Austin Airport: The Terminal with a Twist

Austin, the capital city of Texas, has an airport called Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Sometimes called AUS or KAUS, you can find the airport five miles or eight km from the central business district of the city. It's total land area is at 4,242 acres and it has two runways and a couple of helipads.

It was only in the 23rd of May, 1999 that the Austin airport opened for public air traves. In 2006, the airport served 8, 216, 310 passengers. Such a volume is 7.5 percent higher than the number of travelers in 2005, which was 7,683,545.

The Terminal

Barbara Jordan Terminal is one of the facilities in the Austin airport, which was designed by Larry Speck, an architecture professor from the University of Texas, also in Austin. The terminal has a total of 25 gates housed in its 600,000 square feet or 56,000 square meters land area.

What sets it apart from any other terminals is the presence of several local restaurants right inside the facility. The spaces in the terminal are opened for concession so the visitors in the city can get a taste of Austin.

What's more interesting is that they also hold regular live band performances in the Austin airport. In case you don't know, the city is called “The Live Music Capital of the World.” You may interpret the live bands in the airport as a way for the city to live up to its title.

Recently, though, the Austin City Council agreed upon a plan for converting the terminal to a no frill zone. Such a decision is made in consideration of the upcoming accommodation of Viva Aerobus, a low-cost airline.

There are also a couple of lounges in the Austin airport that are operated by Continental Airlines and American Airlines. These facilities are open to travelers who are members of the executive lounge programs of the said airlines.