Easter 2025. I’m visiting my uncle and aunt in Leland, North Carolina. It’s my first trip of two to the United States in 2025. I haven’t seen them live since February 2020 just before the first lockdown and I haven’t travelled to this area since 2019. I’m flying with SAS and Delta. The itinerary: Brussels in Belgium – Copenhagen in Denmark – Atlanta in Georgia – Wilmington in North Carolina.
I dreaded arriving at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport because of politics. In April 2025 many were wary of getting into the United States, with stories of people being rejected for being against president Donald Trump (R). Phones and social media being searched…
But that didn’t happen to me. I got standard questions, I got in. I collected my bag and rechecked it. This went really smoothly. I expected to have to go to the domestic flights terminal, but no. After the conveyer belt, there are staff and desks to recheck to your bags.
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the main international airport serving Atlanta and its metropolitan area in the US state of Georgia. Situated approximately 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Downtown Atlanta, the airport is named after former Atlanta mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson. It spans 4,700 acres (19 square kilometres) and features five parallel runways aligned in an east–west direction. Three of these runways are each 9,000 feet (2,743 metres) in length, one measures 10,000 feet (3,048 metres), and the longest runway is 12,390 feet (3,776 metres), capable of accommodating the Airbus A380.
Since 1998, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hartsfield–Jackson has consistently ranked as the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic. In 2023, it served over 104.6 million passengers, more than any other airport globally. It also holds the distinction of being the world’s busiest airport by aircraft movements. In 2024, it was once again recognised as the busiest airport in the world, recording a 2% increase in capacity compared to the previous year.
The airport serves as the corporate headquarters and principal hub for Delta Air Lines. Delta operates more than 1,000 flights daily from Hartsfield–Jackson to 225 domestic and international destinations, making it the largest airline hub in the world and the first major airline mega-hub in the United States.
The airport also hosts Delta’s Technical Operations Center, which handles the airline’s primary maintenance, repair, and overhaul services. In addition to Delta, the airport is a base for low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines. Hartsfield–Jackson offers international flights within North America and to destinations in Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia.
Inside Atlanta Airport
Atlanta is a busy airport but didn’t feel crowded when I was there. There are so many food and beverage options and many shops. The Priority Pass lounge options, which come with my American Express credit card, are not appealing.
I used my three plus hours I had to wait for my flight to Wilmington International Airport to eat, to walk and to charge my phone.
The gate to my flight changed four times! But each time I received an email notifying me.
The Boeing 717
The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast narrow-body airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Designed for the 100-seat market, it was initially developed and marketed by McDonnell Douglas in the early 1990s under the designation MD-95.
Following the merger of McDonnell Douglas with Boeing in August 1997, the aircraft was rebranded as the Boeing 717. It is a shortened derivative of the successful MD-80 series and forms part of the broader DC-9 aircraft family. The 717 is capable of seating up to 134 passengers and has a design range of 2,060 nautical miles (3,820 kilometres or 2,370 miles). It is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR715 turbofan engines mounted at the rear of the fuselage.
The first order for the aircraft was placed in October 1995 by ValuJet Airlines, which later became AirTran Airways. Although ordered before the merger, the aircraft entered commercial service in 1999 under the Boeing name. Production ended in May 2006 after 155 units had been delivered. As of November 2024, 99 aircraft remained in service. The Boeing 717 has not been involved in any hull loss or fatal accident.
DL3070
Delta DL3070
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Wilmington International Airport.
Scheduled: 9:20 PM to 10:39 PM.
Actual: 9:24 PM to 10:23 PM.
Equipment: Boeing 717-2BD (N957AT).
There’s not much to tell about such a short hop flight. The seats are arranged in a 2-3 configuration in economy and in a 2-2 in business class.
The seats are pretty hard and the legroom is not ample but not too little. Recline is minimal. There is a power outlet.
Service? Yes, even on this one-hour hop, we got some water, coffee or tea and chips or a cookie. That’s nice.
Arrival
Arriving at Wilmington was swift. It’s not a big airport. There are two conveyer belts and they are really close to the exit. There my uncle was waiting for me.