Gate pass program at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
Airport
As promised,
the Louis Armstrong New Orleans
International Airport (MSY) is joining the list of airports that invite and
allow non-ticketed guests airside, past security to shop, dine, listen to live
music and spend more time with friends and family leaving for trips or coming
home.
The free MSY Guest Pass program kicks off December
4 and will be available seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. MSY officials say the airport will issue no more
than 50 passes on weekdays and no more than 100 passes each Saturday and Sunday.
Anyone seeking
an MSY Guest Pass will need to sign up 24 hours in advance and provide their
full name, date of birth and contact information. Visitors under 18 will need
to be accompanied by an adult.
Pass holders must
still pass through the security checkpoint and all pass holders will be limited
to one visit per month.
Leah’s Kitchen at MSY
MSY is justifiably proud of its shiny new terminal, which has branches of local shops such as Dirty Coast and Fleurty Girl and restaurants from award-winning chefs, including Emeril Lagasse, John Folse, Michael Gullotta, Susan Spicer, and the late Leah Chase and her family.
We expect more airports to join this trend, but for now just a few other airports offer gate passes to non-ticketed guests: Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) has the MyPITpass program and Tampa International Airport (TPA) offers an All Access gate pass program.
Have a little bit of extra time to spend in New Orleans? Here are some ideas we gathered recently for a story on CNBC.
Photo by Todd Coleman. Courtesy New Orleans & Company
Yes, New Orleans is a party town with bars and music on every corner and a festival – or three – in the streets just about every weekend.
But get off Bourbon Street and you’ll find plenty of other distractions.
Photo by Harriet Baskas
Stroll along Royal Street, where you’ll find art galleries, souvenir shops and boutiques, including Fleur de Paris (523 Royal St.) a colorful custom millinery and couture shop that boasts of being the largest millinery shop in the country.
At
630 Royal St., M.S. Rau Antiques has
been selling high-end art, antiques, jewelry and exotic other items for more
than a century. The 25,000-square-foot gallery feels more like a museum than a
shop, with an ever-changing display of odd and eclectic items. If you’re a
serious shopper, you may be invited into a secret room to see rare
treasures.
Photo by Harriet Baskas
The Historic New Orleans Collection is nearby, with free exhibitions at 520 Royal St., (which has a nice gift shop and the Café Cour courtyard bistro) and at 533 Royal St. and 410 Chartres. Free organ tours are offered Tuesday through Sunday at 520 Royal and there are free tours available via the museum’s smartphone tours and app.
Lunch spots to check out include Cochon, serving a modern, unpretentious take on Cajun food (in the Warehouse Arts District about three blocks from the Convention Center); Compère Lapin(French for ‘brother rabbit; also in the Warehouse Arts District), which has a Caribbean-inspired menu, and Domenica, an Italian restaurant in the elegantly restored downtown Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans.
The new Sazerac House museum (and working distillery) at Canal & Magazine Street has a free self-guided, multi-media tour exploring the history of New Orleans through the Sazerac and other cocktails. Admission is free (reservation encouraged for busy times) and complimentary samples of three cocktails are included.
If you can, squeeze in a mid-to-late
afternoon in-town visit to another of New Orleans’ many museums. Some top-rated
ones include the New
Orleans Jazz Museum (400 Esplanade, in the historic U.S
Mint; Admission $8); the National World War II Museum (945 Magazine St.; Admission: $28.50, $18 for military with ID and
free for WWII veterans).
Photo by Paul Broussard. Courtesy New Orleans & Company
Or grab a taxi, Uber or street car (Fare $1.25; $3 for a day pass) and head out to City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), which has a permanent collection of almost 50,000 objects. Museum admission is $15, but there is no fee to tour the museum’s twelve-acre Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which has more than 90 sculptures in a lush Southern landscape with magnolias, camellias, and 200-year-old moss-laden live oaks.
For a classic New Orleans dinner experience, call or go online and get a reservation at the classic Commander’s Palace, in the Garden District.
Pay attention to the dress code (business attire, jackets for men, no flip flops, jeans discouraged) and consider this also as a lunch option weekdays, when 2-course specials and 25-cent martinis (limited to 3 per person) are served, or for the weekend Jazz Brunch.
Photo La Gourmetreise, Courtesy New Orleans & Company
For something more casual, try Coop’s Placein the French Quarter, where the house specialties are seafood gumbo and a rabbit & sausage jambalaya.
You can ease into the evening with a cocktail just about anywhere. Some popular options in the French Quarter include the historic French 75 Bar at Arnaud’s Restaurant (813 Rue Bienville); the rotating Carousel Bar & Lounge at the Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St.)and the intimate wine-centric Patrick’s Bar Vin (730 Bienville St.) at the Hotel Mazarin.
Photo by Zack Smith, Courtesy New Olreans & Company
For live music of all stripes and a “not
Bourbon Street-crazy” street scene, locals point visitors to the clubs on Frenchmen Street, in the Marigny neighborhood, not far from the French Quarter. Some
popular venues there include Snug Harbor, d.b.a, The Maison, the Spotted Cat, Blue Nile and
the Apple Barrel.
Leaving New Orleans
Photo by Harriet Baskas
When it comes time to leave town, be sure
to head for the airport early.
Cab or ride-hailed (Uber or Lyft)
journeys to the airport start at about $36 and can take upwards of half an
hour, depending on traffic and time of day.
The good news is that the city just
opened a brand new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
Airport (MSY) that features several stages for
live music and many restaurants that represent New Orleans’ celebrity chefs and
cuisine, including Emeril’s Table, The Munch Factory, Lucky Dogs and Leah’s
Kitchen.
The all-access Club at MSY should open early next year and a United Airlines club lounge is promised in 2020.
Stuck at The Airport stopped into the Delta Sky Club during an opening day tour of the airport. We are delighted to report that in addition to all the features you’d expect in a lounge (comfortable seating and lots of outlets) the 2nd-floor lounge definitely celebrates the New Orleans vibe and culture.
The menu includes regionally inspired snack and meals, including oysters, gumbo and muffuletta sandwiches. Of course, the bar menu includes local beers and cocktails.
And all the artwork is by Louisiana artists.
Delta was kind enough to share images of the artwork. Here are a few more of our favorites.
By Skylar Fein Artwork by Kelly Mcgee Artwork by Kelly McgeeArtwork by Masy Chighizola
Stay tuned for more details about the amenities at the new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). Next up: all the food!
The occasion: a celebration and a last goodbye to the old terminal in anticipation of the opening of a brand new terminal Wednesday morning, November 6.
The old terminal, with its low ceilings, worn seating areas and multiple ticketing lobbies for different airlines, was closing down as the parade marched by.
The last flights of the night were boarding and the Lucky Dogs stands were wrapping up business.
During the day on Tuesday, workers hurried to put finishing touches on restaurants and concessions.
There were speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
And, of course, cake.
The new Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport terminal is a beauty.
There are 3 concourses, a central security checkpoint, stages for live music, a Delta Sky Club with views of the airfield activities and oodles of restaurants and shops that represent the charm of the city.
Here are some snaps from a pre-opening tour.
Entrance to the Delta Sky Club
Stuck at the Airport will be on hand for the first flight out of the new terminal at 5:00 AM on Nov 6, so stay tuned for more snaps and stories.
Starting with an early morning flight at around 4 a.m., all 16 commercial airlines at MSY will operate from the new terminal. The old terminal will be close to the public tonight.
StuckatTheAirport is in town for the switchover. We will share snaps of closing and opening ceremonies. We’ll also check out all the fresh amenities in the new terminal.
In addition to some great, locally-themed shops and restaurants, the new terminal promises power chargers at 50% of the gate area seats, water bottle refill stations, the three Mothers Rooms and music venues. The “fully automated” restrooms promise “sanitary seat covers.”
That’s tomorrow.
Today we’re sharing some snaps of the old terminal gathered on our way in. In case you’ll miss is.
We’re hoping this mural of New Orleans Jazz musicians makes a return.
