Navigating airport construction chaos: A traveler’s tale

Improving health has allowed me to resume a more regular, yet slightly strenuous calendar, as well as frequent out-of-state travel. 

Returning to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport recently, the near continuous construction there routinely relocates services and amenities, without always having corresponding new or temporary signage.  In the most recent case, I was attempting to locate the pickup location for off-airport parking shuttles, which in the past two years have been underneath the North Terminal, and then beyond the MARTA station and Sky Train.

I approached two uniformed Hartsfield Aviation department employees, who were engaged in conversation on other matters.  I paused and waited for a break in their chat, apologized for the intrusion, and asked where is the current pickup location for the off-airport parking shuttles.

Each employee practically scowled, one shared that she was NOT a shuttle driver and that was not part of her responsibilities.  The other nodded, but noting I wasn’t moving away, pointed generically in the direction of the MARTA station and said, “Out there.”

“Thanks.  That’s very helpful…” And I was on my way.  The shuttles were still on the far side of the MARTA rail and Sky Train, through a series of convoluted sidewalk barriers, again with no signage, and easily tripling the length of the walk from baggage claim.  On the plus side, I was running up my step count that day on the Fitbit.

There had been a mix-up with reservations at the parking facility (which generally runs a good shop), but my parking entry was not time-stamped, and though I had pre-paid, there was no exit scanner for me to show my QR code on an early Sunday evening to EXIT the lot.  I got out of the car and walked to another gate attendant on the parking facility property and explained my situation… She seemed to understand but said, “Without a receipt, I can’t know that you prepaid.”

Yes, and though I had a pre-paid reservation and arrived on time, that lot was full, and I was directed across the street to what is evidently overflow and employee parking.  “I paid in advance, the botched reservation was not my error, I need to get going…”  I have been parking here for years, you can check my Account #. Can you let me out?”

This time, though not rude, I was apparently raising a challenge outside of her depth. The cashier said she had no way to RAISE the gate on that side, without an electronic badge in the window of all of their vans and shuttles.  I watched the next two shuttles depart the lot.  The gate was a bit slow, and as the van/shuttles were not all uniform in size…when the gate lifted, it remained up for about 5 seconds AFTER the prior shuttle or van pulled out. 

I got right on the tail of the next exiting shuttle.  The shuttle exited, and I sped out right behind, with the gate dropping just as my car cleared the driveway.  I could hear the attendant, unable to assist me yelling…”HEY…”

A few days later I was in a building witnessing a cleaning crew at the end of a long business day.  I had been at it since about 7:30 a.m., it was closing on 7 p.m. I can’t state that I know the particulars in the day of the cleaning worker, but he was a younger man, in his mid-20s,  clearly getting winded and sweaty while vacuuming.  His colleague suggested he pause for a moment.  A roughly 30-minute break ensued…I know this as I had been watching the newscast clock when hearing the chat, and then again when the vacuum turned back on.  A half-lunch vacuum break?

ALL this concerns me in a world where we all seem to be drawing further and further apart, and in jobs we can’t seem to fill whether trades and skilled positions or unskilled but necessary labor that no one seems to want to do anymore.  Again and again, these jobs ARE FILLED by immigrants, who still understand that our America is the land of opportunity.  IF you DO remember work ethic, or certainly if you have plenty of your own, pick out a few young folks in your circle.  Share, mentor and help them understand the benefits of sweat equity, over-service and responding favorably to opportunities as they arise.  It may not be as exciting as a game of Fortnite, but if you are at all persuasive, for the good of all of us, please give it a shot.