Louis Armstrong Airport Checkpoints to be Relocated to Aid Vendors Hurt by Katrina

Some security checkpoints at Louis Armstrong International Airport will be moved farther into the terminal lobbies to allow travelers more chances to eat once they've gotten through security, and possibly giving airport vendors a better chance of staying afloat.

Glass walls will be placed around parts of the east and west terminal lobbies, enclosing Sonic, Popeyes and Louisiana Legends restaurants in the concourses and making them accessible only to those who have gone through the security checkpoints.

The move will connect concourses A and B, allowing ticketed passengers to move freely between the concourses.

Passengers are rushing through security because flights are full and they don't want to lose their seats, said Aviation Director Roy Williams. As a result, passengers have more down time in the concourses.

That, combined with air traffic that is down 58 percent since Hurricane Katrina, has hurt vendors who are struggling to meet their financial obligations. Some have yet to reopen. Williams has long sought to push the checkpoints farther into the terminal, especially since airport security was dramatically increased after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But the plan was shelved, partly because some airlines didn't want their passengers delayed by the hordes of Southwest Airline travelers going though screening, Williams said.

Now that the traffic is more evenly distributed among the major carriers, there is less opposition. Southwest used to be the largest carrier at the airport, but has only returned to about 30 percent of its pre-Katrina schedule.

Williams said the new configuration will make better use of a smaller screening force at Armstrong, which numbers about a quarter of the 400-strong screening contingent that took over airline security in 2002. He said he expects the new gates will be up in about six weeks.

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Matt Scallan may be reached at [email protected] or (985) 652-0953.

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