The Wall Street Journal reports:
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will meet this week to vote on a $30 million expansion of Stewart International Airport, a project aimed at increasing international arrivals at the facility 60 miles north of New York City.
Passenger numbers at the airport, nestled in the mountains near Newburgh, rose more than 60% last year to almost 450,000 people, fueled by an increase in budget flights to Europe, according to the Port Authority.
The expansion proposal includes a new dedicated arrivals area, known as a federal inspection station, for international passengers.
Currently, the airport lacks a dedicated area to process overseas passengers. So when trans-Atlantic flights land, airport staff pull out an accordion wall and quarantine the arrivals hall and baggage claim section of the terminal.
Meanwhile, domestic passengers must pick up luggage at their airline’s ticket counter.
“It makes us look pretty unprofessional,” said Louis Heimbach, chairman of the Stewart Airport Commission, an advisory body. “And it just isn’t tenable in the long run to continue operating the way it is.”
Commissioners of the Port Authority, which owns the airport, will vote on the proposal at a board meeting Thursday. They will also vote on a controversial proposal to rename the facility.
‘Meanwhile, domestic passengers must pick up luggage at their airline’s ticket counter.”
Unless this was recently started, this is just plain false. There is a baggage claim area.
Our Chabad house is 2 min away from the airport if anyone should ever need- we are here ! Would luv to see this airport pick up 🙂
thats what airport is!!
I have used this airport many times.
It is so convenient.
You just park across the street from the front door. And cross the street. I think long term parking is 10 dollars a day.
Usually no hassle at security.
I always pick up my luggage at one of the two luggage carousels. Not sure what this ticket counter pick up is about.
Everyone is friendly.
The gift shop is well stocked. The bathrooms are clean and ample.
So sad that it will become a place where people are rushed and tense.
They have a large airbase and long runways, any plane can land there, sometimes they even divert there in bad weather. It’s just that the passenger facilities are too small for this many passengers and cannot process containerized baggage and cargo.
Can they handle the jumbo jets?
If not, will they be able to, after the expansion?