In its latest expansion, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has opened three new gates and its first autonomous store on an extension of Concourse E.
The new $100 million wing on the north end of Concourse E adds capacity at the world’s busiest airport that handles hundreds of thousands of passengers a day.
That is especially needed amid a broader $1.4 billion construction project to widen Concourse D.
The ongoing work on Concourse D requires the closure of four to eight gates at a time.
The three new gates on Concourse E that opened last month are aimed at adding some extra capacity to mitigate flight disruptions, according to airport officials. A $40 million federal grant helped pay for the Concourse E expansion. While the new gates are now up and running, there is work continuing on Concourse E to reconfigure several other gates for use by larger aircraft.
The new gates — E40, E41 and E42 — are on a pier that veers to the east off the end of Concourse E, since there’s a taxiway directly north of the end of the concourse.
E41 and E42 are leased by Frontier Airlines, while E40 is a common-use gate that can be used by multiple airlines.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Passengers flying out of those gates get there via a pedestrian walkway that is an extension of the concourse.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
A new retail shop opened Monday in the expansion area called On Your Way, which allows travelers to scan a credit card, enter the store, grab items and walk out without going through a standard checkout line.
Cameras track each customer coming in and the items they take with them, according to concessionaire Areas, which operates the store.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
The technology is similar to Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology that is used in stores in other airports and cities, but the shop at Hartsfield-Jackson uses technology from AiFi, a competitor to Amazon.
“Especially in larger airports, connections can be very tight,” said Sal Mendola, Areas director of brands, in a written statement. “On Your Way provides high-quality travel essentials in a format that keeps pace with our guests and is conducive to their needs.”
Ty Smith, Hartsfield-Jackson’s chief revenue officer, called the cashier-less store “a new retail experience at ATL.”
Credit: Source: Areas
Credit: Source: Areas
Areas also plans to open a Johnny’s Chicken & Waffles on the concourse extension in the coming months.
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