The New MSY | A 45-Minute Tour of New Orleans' Beautiful New Terminal

UPCOMING TRIPS:
Winter 2020: San Diego, CA (Southwest)

Welcome everyone to the brand new MSY North Terminal! I have been waiting patiently for a long time to make this video and finally here it is! I must say, the new terminal is beautiful and it is a huge upgrade from the old south terminal. I was very impressed by it and it is something the city of New Orleans and Louisiana will be proud of for decades to come!

This video was filmed during a public open house event which took place on Thursday, October 24, 2019, less than two week's prior to the grand opening of the new terminal. Since this is a "sneak peek" tour, you may notice some ongoing construction throughout the terminal. While most of the terminal was completed in time for opening, a few concessions and clubs are still under construction after opening.

Here's a little background on the new MSY terminal project:

In 2015, the New Orleans Aviation Board along with the New Orleans City Council approved a plan to build a brand new, 30-gate terminal on the north side of the airfield. In January 2016, construction began on the new terminal. As travel demand grew rapidly during construction, a new concourse and five-gate expansion was added to the project, increasing the cost to nearly 1 billion dollars. The new terminal was originally scheduled to open in 2018, in time for New Orleans' 300th anniversary, but it was later delayed a total of four times, first due to the five-gate expansion and then due to some sewer-line issues that arose as construction neared completion in 2019. However, I am pleased to announce that the new MSY terminal opened on November 6, 2019!

The new terminal will be 972,000 square feet and have a total of 35-gates, with room to expand to 42 gates in the future based on demand. When the new terminal opens on November 6, all operations will switch overnight from the south terminal over to the new terminal. MSY will join only three other U.S. airports in the 21st century to completely switch terminal facilities overnight, including Indianapolis (IND) in 2008, Panama City (ECP) in 2010, and Wichita (ICT) in 2015. All 16 carriers at MSY will relocate from the south terminal to the new north terminal starting on November 6. The final departure from the south terminal was a Southwest Airlines flight at 9:15 PM CT on Tuesday, November 5. The first departure from the new terminal was a Southwest Airlines flight to Atlanta at 5:05 AM CT on Wednesday, November 6.

The new terminal was designed by world renowned Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and late architect Cesar Pelli. It features many floor-to-ceiling windows which allows a lot of natural light to enter, giving it a very open and airy feel. The terminal features many subtle hints of the Mississippi River and New Orleans, with gentle curves, dark wood elements, and a large 3-story tall "Tree Wall" in the center of the main terminal lobby. It also features a Jazz Garden on the downstairs arrival's level near baggage claim, which is one of the cornerstones of the new terminal. It includes a central atrium garden and music stage where live musical performances will occur daily. Overall, the new terminal does a great job of capturing the feel of the New Orleans region.

The new MSY terminal will include three concourses (A, B, and C) with 35 total gates. Concourse A will have 6 gates, 5 of which will will be international-capable. Concourse B will have 14 gates and concourse C will have 15 gates. The new terminal will also have over 100 check-in counters. It will also feature a consolidated TSA checkpoint with 15 lanes. There will also be over 40 concessions throughout the terminal, most of which will be located post-security. Once past security, passengers will have access to all gates and concourses as well as over 40 concessions.

Another addition to the new terminal will be more parking than the old south terminal. There are a total of four parking options, including a 2,750-space long term garage, a 2,190-space short term garage, a 685-space surface lot (at a lower rate), and a remote 2,438-space economy garage located at the old south terminal with continuous shuttle service. Considering parking at the old terminal has reached capacity many times recently, this will be a welcomed amenity.

Overall, the new MSY terminal is a huge upgrade from the old terminal and it will also be a major game changer for U.S. airports. The new MSY is truly an impressive achievement for the city of New Orleans and Louisiana. I hope you enjoy this in-depth video tour of the new MSY!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Music Used in Video:
Piano & Sax by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud
Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/piano-sax
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/wtnLH5HzGdQ

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