ATL Terminals Guide 2026 - Domestic, International, Plane Train

Hartsfield-Jackson handled more passengers than any other airport in the world again in 2025, and it does so with a layout that is simpler than its size suggests: two landside terminals at either end of a straight line of seven concourses, all joined underground by one train. Once you know which end your airline uses and how the Plane Train works, the airport is quick to get around. This guide describes it as it is in September 2026, with the Concourse D widening under way and the new Ground Transportation Center open at the Domestic Terminal.

The two terminals

The Domestic Terminal is at the west end of the airport, by I-85, and is split into two halves that share a central atrium: Domestic South is Delta’s, with its own check-in hall, baggage claim and kerb, and Domestic North serves every other domestic airline: American, Southwest, United, Alaska, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country, Avelo, Denver Air Connection and Southern Airways Express. The MARTA station, the SkyTrain doors (W1 and W2) and the Ground Transportation Center for taxis, hotel shuttles and parking buses are all at the west end between the two halves, and the rideshare lot is below North baggage claim.

The Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal opened in 2012 at the east end, off I-75, and handles most international departures and all international arrivals with checked bags. It has its own check-in hall, security checkpoint, baggage claim and customs hall and connects directly to Concourse F; Concourse E, the older international concourse, is one Plane Train stop west. International airlines at ATL in 2026 include Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, Aeromexico, Air Canada, WestJet, British Airways, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, Etihad, Copa, LATAM and SAS, alongside Delta’s own long-haul network.

The seven concourses and the Plane Train

Concourses T, A, B, C, D, E and F run in a line from west to east. T is attached to the Domestic Terminal and holds American Airlines and some Delta gates; A and B are Delta; C has Delta and Southwest; D, the narrowest and now being widened in a $1.4 billion project, holds United, Alaska, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit and the smaller carriers as well as Delta; E and F are the international concourses, F attached to the International Terminal. Because Delta boards from every concourse, the boarding pass is the only reliable guide to your gate, and gates on D in particular move as construction phases change.

The Plane Train is the underground people mover that links everything inside security. It runs continuously, every two minutes, and stops at the Domestic Terminal, T, A, B, C, D, E, F and the International Terminal; the full run from the Domestic Terminal to F takes about eight minutes. A parallel pedestrian tunnel with moving walkways and art installations connects the Domestic Terminal to T, A, B, C, D and E for anyone who would rather walk; T to B is a comfortable ten minutes, T to E more like 25. There is no need to leave security to change concourses, whichever airline you are connecting between.

Security checkpoints

The Domestic Terminal has three TSA checkpoints, North, South and Main (in the atrium between them), all with TSA PreCheck lanes and CLEAR at North and South; you can use any of the three whatever your airline, so if the queue at South is long, walk through the atrium to Main or North. The airport publishes live wait times on its website. The International Terminal has its own checkpoint for departing passengers. Checkpoints open around 4 am and the earliest flights leave soon after 5, which is why the Hilton Atlanta Airport shuttle starts at 4 am and the SkyTrain matters for anything earlier.

Arriving from abroad

International arrivals with checked bags clear passport control and customs at the International Terminal (Concourse F) or, for some flights, in Concourse E, and exit on the International arrivals level. Passengers connecting to a domestic flight re-check their bags at the airline desks just after customs and re-clear security into Concourse F, then ride the Plane Train to their gate; Delta publishes a 90-minute minimum for this connection and two hours is more comfortable (see our connecting at ATL guide). Passengers ending their journey in Atlanta take the free terminal-to-terminal shuttle from between doors A1 and A2 to the Domestic Terminal, about every 15 minutes and 10 to 15 minutes on the road, for MARTA, the SkyTrain and the hotel shuttles. Taxis and rideshare also pick up at the International Terminal (door A1 and the outer kerb), which for a downtown hotel saves the transfer.

Which hotel for which terminal

For a domestic flight, any hotel on this site works: the four Gateway Center hotels are two minutes away on the SkyTrain and the shuttle hotels drop you at the Ground Transportation Center a few minutes’ walk from either check-in hall. For an international departure, the choice is less clear-cut because no shuttle on this site goes to the International Terminal. Delta international passengers can check in at the Domestic Terminal and ride the Plane Train to F, so the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway and the other SkyTrain hotels remain the easiest choice; passengers on other international airlines should ask their hotel whether the shuttle will run to the International Terminal (some do on request) or plan on the terminal-to-terminal shuttle and an extra 30 minutes. Our SkyTrain and hotel shuttles guide has the pick-up points, and the lounges guide lists what is on each concourse once you are through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which terminal does Delta use at Atlanta?

Delta checks in and claims bags in the South half of the Domestic Terminal for domestic flights and at the International Terminal for international departures, although Delta passengers can check in at either. Delta gates are spread across every concourse, T, A, B, C, D, E and F, so the boarding pass, not the airline, tells you where to go.

Where do Southwest, American and United check in?

In the North half of the Domestic Terminal, along with Alaska, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country, Avelo and the small regional carriers. American's gates are on Concourse T; Southwest, United and most of the others board from Concourses C and D. Gate assignments move as Concourse D is widened, so check the boarding pass.

How do I get between the Domestic and International Terminals?

Inside security, the Plane Train runs between every concourse and both terminals every two minutes; the ride from the Domestic Terminal to Concourse F takes about eight minutes. Outside security, a free terminal-to-terminal shuttle runs about every 15 minutes from the Ground Transportation Center at the west end of the Domestic Terminal (doors W1 and W2) to the International Terminal arrivals level (between doors A1 and A2), and back.

Which hotels are closest to the International Terminal?

None of the hotel shuttles or the SkyTrain serve the International Terminal directly, so no hotel is close to it in practice. The four Gateway Center hotels are two minutes from the Domestic Terminal by SkyTrain, and the Renaissance Concourse and the Hilton Atlanta Airport are on the north side nearest the Delta headquarters. From the International Terminal, take the free terminal-to-terminal shuttle to the Domestic Terminal first, about 15 minutes.

Information last verified: September 25, 2026