Welcome to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport! You are about to embark on the culinary adventure of your life! New Orleans is known for it’s great food, among other things. But before you can get your po’ boy on, you need to know a few things about flying in.
New Orleans is a great city to visit, so great that you definitely don’t want to spend any more time at the airport than you have to. However, if you find yourself there for any length of time, you need to know these three things.
1. Insane overcrowding
I walked off my flight in Concourse B and it looked like a bus terminal in South America. It was terrible. There were people sitting everywhere on the floor, long lines for the bathroom, and people just standing around. There were no available places to sit and no places to plug in your phone. What a way to start a trip. My phone was completely dead and I was supposed to wait for a coworker to arrive. I had almost two hours to kill with a dead phone and no way to contact him. I was already starting to dread my decision to take the earlier flight. What could be beyond security? It’s always a risk leaving the concourse. Once you leave security, you can never go back. I took the plunge….
2. Step out and relax
It’s a different world outside of security. I’ve never seen anything like it. Leather couches, good food, plenty of stores, even chaise lounges are available outside of security. Go out and enjoy. The airport does look older, but it’s not lacking any convenience. Didn’t I mention how New Orleans has great food? Read on.
3. Skip the fast food
You’re not that guy (or girl) that goes to New Orleans and eats at Chili’s, right? So why would you do that at the airport? Forget Dunkin’ Donuts. Head over to PJ’s Coffee in Concourse B or West Beignet outside of security to get your coffee fix. Need food? Grab some beignets, too. Don’t know what a beignet is? See below…
A beignet is that fried doughy thing under all that powdered sugar. West Beignet has an attached restaurant called Dooky Chase (I’m serious). Their food looks good.
Yes, this is a strange airport, but it’s a strange city (in a good way). I’m glad I left security right away and I’m glad that I had time to hang out there on my way out. Enjoy your time and your food.
Final Rating
There are a few things I look for in airports. Accessibility to corresponding city. Ease of transport within the airport. Comfort (seating/plugs/shopping). Food. And the wildcard. The wildcard is something unique that helps or hurts the airport.
The New Orleans airport receives an 8 out of 10.
Although it can get overcrowded, the unique food options really bring up it’s rating.
[…] very first time. My initial experience at the airport wasn’t a very good one and is outlined here. However, once I made it into the city, things […]