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Terminal Invasion
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Best features: Phase one will encompass 19 gates, three baggage carousels, and seven security checkpoints, not to mention a number of local vendors among the 26 shops and dining options. That's a fully functioning airport terminal by any standard.
Bad news: Phased development of terminals often means years of picking through a construction site masquerading as a working airport.
The New Indianapolis International Airport
Two days after Raleigh, Indianapolis will try to move all of its passenger operations to a completely new terminal. The $1.1 billion project is situated on a greenfield site nestled between the airport's two main existing runways. It's designed to replace the city's 50-year-old terminal and will offer 1.2 million square feet of space and 40 gates. There'll be a new parking facility, too, and passengers will be able to take a moving walkway direct to their rental cars.
Best features: A Civic Plaza with a 200-foot-diameter skylight designed to echo the shape of Indianapolis' most-recognized downtown public space and a dedicated parkway that connects to I-70, the region's major thoroughfare.
Bad news: An overnight, all-or-nothing shift from the existing building to the new terminal, which guarantees that every passenger flying into or out of Indianapolis will be displaced at once.
The Fine Print . . .
The new JetBlue terminal is connected via an enclosed skywalk to J.F.K.'s existing AirTrain, but none of the other three airport projects has a public-transportation component. However, Indianapolis says the median of its new airport roadway can accommodate a light-rail system.
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