airport nursing rooms

PHX Sky Harbor Airport celebrates new concourse

The newly named John S. McCain III Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) now has a new South Concourse and post-security lobby area with 15 gates and all new shops, restaurants and amenities.

The area offers passengers lots of light and great view of Phoenix’s desert landscape as well as power at most every seat, a new state-of-the-art Delta Sky Club, a children’s play area (the PHX Play-Viation Park), a nursing room and an animal relief area.

Public art installations feature a colorful terrazzo floor by Arizona artist Teresa Villegas as well as Donald Lipski’s “Aviators” which are giant sunglasses on the wall of the arrivals atrium.

Retail includes national brands, such as Johnston & Murphy and Sugarfina, as well as locally-linked venues such as Best of the Valley and Travel Outfitters. Mosaic includes artwork by Phoenix and Arizona-based artists, and Indigenous pays tribute to Southwest Native American tribes and offers jewelry and crafts.

Dining options include Shake Shack and Panera Bread as well as chef Mark Tarbell’s Tavern, James Beard award winner Christopher Gross’ Christopher’s and other local favorites that include The Parlor (pizza and pasta), SanTan Brewing Company and Mustache Pretzels, which serves mustache-shaped pretzels (and dips), including the Nutstache, with salted caramel and topped with crushed peanuts, walnuts, almonds and filberts.

Terminal 3 serves Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, and Sun Country and is being updated in phases.

There’s one more phase to completed: the renovation of the North Concourse, which will add all new shops, restaurants and customer amenities. That phase is slated to be completed in 2020.

Nursing pods for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int’l Airport

Slowly, but surely, airports around the country are catching on to the fact that nursing mothers in transit need a clean, safe place to breastfeed their babies or pump milk, and that bathroom stalls or mop closets aren’t the answer.

A better alternative: the increasing number of nursing rooms that are popping up at airports, and the standalone lactation pods made by Vermont-based Mamava, which are now at about three dozen airports.

Now, just in time for “DontCryoverSpilledMilk” Day – February 11 – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is getting six Mamva nursing pods.

Like other airport-installed nursing pods, the Zappos-sponsored Mamava suites at ATL will have locking doors, AC and USB power, a fold down table and two benches.  ATL’s pods, though, are introducing a few new amenities, including lactation pad dispensers, cleaning wipes and trash cans, happiness quotes, and special soundtracks designed to get the milk flowing. “Think ocean waves, baby giggles, etc,” says Mamava.

See more information about the pods and the Zappos partnership on Mamava’s “Pumpcast.”

ATL’s Mamava nursing pods will be hard to miss: just look for the giant babies.