What you need to know
When traveling this summer, passengers will notice the following changes to security checkpoints in the airport:
- Checkpoint 1, located near Delta Airlines, offers general screening, crew member screening, priority and premium screening, and Americans with Disabilities Act screening.
- Checkpoint 2 West, located near United Airlines, provides passengers with TSA PreCheck, CLEAR and ADA screening.
- Checkpoint 2 East, located near Southwest Airlines, offers general screening only.
- Checkpoint 3, located near JetBlue Airlines, is closed until 2026.
- Arrive 2.5 hours prior to domestic flights and three hours prior to departure for international flights.
- Monitor the latest flight status with the airline and the weather.
- Check if parking is available ahead of time online or by calling ABIA officials.
- Drop off passengers at either the upper departures or lower arrivals level at the Barbara Jordan Terminal.
- Allow extra time to arrive at the airport if traffic conditions are poor.
- ABIA staff and TSA staff can provide assistance to passengers as needed.
The expansion and development program underway at ABIA is made up of multiple projects, which will modernize the airport and accommodate more passengers everyday.
In 2019, airport staff were beginning to see the growing number of passengers each year, but this paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Officials projected passenger levels would not return to what they were prior to the pandemic until 2024. Instead, the total passenger count from 2022 rose above what it was in 2019 by about 20% and increased by 1 million more passengers in 2023.
This year alone, four days made the list of top 10 busiest days for ABIA, including the days following a total solar eclipse.
What’s next
The following projects are estimated to begin construction this year as part of the expansion program:
- Improvements to the international facility that will include new baggage carousels and more queuing space
- Two parallel taxiways to connect the east and west sides of the building
- Ticketing-level atrium infill, which will fill in an open space with 13,000 square feet to avoid TSA lines from queuing outside
- The West Infill expansion, which will add 75,000 square feet across four levels, increasing space for new security checkpoints, passenger processing and amenities
- A new jet fuel facility
- The West Gate expansion, which will extend the terminal out past gates 33 and 34, where Spirit Airlines is located
- A new baggage handling system
