The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
Security line overhaul underway at airport
Phase one of multiyear $400M-plus project to end in April
If you plan on flying out of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in the coming months, expect some changes to security lines.
As part of a multiyear, $400 millionplus SDF Next Program that is renovating many spaces at the airport, the security checkpoint is set to receive a complete overhaul.
In advance of that thorough re-envisioning to better accommodate growing passenger volumes, some initial work is now underway, leading to some changes for those moving through the airport.
What’s happening at the Louisville airport?
Phase one of the security space overhaul is the removal of two pre-security shops to make room for expanded passenger queuing space.
Both the Brooks Brothers and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail stores have now permanently closed. Those spaces are being gutted and turned into an area for passenger queues. The construction zone is eating up the previous queuing space, leading to a temporary new line formation.
When the short-term project is finished, there will be more dedicated space for passengers as they wait in line for security, said airport spokeswoman Natalie Ciresi Chaudoin. The Courier Journal previously reported on long lines at the airport that stretched well beyond the limited queue area.
How will this affect passengers?
This initial phase of the security space overhaul is making the lines for TSA PreCheck and general screening single-file. This formation will take those in line past the TODAY Store, down the west hall, and into the area of the American, United, Allegiant, and Spirit Airlines counters.
Typically, a line this long would mean you’re in for a long wait to pass through security. But that might not be the case with this temporary queue formation.
“It does not necessarily mean the wait times for security screening are any longer, but some passengers may have that perception, especially if they do not know about construction,” said Dan Mann, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority,
in a release. “The number of passengers TSA screens will not change because of this work.”
How long will this last for?
All phase one work is anticipated to wrap up in early April, ahead of the busy Kentucky Derby season.
Has anything else changed?
Eateries on the east side of the presecurity terminal, including Starbucks and KFC, are unaffected by the construction.
Expect a remodel of The Churchill Downs and Louisville Slugger stores in the coming months.
When is the larger project starting?
The airport expects to secure final design approvals for its new security checkpoint facility in the coming months. Construction is targeted to start late this year.
This new security area will include 10 lanes of state-of-the-art screening technology, increasing the number of passengers who can move through the checkpoint.
The airport had been operating with five lanes until late this summer when it expanded the security checkpoint to seven lanes.
Passenger growth is fueling the SDF Next Program and the security checkpoint expansion.
Last year was the busiest at the airport, with more than 4.6 million passengers flying in and out of Louisville. That 2023 figure surpasses the previous high of nearly 4.24 million passengers in 2019, according to airport data.