New Orleans Airport Guide (MSY)

(New Orleans) Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

900 Airline Drive, Kenner, Louisiana 70062, USA

MSY

1

(504) 464 0831

1

GMT - 6 (GMT - 5 from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November)

The airport is situated 16km (10 miles) west of New Orleans.

Recent innovations at MSY, which was hit by the effects Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but expects operations to be at around 80% of pre-storm levels by May 2008, include introduction of free Wi-Fi access and opening of a 'cell phone' parking lot for motorists waiting to collect arriving passengers.

From New Orleans, take I-10 west and then the exit for the Airport Access Road, which leads directly to the terminal.

The airport has two large on-site parking garages for long- and short-term parking, with a total of 5,500 spaces. There are also several off-airport companies that offer long-term parking. Valet parking is available outside entrance seven. The 'Cell Phone Lot' allows attended vehicles to wait free of charge for up to one hour for motorists collecting arriving passengers. Parking information is available from New South Parking on (504) 464 0204.

Car hire companies Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty are all represented, with desks on the lower level.

Rail
Passengers wishing to reach the Amtrak Union Station at 1001 Loyola Avenue should use bus or taxi services as Amtrak does not provide a shuttle.
Road
Bus: Jefferson Transit (tel: (504) 818 1077; website: jeffersontransit.org) runs the E2 Airport Express bus to Downtown New Orleans – journey time is around 30 minutes. JET also provides public buses to areas in the local district. The Airport Shuttle service (tel: (504) 522 3500; website: www.airportshuttleneworleans.com) is available from the airport to the hotels in the central business district; the ticket office is on the lower level in the baggage reclaim area.
Taxi: Taxis are readily available on the lower level outside baggage reclaim.

Visitor information services are located in the West Lobby (tel: (504) 464 2752), in the West Terminal (tel: (504) 463 1020) and in the East Baggage Claim area (tel: (504) 465 8852). All visitor information service representatives are bilingual or multilingual; there is also a 24-hour Red Cross Language Bank (tel: (504) 586 8191). A Travelers Aid counter in the East Baggage Claim area (tel: (504) 464 3522) also provides assistance and tourist information.

Money and communications: A bank, bureau de change facilities and a post office are located in the main ticket hall. ATMs can be found throughout the airport. Internet kiosks are available on each concourse. Free wireless Internet is available throughout the terminal. All public telephones have data connections for laptop connection to Internet or business intranet.
Eating and drinking: There are many restaurants, bars, ice-cream parlours and cafes situated around the terminal.
Shopping: There are several shops throughout the terminal, including duty-free.
Luggage: The lost property office (tel: (504) 464 2671 or 2762) in the West lobby is open 24 hours. Lockers are not currently available but Rush-it Courier Services (tel: (504) 471 0080) offers a luggage storage facility at the baggage reclaim area.

The TravelEx America Business Centre, in the main ticket hall, has facilities including travel insurance, bureau de change, photocopying, fax and money transfers. Delta Air Lines has a Delta Crown Room, located between gates 2 and 4 on concourse D, for its business-class passengers. The nearby Hilton New Orleans Airport (tel: (504) 469 5000; website: www1.hilton.com) has a 24-hour business centre with equipped meeting space, including a high-tech amphitheatre, and a dedicated business concierge.

The airport is fully accessible for people with disabilities and there are several TDD telephones located around the airport. There is a TDD telephone number for information and enquiries (tel: (504) 463 1057).

There are no on-site hotels; the Hilton New Orleans Airport (tel: (504) 469 5000; website: www1.hilton.com) is the closest to the airport, but there are also numerous other nearby hotels, including the Best Western New Orleans Inn At The Airport (tel: (504) 464 1644; website: www.bestwestern.com), Radisson Hotel Airport (tel: (504) 467 3111; website: www.radisson.com) and the Ramada Inn and Suites (tel: (504) 466 1355; website: www.ramada.com).