With its rich Native American culture, the world-famous Balloon Fiesta, museums, galleries and artistic presentations, tourism is very much a mainstay of the Albuquerque economy. Just the same, Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) is particularly well designed and well equipped to accommodate the business traveler flying in for conferences, meetings or for projects involving the Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia Laboratories, New Mexico state government offices, Eclipse Aviation and a growing high-tech industry.

Earlier this year, Albuquerque Sunport underwent a $15 million expansion project whose features contribute substantially to a positive airport experience. Biggest of these was the 30,000-square-foot security screening facility added onto the west side of the existing terminal structure. Unlike those in many airports that take over existing lobby space contributing to over crowding, this one is completely self-contained and completely off to one side of the departure entrance area. The TSA has eight screening lanes there. Once a passenger is cleared, he moves directly into a central “Great Hall” rotunda area. Turning left takes you to Concourse A; to the right is Concourse B.

Southwest Airlines occupies most of the 14 boarding gates in Concourse A sharing the Concourse with United Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Southwest is, in fact, ABQ’s dominant tenant, accounting for some 52 percent of total passenger traffic. Last year, ABQ handled 6.4 million passengers and airport spokesman Daniel Jiron predicts that figure will increase by at lest 2 1/5 this year. Concourse B has 10 gates and is used by American Airlines, America West, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines and Frontier Airlines. Regional service is provided by Shuttle America, Horizon Air and Skywest Airlines. Great Lakes Airlines and Mesa Airlines provide commuter service.

Carriers out of ABQ offer nonstop service to 32 cities, including Amarillo, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago (Midway), Chicago (O'Hare), Dallas (Love Field), Denver, El Paso, Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (Hobby), Houston (Intercontinental), Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Oakland, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Tucson. Nonstop in-state service is offered to Carlsbad, Clovis, Farmington, Roswell and Silver City. Despite the noun “international” in its name, ABQ currently has no international services. It hopes to get runs into Mexico before too long, though.

ABQ’s terminal building is on three main levels—the lower level for baggage claim; level two for check-in and ticketing, and level three for boarding gates. All baggage x-ray screening is done behind the check-in counters in the baggage area. Additionally, there’s a tunnel beneath the main access roads through which passengers coming in from public parking areas pass.

Unlike many airports, ABQ doesn’t have car rental counters in its terminal. Instead, this service is provided at the Consolidated Sunport Car Rental Center. It’s about one-half mile from the terminal with free 26-passenger shuttle bus service making the five-minute run frequently 22 hours a day. All cars regardless of the company involved are taken out or returned there. 

The Center occupies a 65-acre site, was built at a cost of $50 million, and opened in 2001. It’s some 25,000 square feet in area with eight Service Centers used by the rental car companies for their service and maintenance equipment. Currently Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Advantage, Thrifty, Enterprise and Vanguard occupy space in the facility. Local parking for 3,700 vehicles is provided in a four-level parking structure and adjacent surface lot next to the terminal.

ABQ shares its three main runways with Kirtland Air Force, home of the 377th Air Base Wing. Given the needs of that facility, its east-west runway is 13,793 feet long; the other two are each 10,000 feet long. A fourth runway for general aviation usage is 6,000 feet long. The Air Force provides the airport with aircraft rescue and firefighting services.

Opposite the security area is a new 2,000-square-foot Meet & Greet lounge area providing parties waiting for arriving passengers to do so in comfort, rather than being forced to stand around outside the arrival hall.

One of the most popular features at ABQ is its free Wi-Fi service with T-1 lines. Not only do road warriors have this access, but they don’t have to juggle their laptops on their knees as they work or check e-mails. In April, the airport installed eight workstations in both concourses equipped with comfortable chairs and power strips with which to charge cell phones or computers. The Wi-Fi routers also serve most areas of the airport outside the boarding gates.

Another feature for the local news media is a press room on the second level equipped with TV lights and a podium accommodating up to 50 for press conferences. Across the hall is another small room seating six. It’s regularly used by attorneys who fly into the airport to take depositions or conduct other business that doesn’t require leaving the airport. The airport has just restored to its original state what had been the TWA Ambassador Lounge, now renamed the Sandia Vista Room. It’s expected to be rented out for business meetings, receptions and other such functions.

With so many business travelers now carrying their own laptops, the airport has removed Internet kiosks formerly installed and has no commercial business center. However, Jiron says that the staff in the airport’s administration office generally will accommodate a traveler with an urgent need to get a courier package picked up or even to send a fax.

Just installed throughout the boarding area are new 40-inch flat-screen LCD displays for aircraft arrival and departure status. These replace the old TV screen FIDS and, according to Jiron, are “brighter, easier to read, and we can put more information on them.”