Atlanta Approach Runway Assignments

[TOGA9]

Anyone from Atlanta Approach on here? I fly for Acey and have always wondered how you guys do the runway assignments. I know it roughly goes with the STAR, but who/what actually decides it?

(I always imagine a guy in the back of the radar room throwing darts and yelling out "26R, 27L, 28!" after each pilot checks-on frequency.)

 

[RetiredATLATC]

Depends on many factors. Is it between pushes, is a particular fix overloaded and some need to be flowed to the other side of the airport, is weather impacting your normal downwind side where a flow would make everyone's life easier, are you a cargo aircraft and need to go to South cargo or visa versa, did you not check on with the ATIS and now I'm penalizing you , do I own your airlines stock and it's been dumping (disclaimer: FAA employees are not allowed to own any stock that does ANY business with the airlines or aviation) etc etc etc.

There are TONS of factors, and it's a colaborative effort between the controller and sometimes Traffic Management at A80, but usually we just make it up.

CJ
ATL TRACON

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

It's real simple: if you're trying to catch a flight or need to get home quickly, they assign you 10/28. If you're in the middle of a trip and have nowhere to be, you get one of the good runways. Never fails.

 

[RetiredATLATC]

It's real simple: if you're trying to catch a flight or need to get home quickly, they assign you 10/28. If you're in the middle of a trip and have nowhere to be, you get one of the good runways. Never fails.

Great, now we'll have to build a 28L

 

[adk]

As an infrequent visitor to ATL I really appreciate the Jepp chart that tells you which departure runway you'll get based on SID.

 

[CUTigerPilot]

Great, now we'll have to build a 28L

You jest, but I've seen the plans for it before I left my job at ATL. The plan is to build it between 28 and 27L. Now the real question is "when?".

 

[Salkadi]

It's part of the Airport's Master Plan. http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Airport/MasterPlan/index.html

 

[mikecweb]

I hear if you call approach "Center" they give you the choice of runways.