Savvy airports understand holiday travel can be frenetic, sometimes bordering on frantic. Last-minute changes, delayed flights and long security lines all take their toll. To help sooth the nerves a growing number of airports are offering live music. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is one of them. For the past few days it has offered an array of music in its iconic atrium, the airport’s prime meeting place.

Today, Wednesday, November 23, the Apostles of Bluegrass will help put things in perspective from five to seven in the afternoon.

Some 89 million souls pass through ATL each year, a significant slice of them during the Thanksgiving holiday. Music is wonderful, but it has its limits. You’ve got to choreograph your dance through the airport. Here are some tips for traversing the planet’s busiest aerodrome this Thanksgiving:

Get to the airport 90 minutes before domestic departures, and two hours before international flights. This leaves you a little margin for the unexpected.

Sign up for ATL’s Trak-a-Flight service that delivers updated flight information to your e-mail or PDA.

Call ahead for parking information before heading out to the airport: 1-877-ATL-PARK. Alternately go to http://www.atlanta-airport.com.

If you’re dropping off or picking up family or friends, use the airport’s hourly lots. The first 15 minutes are free. After that it’s $2 for the first hour. Don’t even think about leaving your car unattended at the curb. Bad move, the results of which are a ticket and a tow.

Make sure to pack as lightly as possible if you’ve got a carry-on. If you’re carrying Christmas presents, don’t wrap them until you get to your destination. Better yet, Cheapflights advises not taking presents with you at all. The security checkpoints are already bogged down across the country by folks trying to avoid checked bag fees. Best bet is to ship presents and carry on just what you’ll need for the journey.

Make sure to abide by TSA’s by now familiar 3-1-1 rule for carry-ons and liquids.

What helps you make it though the airport unscathed? If you’ve got a tip we’d love to hear from you. Read our Top 10 Holiday Travel Tips.

Story by Jerry Chandler

(Image: janoma.cl)