now.

cybele · #**1345** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 9:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlwest281

I think what is being hinted in terms of it being alienating is that the make up of the workforce at the airport is not the typical suburban fare so thus its disconcerting for some. That is basically what is trying to be said but in not so many words.

I still don't get it. How is the workforce at the airport different from the workforce in all the other suburbs? I've never heard anybody comment on that.

And what makes a workforce "schlocky"?

PremierAtlanta · #**1346** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 10:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

I was speaking of just the city of Atlanta O&D...the city is less than 10% of the metro...

Again, I'm not a fan of (city of) Atlanta, but we're all in this together. Atlanta should welcome state involvement and try to find ways to accommodate the rest of us surburbanites, instead of alienating us and everybody else by way of a schlocky experience at the airport. And it is schlocky.

I'm curious to know...how many airports have you flown into and out of Fiorenza? How often do you fly? What is it about Hartsfield-Jackson that seems shoddy, inferior or cheap? How does the state....when it is itself in a financial bind fix those issues? We travel quite often and I guess I'm too busy worrying about my luggage arriving at the same time that I do (at any airport) than if the airport has a 4 star or better experience. Believe me when I tell you, I am a four star kind of lady. If anybody would be turned off by shoddy or inferior, it probably would be me. I'm also interested in your explaination for how well Hartsfield is ranked in terms of efficency and presentation by industry leaders and business travel planners.

I'm a suburbanite. Have been all my life. Lived in Plano, TX, family moved to Dunwoody of Fulton when I was 13, met my husband moved to Roswell and later settled in Alpharetta. In all my times of going to the aiport, I have never once came away saying "honey, don't you find the airport rather schlocky?"

Can you be more specific in your disdain? Also, can you give examples of airports you feel do not exhibit the air of "schlocky?" Also, how many of those are state run airports?

PremierAtlanta · #**1347** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 10:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

Actually, racial demographics. Every poor state save West Virginia has high black percentages. Just the facts. If that percentage increases, and/or the Mexican percentage increases, it will mean less favorable socioeconomic circumstances.

I figured that was what you were referring to. I have no idea what this has to do with the airport. Most of those poor states are in the deep south...correct. Perhaps there are some other long term social issues at play here that did not start with the airport so why don't we keep the sociological diatribes to more appropiate threads. Georgia as a whole is downtrodden....but metro Atlanta has a much higher household income than the rest of the state. By that thought then we definitely do not want the state to take over. It can not even properly employ its populace...and barely educate their children.

You are not making a strong case for a state takeover of Hartsfield-Jackson.

Atlwest281 · #**1348** Posted **Mar 16, 2009, 10:42 PM**

PremierAtlanta you make so much sense. Some always seem to go to race issue to prove some point and really its not needed. Im glad to see others can look past that to make a point be it pro or con for the airport. I actually enjoy going to the airport(full disclosure I travel alot and I am a huge aviation fan) it always amazes me how such a big place is run so efficiently. I look forward to trying out some of the new spaces opening up. The Zegna store will be nice nice and that 10south resturant on E will certainly be a huge step up in the food department.

Fiorenza · #**1349** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 1:41 AM**

Premier, I've been through the top 20 airports in Europe and the US. The basic attributes of the Atlanta airport are sound. The people mover is great. The layout is great. It's the easiest major airport I've ever seen to make transfers.

What I mainly object to is seeing scores of people being obviously underemployed in what amounts to an Atlanta jobs program. It's the first thing international travellers must notice. It's obviously that - and yes, it happens that all those workers are black. I'd be equally disconcerted if they were white. It's obviously a make-woprk program, and reflects badly on the city's image. And Delta is paying for it, and airtravelers indirectly.

Sulley · #**1350** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 1:53 AM**

Hmm, I never noticed that and I fly quite often. I guess I'm mostly planes potting and people watching and I don't notice the things that you do, Fiorenza.

Fiorenza · #**1351** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 1:59 AM**

I see it primarily in the atrium and the international arrivals area. I'm an accountant, and I tend to notice operational/HR inefficiencies.

cybele · #**1352** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 2:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

What I mainly object to is seeing scores of people being obviously underemployed in what amounts to an Atlanta jobs program. It's the first thing international travellers must notice. It's obviously that - and yes, it happens that all those workers are black. I'd be equally disconcerted if they were white. It's obviously a make-woprk program, and reflects badly on the city's image.

You don't have to go inside the city limits to see underemployed "workers" (of all skin tones) piddling around doing nothing. They are abundant everywhere. I've even heard of people posting on the Internet when they're supposed to be working.

OCA REP · #**1353** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 1:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

What I mainly object to is seeing scores of people being obviously underemployed in what amounts to an Atlanta jobs program. It's the first thing international travellers must notice. It's obviously that - and yes, it happens that all those workers are black. I'd be equally disconcerted if they were white. It's obviously a make-woprk program, and reflects badly on the city's image. And Delta is paying for it, and airtravelers indirectly.

As a traveler that uses ATL often, I am always making connections and am generally never in the atrium or outside the secure areas of the airport. That being said, I have encountered the so-called "work program" employees in the international arrivals area on more than one occasion. They were always helpful to the travlers I saw them interacting with, but I can certainly understand the comments that have been made about them... but I do not feel that makes the airport "schlocky."

I have much more of a problem with the people Delta (or whomever) employs on C and D to work gate positions with their Delta Connection operations. Talk about black, uneducated, and unable to speak... you can see it all there. I know this is not the case with all of them, but they generally give an "I don't care" attitude and tend to bring down my opinion of the airport. Surely these are not the best people Delta could find?

Atlwest281 · #**1354** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 5:10 PM**

Its basically a no win. If you have to few people working in the airport people complain oh there isn't enough help or service, you have to "many working", its to much and its a work program. Lets remember it is the number one airport in the world for passengers use. It should make sense to have as many workers as possible. The airport handled 89 million people last year. The problems with the airport are not the Hartsfield employees per say, it is the employees with the respective airlines. The agents on C are half Delta Regional or DCI, and Half Airtran, the agents on D i believe are Delta Mainline. DCI agents are notorious for being somewhat surely be they blacks or white. Delta mainline gate handling usually is on the ball.

OCA REP · #**1355** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 6:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlwest281

Its basically a no win. If you have to few people working in the airport people complain oh there isn't enough help or service, you have to "many working", its to much and its a work program.

Very true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlwest281

DCI agents are notorious for being somewhat surely be they blacks or white.

We have a DCI station in MGM and (maybe we are just lucky) but they are much sharper than anything I have ever encountered on C or D in ATL.

16click · #**1356** Posted **Mar 18, 2009, 2:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OCA REP

As a traveler that uses ATL often, I am always making connections and am generally never in the atrium or outside the secure areas of the airport. That being said, I have encountered the so-called "work program" employees in the international arrivals area on more than one occasion. They were always helpful to the travlers I saw them interacting with, but I can certainly understand the comments that have been made about them... but I do not feel that makes the airport "schlocky."

I have much more of a problem with the people Delta (or whomever) employs on C and D to work gate positions with their Delta Connection operations. Talk about black, uneducated, and unable to speak... you can see it all there. I know this is not the case with all of them, but they generally give an "I don't care" attitude and tend to bring down my opinion of the airport. Surely these are not the best people Delta could find?

Would you understand me flying to Sea-Tac's airport and not being able to understand the large Asian population, working the same jobs Atl's black employees are, at their airport? Even though they were very helpful, they were unable to speak proper English and my questions were answered with incomplete sentences. So I guess they're uneducated FOBs? That'd be absurd for me to make that assumption!

Come on people! It just shows the diversity of our country and the many that come with English speaking people. Not everyone you come in contact with will speak "proper" English and you shouldn't expect it. How quick we are to judge people that aren't like us and not only by skin color!

And you should expect a lot of employees at Atl with it being the busiest airport in the world in terms of passengers.

Don't know why being black almost always has a negative connotation. I guess people have higher expectations for blacks than other minorities that don't fit perfectly to "the white-mans standard".

Fiorenza · #**1357** Posted **Mar 18, 2009, 2:18 AM**

Atlanta being Atlanta, I suspect there is a political angle to the black workforce at the airport.

Fiorenza · #**1358** Posted **Mar 18, 2009, 2:31 AM**

I don't think many whites these days believe "all" blacks are surly and not able to communicate effectively. Some of them are unfortunately so, and in certain work situations they tend to predominate. As the saying goes, bad money drives out good money. I know a number personally who are a pleasure to deal with, but unfortunately when you see scores of exclusively black workers at the airport who are in "make work" "political" positions or not well-matched to customer service jobs, then it's easy to jump to broad generalizations. I can imagine that arriving foreigners who do not have a lot of experience with blacks in different settings could easily draw the wrong blanket conclusions.

L41A · #**1359** Posted **Mar 18, 2009, 12:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OCA REP

As a traveler that uses ATL often, I am always making connections and am generally never in the atrium or outside the secure areas of the airport. That being said, I have encountered the so-called "work program" employees in the international arrivals area on more than one occasion. They were always helpful to the travlers I saw them interacting with, but I can certainly understand the comments that have been made about them... but I do not feel that makes the airport "schlocky."

I have much more of a problem with the people Delta (or whomever) employs on C and D to work gate positions with their Delta Connection operations. Talk about black, uneducated, and unable to speak... you can see it all there. I know this is not the case with all of them, but they generally give an "I don't care" attitude and tend to bring down my opinion of the airport. Surely these are not the best people Delta could find?

"Find a fool, leave a fool"

OCA REP · #**1360** Posted **Mar 18, 2009, 2:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 16click

Don't know why being black almost always has a negative connotation.

I do not think this is always the case. I was referring solely to the employees out on C and D that try to handle customers without any customer service or proper english-speaking skills. On the Delta Connection end, these employees generally tend to be black. A fact is a fact and some of you do not like discussing it.