The making of the international terminal

From its inception, the international terminal brought scrutiny of its price tag, its name and the airport contracting process.

2000

Planning begins for an international terminal with separate access off I-75.

2003

The international terminal’s name is settled following the death of Maynard Jackson, the first Black mayor of Atlanta. Jackson supporters wanted the airport renamed in his honor but faced pushback from those who didn’t want the name of former Mayor William B. Hartsfield removed. A racially charged debate led to a compromise to name the new international terminal after Jackson and add Jackson’s name to the airport.

2005-06

Costs climbed from $688 million to $828 million and airport officials said a planned opening in 2006 would be delayed to 2009. The airport also fired its original designer, saying the plans were over-budget and too “luxurious.” But that firing drove costs further to more than $1 billion. Eventually, costs would rise to $1.5 billion after a new design firm, Gateway Designers, was selected.

2009

The terminal’s price tag soared again to $1.7 billion and sparked a dispute between the airport’s then-manager, Ben DeCosta, and Richard Anderson, who was Delta Air Lines’ chief executive at the time. Amid lease negotiations, Delta insisted the cost must come down and threatened to move some of its flights to other hubs away from Atlanta. DeCosta eventually agreed to cut costs and the project moved forward.

2012

Contracts for new restaurants and shops throughout the airport sparked protests and appeals from businesses that weren’t picked, threatening to delay the new terminal’s opening. Some of the largest restaurants, including Ecco, Jekyll Island Seafood Co. and Lorena Garcia Tapas Bar, were not completed until months after the terminal opened. Contracting problems delayed the opening of The Club ATL airport lounge.

Others went through a whirlwind of challenges and barely made it for opening day in May 2012.