Lafayette’s New Airport Terminal, What Do You Need to Know?

The new terminal for the Lafayette Regional Airport will open on Thursday, January 20, and it's double the size of the old facility. The new terminal features five gates for airline flights and two security lanes with the capacity to add a third.

The expansion means there are a few changes now that there is a new terminal. While the entrance to the airport from Surrey Street remains the same, additional parking spaces have been added. The new driveway in front of the terminal is larger, and you will still be able to drive up to drop off someone catching a flight.

As you walk from the parking lot into the terminal, you will see the spaces for the airline ticket counters. Once you have checked in downstairs, you can ride the escalators upstairs to get through security and go to your gate. Once through security, gates 1-3 will be on the left, and gates 4-5 are on the right.

What makes things exciting is the round bar between the two halls for the gates and the beautiful, massive sage class that allows you to view the airport from the lounge area. Another new addition at the airport is more offerings of food and beverage. There will be food available both before security and once you have gone through security.

A new addition that will have pet lovers rejoicing is the new Pet Relief Area. This is a separate room that includes a pet waste container, a place for pets to relieve themselves, and even a hose along with a clean-up area for your pet.

There is a beautiful new circular bar that sits in between the corridor for gates 1-3 and the corridor for gates 4-5. The bar gives fliers a full view of the sage glass and the outside of the airport.

In all, it's very easy to navigate everything at the new terminal. There are clear signs outside pointing you to the area you need whether you have your car in long-term parking or you're getting Uber to take you home. Also good news for anyone renting a car. Once you have picked up your bags, you can walk right out of the exit door to get to the rental car lot.

Today Governor John Bel Edwards was on hand with members of the Lafayette Airport Commission, DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson, and elected officials to cut the ribbon for the new terminal. The move to get funding for this new terminal began in 2014 when officials allowed a one-cent sales tax to go before voters. What made this tax different from others, is that it would be a temporary tax.

In December of that year, voters gave their consent, and the tax started to be collected. It was collected from April 1, 2015, through November 30, 2015. The tax generated $33 million which was a large amount of seed money to help jumpstart the process. Ultimately, the entire project ended up costing $150 million.