At the Albuquerque Sunport, the stall doors in the restrooms swing outward.
You might not notice this unless you have recently traveled through other airports where the doors swing inward and the stalls are narrower. When you are dragging a rolling carry-on bag, getting through one of those doors can be awkward. The stall doors at the Sunport are quiet touch of courtesy.
Those restrooms are visibly clean. The coat hooks are sturdy and there are even shelves in the stalls. (Maybe these little amenities are more noticeable to women than men.)
It’s a happy airport. It’s welcoming for visitors. Considering how stressful travel can be, it’s a friendly place to land. In 2016, the Sunport was named a TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice Favorite for U.S. Airports in the Medium Airports category, based on global feedback from the TripAdvisor community.
Doug Lutz of the airport’s marketing department told me there are 75 volunteers, called Ambassadors, roaming the airport to help visitors, and 20 therapy dogs, just to make people feel good.
The City of Albuquerque sponsors live concerts by local performing groups, usually on Fridays at lunch time. I have been there several times to see the surprise and delight on travelers’ faces as they rode down the escalator and saw musicians performing for them. People point and smile, and some of them stop.
When we do something right in New Mexico, we ought to celebrate it. This airport is one of our good things. It shows off the state not just with beautiful artwork on display but with the architecture of the buildings themselves.
The airport is a showcase for New Mexico art. You can read about the collection on the abqsunport.com website. Look for “sunport-arts-program.”
New Mexico residents may never have gone to the rental car terminal. I got to see it because I was helping out-of-town friends pick up a car. It’s an elegant Southwestern style building with huge high ceilings and decorated vigas. In the center is an atrium with a spectacular sculpture suspended from the ceiling. If you have extra time (waiting to pick up visitors, for example), it’s worth a visit.
In the year 2018 through June, that rental facility has enjoyed $45 million in car rental revenue.
A few other statistics:
The Sunport welcomed 4,958,417 passengers in 2017.
There were 135,269 takeoffs and landings, for an average of 370 per day, in 2017: 52,518 by major airlines; 24,558 by commuter airlines, 22,162 by military aircraft; and 36,031 by general aviation aircraft.
Southwest Airlines accounts for roughly 50% of all commercial airline traffic.
Tucked away along a side corridor is the office of US Customs and Border Protection. For anyone planning international travel, this is a place where you can do the required interview for a Global Entry card. I’m told there are long waiting lists for travelers who need these cards to interview in other international airports. The wait is much shorter here.
The airport has been undergoing a $30 million renovation, which is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2018. When the renovation was announced, former Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry referred to the airport as “the front porch for all of New Mexico.”
According to Jack Scherer, associate director for facilities, most of the updates are infrastructure items like ductwork and wiring, which won’t be visible to the public, but one new feature at the ticket counters will be a series of stone panels representing iconic images from the 19 pueblos, designed in cooperation with Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Scherer said the renovation was planned with awareness of the airport’s uniqueness as an expression of New Mexico’s character. “Visitors say, ‘When we get here we know where we are. This is not just another airport.’”
Triple Spaced Again, © New Mexico News Services 2018