Catching up with… Jan Lennon

Jan Lennon was named interim airport general manager at the world’s busiest airport by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens in May 2024. She has worked at Hartsfield-Jackson since 2002, most recently as deputy general manager of operations. She also worked in security and developed the airport’s first human trafficking awareness campaign. These are edited highlights from an interview.

Photo credit: Daemon Baizan

Tell us how your years working at Hartsfield-Jackson help you in the GM role.

When you’re talking about me working here at the airport for 22 years, that comes with years of experience, of service, that comes with knowledge and a skill set and a vision like most people could not have, had they not been here and been exposed to the myriad of things that happen here at this airport with the millions of stakeholders – the passengers, the employees, airlines, concessions. This airport is a city within a city. My 22 years truly prepared me and propelled me to the position where I am today.

What are your priorities as interim general manager?

What we are working toward is a path to 125 MAP, meaning 125 million annual passengers, in five years. We have 100 million passengers that come through every year now. Before COVID, in 2019, we were at 110 [million]. With COVID, we dropped. Last year, we hosted 104 million. At the end of [2024], we are hoping to be between 108 and 110. An independent growth study [predicts that] with all the projects and the big events that we are hosting, all of our aggressive flight plans that are changing with Delta Air Lines and other airlines, it has been projected that we will reach 125 million by 2029. And I tell you what, we’re going to be prepared.

How do you prepare for that?

We have projects that are helping us to expand the building. We have our concourse D widening project. We have a north … terminal project that will expand ticket counters. We will be expanding our smaller checkpoint. We have a new parking deck that we are currently building. We’re doing upgrades on our plane train and sky train. We’re looking at additional gates.

What are you doing to upgrade the customer experience?

We’re looking at how to enhance technology at our checkpoint, about screens and biometrics. We’re wanting to make sure that people have different offerings and variety when they come through ATL. We already have [TSA] PreCheck [and] Global Entry, so we can expedite people through the airport. We’re ready to undergo a restroom project to enhance all of the restrooms within the terminal. People can reserve parking now, so a space will be available for you. We do [customer experience] surveys every quarter. We have stakeholder meetings every month, and they put a plan together about what we are going to do to mitigate some of these issues. We do a meet and greet and just say hello and welcome our guests, things like that. When it comes to traveling, it’s just anxiety. So we are trying to reduce some of that. We will be working very closely with the concessionaires, how when people get to their gate, their food comes to them. So those are the types of innovative things we will try to address.

Atlanta is an important distribution hub. How much cargo goes through every year?

We anticipate moving over 500,000 metric tons of cargo this year [2024]. Cargo is very important. The airport serves as a cargo gateway to the U.S. Eighty percent of the U.S. population is within a two-day truck drive. So we are uniquely, geographically situated for cargo distribution.

The airport turns 100 years old this year. What would you like people to know as you celebrate this milestone?

We always look at our people first. It’s about efficiency. It’s about the customer service experience. The success of this airport has always been based on our collaboration and our relationships. We do things in truth, trust and transparency. Starting [this month], we’ll be celebrating for 18 months. We will celebrate ATL’s connection to the community, the state and the world. We’re going to have art displays, stories documenting the airport’s history and a look ahead into the transportation system of the future. We are excited about telling this 100 years story.