Under a water cannon salute provided by Atlanta Fire and Rescue vehicles, and in front of hundreds of guests, dignitaries and fellow passengers, Delta Air Lines Flight 1256 made history at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the morning of December 27, 2015. The flight from Gulfport, Mississippi carried the airport’s 100 millionth passenger in 2015, marking the first time ever an airport served more than 100 million passengers in a single year.
“I’m happy I could be part of it,” said 35 year-old Larry Kendrick, 24 hours after he was tabbed as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s 100 millionth passenger. “I’m still surprised. I’ve flown in and out of Atlanta quite often, and I enjoy it.”
“Today, we are making aviation history,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed told the crowd moments before the flight arrived. “As we move into 2016, it is our commitment to maintain our position as the world’s most travelled airport, the most efficient, and soon we will start competing to be the most sustainable.”
“What a year it has been,” Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport General Manager Miguel Southwell said. He cited both the growth of Atlanta as a destination and a strong partnership between the airport and Delta Air Lines as the main explanation for the five per cent increase in traffic over the previous year. Officials projected a two percent increase at the start of 2015. “Without Delta,” he added, “we simply would not be standing here today.”
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials created an algorithm based on actual passenger numbers from January through November, and projected passenger numbers in December to discover the milestone passenger, which was validated by accounting firm KPMG.
Mr Kendrick, an industrial construction worker traveling from his home in Biloxi to a job in Iowa, was thrilled. As part of the celebration, he was given a 2015 Nissan Altima from Nissan of Union City; two Delta One round-trip tickets good for any destination in the world; a $500 Thanks Again gift card; and a set of wireless headphones from InMotion Entertainment group.
“My past two vehicles have been Nissans, I like them,” he said, adding that his Delta tickets may be used for an overseas flight. “I’ve seen a lot of the United States, so Australia is definitely in the mix. Dubai does sound pretty good, too. I don’t know – it’s up in the air,” he said, laughing.
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