Sleeping in Atlanta Airport

Whether your situation calls for a short nap or an overnight slumber, this sleep guide will give you the essential information needed to prepare you for sleeping in Atlanta Airport.

Our guide is updated with the help of airport sleepers who tell us about their experiences at Atlanta Airport. If you have a tip or photos to share, please take a moment to write a review to help us keep this sleep guide up-to-date!

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Sleeping in Atlanta Airport

Locations & Seating

Expect a decent amount of seating, though the quality and style varies between the many concourses. For instance, some of Concourse B’s seating has armrests. Travellers particularly like Concourse E and Concourse F/the International Terminal for comfortable places to sleep. Many areas have chairs or couches that you can pull together for more comfortable rest.

Here are a few good sleep spots that travellers have reported:

The PlaneTrain level between Concourses A and B is a carpeted area good for sprawling out. Grab a spot near the rainforest-themed art installation that has ambient wildlife noise and dim lighting, quieter and more conducive for sleeping than much of the airport.
Concourse D’s mezzanine level has some chairs that travellers push together for makeshift beds.
Concourse F’s mezzanine level, near the Club at ATL, is a quiet, private area with a good amount of sofas.

Rest Zones

At the time of this update, there are no designated rest zones within the airport.

Temperature

The airport can get cold inside, particularly during the winter and near the windows. Some travellers were able to get blankets from airport staff or flight crew. Come prepared with your own blanket and dress warm. A hoodie provides extra warmth if the terminal gets even colder.

Lighting

The airport stays brightly lit around the clock, but mezzanine levels and areas near large art installations may have dimmer lighting. Arrive prepared with eyeshades or something else to cover your eyes, such as a shirt or towel.

Noise

Noise is definitely a factor, with TV, music, and announcements playing loudly, even between 11:00 PM – 5:00 AM when flights are rarely coming or going. Noise from nearby cleaning crews reportedly wakes up some travellers. Come prepared with earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.

Pro-tip: If you chose a spot near any eateries, keep in mind that the staff arrive early and they can get pretty loud in the kitchen.

Staff

Some travellers reported airport staff handing out blankets on nights that were particularly cold in the airport – though this may relate more to weather delays than simply people choosing to stay the night in the airport.

Weather Delays

Atlanta Airport sees more than its fair share of flight cancellations due to bad winter storms and summer hurricanes, but this means they are more prepared than other airports. When mass cancellations happen at Atlanta Airport, staff may hand out blankets to stranded travellers and airlines may set up temporary desks handing out water and other care items. Ask an airline or airport employee or use a courtesy phone to reach someone who has access to this information.

Showers

Freshen up (and loosen those stiff muscles) with a shower before your flight. Location: inside the Club at ATL, a pay-to-use lounge open to all travellers. See our Atlanta Airport Guide for details on gaining entry.

Food & Drink

When you get the midnight munchies or give up trying to sleep and need a coffee to stay awake, 24-hour food concessions are available. Check out these vendors: Gordon Biersch (Airside, A Centerpoint, Upper Level); IHOP Express (Landside, Atrium SW); Subway (T6); ZMarket (Airside, Concourse A, near Gate A26).

Hotels

Prefer some privacy and comfort? If you would like a good solid sleep between flights without the stress of going through security, a transit hotel is available. Minute Suites offer 10 private suites (5 each at Gate B16 and Gate T8, equipped with a daybed, sheets, WiFi, TV, and a “nap audio” program. Suites can be rented in hourly blocks and overnight. If the suites are full, you can rent an air mattress for $40, with no time limit.

Pre-Security, the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway offers a more traditional hotel experience, connected to the airport terminal and accessible by ATL SkyTrain.

See the hotel section in our Airport Guide for locations or visit Tripadvisor to find hotels deals at Atlanta Airport.

Lounges

Atlanta Airport has several lounges, but none have designated sleep rooms or rest areas. If you just want to relax in a comfortable seat, check out this list of lounges in our Atlanta Airport Guide that you can pay to access.

Security & Safety

At the time of this update, we have no reports from travellers commenting on safety issues at Atlanta Airport. As a precaution, here are a few tips to ensure you have a safe airport sleeping experience:

Know Where Security is Located. Whether you are sleeping in the airport by yourself or with friends, it is good to know where security is. Know where their office is located and look for video cameras in the spot you decide to stay the night. Ask security where it is safe to spend the night. They’ve probably seen many airport sleepers before you and they will direct you to a safe spot.
Don’t Seclude Yourself. If you are travelling alone we recommend that you sleep near other travellers or close to security.
Hide Your Valuables. Don’t leave all your mobile devices out in plain view. We have received reports from people who woke up with earphones and no ipod and a laptop bag strap and no laptop bag (or laptop). Same goes with important documents and money. Keep these secure on your body, so that no one can get them without waking you up.
Secure Your Bags. If you are a deep sleeper, you may want to padlock your bag to something. If your bags have zippers turn the bag upside down (zippers to the floor) or sleep with your bag up against the wall, so that it would be hard for someone to access.
Choose to Stay Alert. If you don’t feel safe, drink coffee and stay awake and be alert. You can always sleep on the plane!

Pro-tip: If you are sleeping in the public zone, don’t be surprised if you receive an early morning wake-up call. Security is known to make the rounds waking people up as travellers begin to arrive for morning flights.