Morning, y’all! Back in the day when I didn’t have “Will Drive You to the Airport” friends (you know what I mean), a trip out of town looked like this: Drive from home to a downtown parking deck where I could park for free. Hop on at the GWCC/CNN Center MARTA station or lug stuff to Five Points. Get to the airport. Get on a plane. Pass out from exhaustion.
I called this routine “Planes, trains and automobiles,” which is also a fitting theme for today’s edition.
Let’s get to it.
THE LATEST FROM THE FLIGHT DECK
Credit: Chris Day/AJC
Credit: Chris Day/AJC
We’ve got a passel of air travel news today, and it paints a challenging picture for the industry.
📊 Slowed growth: Delta Air Lines halved its forecasted profits and growth for the first quarter, citing a drop in domestic “consumer and corporate confidence.” Southwest also dimmed its outlook for the quarter. United didn’t, but it’s facing other problems: The airline has taken a 50% hit in government-related business and seen what CEO Scott Kirby called a “big drop” in Canadian traffic into the U.S.
💼 Fewer free checked bags: Yes, a cry of woe rises from the Southwest faithful! The airline has been under pressure to make more money, and that will mean the end of their signature two free checked bags policy May 28.
- “A-List Preferred” loyalty members will still qualify for two, but A-List members and Rapid Rewards credit card holders will get one.
🦺 Safety concerns in DC: The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended a ban on some helicopter flights around Washington, D.C., where 67 people lost their lives in a January midair crash involving an Army helicopter. Federal investigators are still looking into the cause of the crash.
🚽 And a small bit of good news: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s much-anticipated bathroom renovation project will begin next month. It will take a few years, but it will result in more bathrooms and more family bathroom accommodations.
I learned something cool the other day, so now it’s a trivia question: What is a common name for the identifying design elements on a plane’s outer body, wings and tail?
a. brandscape
b. jacket
c. ID marks
d. livery
I’ll put the answer at the bottom.
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A LOOK AT THE 2026 GEORGIA BUDGET
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
The Georgia House has approved Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposed budget for the fiscal year 2026, which starts in July, and that’s not confusing at all. The budget has to undergo more negotiations before it’s final, but we can get a good shape of the big priorities:
- Prison safety and security: Addressing the dangers and failings of Georgia’s prison system is a big priority for Kemp. His proposal, combined with the House’s addition, would allot about $250 million for upgrades, more staffing, raises for current staffers and more beds at private prisons.
- Education: The House added $98.4 million to Kemp’s proposed K-12 education budget to bolster student mental health and other support services, as well as $28 million for districts with economically disadvantaged students.
- The total budget tally: $37.7 billion
What about Washington? Georgia leaders are feeling good about finances because of the state’s large reserve. However, all of the federal spending cuts coming out of President Donald Trump’s administration could put a stick in the budget spokes.
In addition to tariff woes and federal layoffs, Congressional Republicans are considering $2 trillion in federal spending cuts over the next decade. That could mean Georgia legislators have to provide backfill funding for things like Medicaid.
🔎READ MORE: How moves on Capitol Hill could affect Georgia’s budget
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
How have you been dealing with the economic ups and downs lately? Are you changing your spending habits, toughing it out or something else?
Email AJC business journalists Scott Trubey and Kelly Yamanouchi at scott.trubey@ajc.com and kelly.yamanouchi@ajc.com. (They’re cool, promise.) Remember to include your name and where you’re from. They may wish to interview you in related AJC stories.
MARTA PUSHES BACK ON DECREASED RIDERSHIP
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
MARTA says recent data about decreased train ridership in 2024 isn’t actually because people were riding less. It’s because of broken fare gates. And fare evasion. And some accounting errors.
According to the transit authority, MARTA started investigating lower ridership numbers in 2023 and found two issues with a growing number of fare gates:
- Some gates weren’t recording trips even if paying customers tapped Breeze cards
- Other gates were straight up broken, allowing people to enter without tapping at all
MARTA says it’s working with its fare-gate vendor, Cubic, to fix the issue.
However, City Council President Doug Shipman says he’s seen and heard of other issues that could bring down numbers, such as safety concerns, limited weekend service and canceled routes.
PEACH PASS SCAM ALERT
If you get a text message from Peach Pass about unpaid road tolls, be warned: It’s a scam!
What the texts look like: They may look urgent and say things like “Toll Violation Notice,” “Unpaid Toll Reminder,” or “You have an outstanding toll payment.” They may even threaten legal action.
Some of these scams even have links to sites that look similar to the Peach Pass site.
How do you know what’s legit? Peach Pass says they only text people who have subscribed to text message alerts. If you’re in doubt, check your account or the app instead of the text.
📲 Sharing is caring: Let’s be honest, we all have a loved one who needs this info. Here’s the link.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
✍️ House GOP passed a bill to avoid a looming partial government shutdown, setting up tension with Senate Democrats who must support it or risk the shutdown starting Saturday.
🍎 A federal judge blocked a Trump administration plan to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training as the country faces a serious teacher shortage.
✂️ The Education Department will get rid of 1,300 additional staffers ahead of Trump’s plans to dismantle the agency.
☀️ Last year was a record-breaker for solar energy in both the U.S. and Georgia.
- Solar accounted for 66% of all new electricity-generating capacity added to the national grid last year.
- Georgia more than doubled its solar energy capacity from 2023 to 2024.
- Georgia was 12th among states for new installed solar in 2024.
NEWS BITES
Fashion trends for fall: Big shoulders and big outwear
It’s giving three kids in a trench coat vibes.
A cat’s incredible reunion with its owner after the LA wildfires
Time to cry!
Who was Fred Benning, the World War I hero and new namesake of Fort Benning?
He was a quiet sort who didn’t crow about his accomplishments and was once described in print as “too busy decorating pastries” … “to talk of war work.”
The Big 12′s NCAA basketball tournament floor is … something to behold
It will make your eyes say “oh no!”
ON THIS DATE
March 12, 1929
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: Author of “I Faw Down,” Does; Auto “Goes Boom” in California Accident. Leonard Stevens, who wrote the song “I Faw Down and Go Boom,” did.
I can’t explain it, but this is peak newspaper humor. Someone was so proud of themselves for this, and they deserved to be. (Stevens was fine, in case you care.)
ONE MORE THING
The answer is D: livery! Very charming and distinguished. Fun* game for your next airport layover: finding your favorite plane livery.
*Once again, I may have a poor understanding of “fun.”
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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