Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport

[Fiorenza]

Airport improvements have always been funded by the airlines, not the city or state. The customers of the airlines are not just Atlanta residents. As a matter of fact, probably less than 10% of the customers are from Atlanta...maybe less than 5%.

I'm not a fan of Atlanta because it's being run in an inept, incompetent way, and the ineptness extends to the airport. A state takeover is needed, and will happen - if not this year, then next year.

[Atlwest281]

Well the state is inept at a whole lot of things as well. From transit to roads to education to healthcare and trauma centers to allowing people the right to vote on liqour sales in individual communities. Basically it would be a lateral move. I think there are far far bigger issues for the state to tackle then taking over the airport. But then again anything to screw the city and put the power in rural hands I guess. Oh well cest la vie

[Fiorenza]

At least the state is trying to correct it's problems with DOT bureaucracy, etc. I don't see any reform in Atlanta.

[Atlwest281]

I have never said the city shouldnt show reform because i think we both can agree that it needs alot of it in a lot of different aspects but one of the few things it does right is the airport. I mean The airport is getting high end retail that the northern burbs would kill to have, they are re-doing the concourses, the new rental car consolidated facility will reduce alot of traffic at the airport and bring in more parking spaces for the airport, they are dealing with the vagrants who use the airport as a home. I mean to discount what is and has been done by the city is really not right. But then again its a tale as old as time.

[Fiorenza]

It's a tale as old as time, indeed.

[cybele]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

A state takeover is needed, and will happen - if not this year, then next year.

Now that would be a fiasco. The state of Georgia doesn't know which end is up, and doesn't have the foggiest idea where it's spending our money. Last I heard they were running a $2 billion deficit. Not to mention all the political and personnel shenanigans that are constantly going on.

I favor leaving things like the airport under local control -- where it works, and actually turns a profit -- rather than handing it over to a bunch of bureaucrats and politicians who don't have a clue. This country has already been going socialist for the last 30 years and there's no reason for you Democrats to start messing with something like the airport, which is one of the few things that works like it's supposed to. Don't try to fix it if it ain't broke.

[trainiac]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

At least the state is trying to correct it's problems with DOT bureaucracy, etc. I don't see any reform in Atlanta.

Whatever -- Georgia is a basketcase.... last or in the bottom 3 in just about every measurable category of state activity.

In what legal way can the state take over the city-owned airport?

[Fiorenza]

Here's a novel idea. Let's let Delta lobby for the management solution they prefer. After all, they pay the bills.

But regarding the state of Georgia, as a right-winger I'd like to see changes in the state governance as well, but my idea of reform would be to eliminate the state income tax and cut the bureaucracy in half. As for the present deficit: !) we're in a recession, and 2) under the GA constitution they have to balance the budget one way or another, so the budget will be balanced. It seems they want to take it out of the bureaucracy, and that's just fine by me.

Face it, the GOP owns this state, and Atlanta needs to learn how to cooperate in that environment, not do things that insult the rest of the state...like making the airport terminal into a jobs program.

[Fiorenza]

trainiac,

Yes we're in the bottom rung of states, but with our demographic makeup nothing will change no matter what the public policies. We just have to live with and adapt to our situation. Some of us will relocate if things get worse.

[PremierAtlanta]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

Airport improvements have always been funded by the airlines, not the city or state. The customers of the airlines are not just Atlanta residents. As a matter of fact, probably less than 10% of the customers are from Atlanta...maybe less than 5%.

I'm not a fan of Atlanta because it's being run in an inept, incompetent way, and the ineptness extends to the airport. A state takeover is needed, and will happen - if not this year, then next year.

So by that logic I suppose we will see you front and center for a state takeover of MARTA as well. The taxpayers of Fulton, DeKalb and Atlanta have been footing that bill when a percentage of patrons are not residents of aforementioned jurisdictions. I would also wager that a vast majority of the OD numbers are from metro Atlanta and not Georgia....so why should the state take over. Let's lobby for a metro Atlanta district and have it to take over the airport and all public transportation entities. Take Grady also.

Let's not cherry pick...if we are going to take the airport, let's take everything. Why stop at the money makers...especially when we weren't apart of the money that built it in the first place.

[PremierAtlanta]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

trainiac,

Yes we're in the bottom rung of states, but with our demographic makeup nothing will change no matter what the public policies. We just have to live with and adapt to our situation. Some of us will relocate if things get worse.

Well maybe the state leaders need to bring better paying jobs to the state so there won't be so many disadvantaged poor people in this state. You were talking about socio-economic demographics right?

[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.

[Atlwest281]

Ah so its the black population bringing the test scores down for education? Wow. Lets see the failing education scores come from outside of the metro area in rural ga counties where the vast majority of the population is not black. If you look at the break down the drop out rate, the literacy rate, its not the metro bringing the scores down for the state. But of course black people are terrible and awful and represent poverty and everything bad.

The republicans own Georgia and Atlanta needs to deal with it? LOL well internationally this petty state crap is seen in business communities and will cost us jobs. The state needs to realize that punching Atlanta its own capital city!! Will do nothing but reinforce the stereotypes that we are a state run by buffoons.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

Here's a novel idea. Let's let Delta lobby for the management solution they prefer. After all, they pay the bills.

But regarding the state of Georgia, as a right-winger I'd like to see changes in the state governance as well, but my idea of reform would be to eliminate the state income tax and cut the bureaucracy in half. As for the present deficit: !) we're in a recession, and 2) under the GA constitution they have to balance the budget one way or another, so the budget will be balanced. It seems they want to take it out of the bureaucracy, and that's just fine by me.

Face it, the GOP owns this state, and Atlanta needs to learn how to cooperate in that environment, not do things that insult the rest of the state...like making the airport terminal into a jobs program.

I would be happy with just being able to deduct federal income tax liability from your state income taxes. That's what Alabama does. It's about as good as you can get without getting rid of it altogether. That and doing away with personal property taxes (cars) and taxing strictly real property.

As a young man in his 20's, if I had to choose between moving to Louisiana and Georgia, the fact that Louisiana is another state with an income tax deduction and the fact that it's the state with the lowest property taxes anywhere would factor highly in the decision. We're talking about a state that people left from to pursue dreams elsewhere.

Sadly, I see Georgia leaning ever closer towards being a big government state, a lot like Illinois. I was living there when they raised sales taxes to ridiculous rates in the Chicago area and when property taxes went sky high. It was all in the name of saving failing government bureaucracies such as transit agencies and hospital systems. That same debate is happening in Georgia right now. Sonny and his crew aren't as conservative as they'd have many Georgians believe. They're doing everything they can to defend the current system behind closed doors. The only person with any power under the gold dome that has it right is House Speaker Richardson, but Sonny and Cagle have basically shoved him aside.

There are really only four Southern states that are truly conservative (or are heading in the right direction) when it comes to tax policies and economic development: Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.

[Fiorenza]

Yes, rail, I also am very unhappy with the direction the GOP leadership is taking this state, fiscally speaking. They're seeking out tax gimmicks to fix the budget, and waiting on Washington to bail them out, rather than going for real tax reforms that would make the state more competitive as compared with the aforementioned neighbor states. For a variety of reasons the state of Georgia isn't looking too good for business development these days. The one advantage is the airport, and Atlanta is trying to screw that up.

[Atlwest281]

If Georgia could move faster in terms of making the state more appealing to business and even potential residents it would be great. There is no reason Atlanta couldn't be come a banking and financial hub(I know not the best industry right now) but regulations need to be changed more to mirror NC. I think overall the issue is that there are to many in state government who don't have the skill sets to handle the positions they have been entrusted with. That goes for the city as well. Taxes wise it would be fantastic to have lower taxes and to have taxes more transparent and more direct interms of there uses. But i fear we wont see a drastic tax code change here in our life time. Car tax well the idea of giving only new car purchasers a break from the advaloreum tax is idiotic. It would have gone a long way to making citizens happy it was across the board but oh well.

The airport isnt as mucked up as people would like to think. I think a reduction in redundant positions. a tad more focus on keeping the place clean which has gotten better btw, expanding the retail and dining options a little more than what has been announced for the summer and getting that international terminal built so the recheck isn't necessary would go along way. Will Hartsfield ever be Changi, KLIA, or even Bangkok? No because of the cultural differences etc but can it be a better place sure.

[cybele]

I'll at least have to give the city of Atlanta credit for making its performance assessments available online. It's far from perfect but you won't find that sort of transparency in many other levels of government.

http://web.atlantaga.gov/atlstat/index.shtml#

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

Airport improvements have always been funded by the airlines, not the city or state. The customers of the airlines are not just Atlanta residents. As a matter of fact, probably less than 10% of the customers are from Atlanta...maybe less than 5%.

I'm not a fan of Atlanta because it's being run in an inept, incompetent way, and the ineptness extends to the airport. A state takeover is needed, and will happen - if not this year, then next year.

No. Try between 30 - 35% for O&D in Atlanta.

Atlanta is ranked about 6th in the country for O&D figures.

Try again.

[Atlwest281]

Yeah ATL does have some of the highest OD in the country. This is one of the factors which has helped to make the airport successful. Connections alone would not constitute near the amount of feed we have. OD has to also be high to warrant 80 billion flights a day to Nyc metro airports. Okay maybe not 80 billion but close to it lol

I think the OD feed is like NYC, LA, Chicago, Philly, Bay area, ATL then the big Texas cities. I think the order is not quite right but close to it. Ill search for the numbers and post them.

[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.