Back in February of this year, a member of the Compass Vermont team arrived at the Burlington International Airport for a 6:30 am flight to Washington Dulles Airport. Seven hours later, he was still waiting to board.
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The storms coming in from the west were postponing and ultimately canceling almost all flights. The waiting area, which cannot seat all passengers even when flights depart on time, was stuffed with passengers without anywhere to sit unless they could find a bit of unoccupied floor.
The storms, of course, were not the fault of BTV. However, the airlines were absurdly negligent in providing updates to passengers, who usually found out about delays and cancellations on their travel apps long before anyone in the terminal provided an announcement. In addition, the only restaurant in the airport, the Skinny Pancake, ran out of nearly every food item. The air was a bit foul, and the passengers' mood was even worse.
Of the approximately 700,000 passengers who pass through BTV, it is a fair bet that they would agree that the airport was in desperate need of a significant upgrade, which is finally underway.
The Terminal Integration Project (TIP), funded by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant, will connect the two terminals at BTV and other significant improvements.
A new security checkpoint will offer five lanes (and hopefully enough TSA staff for each location), and new space will spread passengers out better on the second-floor wing.
Also in the plans are expanded restrooms, a second-floor jetway that shortens the now convoluted journey from the gate to the aircraft, and room to accommodate a second restaurant.
Over time, the airport plans to expand its destinations beyond the current menu of 16 cities. You can read the article in Seven Days for a more detailed look at the plans.
