Blumie

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TravelerMSY

I think C1 is one of the few gates setup for international arrivals, and I suspect the lounge is just a room for quarantining pax at the moment.

I have a travel journalist friend in the air right now from LHR on the inaugural flight. I'm sure he'll be posting soon.

I so want to try that flight, but evil YQ on awards is holding me back. Sure would be nice to have a part-time airline job at MSY now

TravelerMSY

We should probably do an MSY roll call at some point, and try to organize a meetup or DO.

swag

It looks like the BA flight is using C11, at least based on today's http://flymsy.com/Flight-info board.

FLYMSY

Definitely used C11.

Off topic, but, new terminal completion date pushed back to Feb. 2019.

Blumie

Does it arrive and depart from C11? Where are the immigration and customs facilities?

ASDwxguy

Immigration and Customs is in Concourse C. There are 6 gates capable of handling international passengers in that concourse.

@FLYMSY...at least it's a good reason for the delay. Adding 5 more gates to the project due to unexpected growth in demand. Makes more sense to hold off on opening the new terminal for a few months longer, so that operations won't be as impacted.

Blumie

So as reported on the BA board, BA is not providing lounge access at MSY, and instead is giving J passengers a $28 voucher to use at the crap food vendors at MSY. Nothing like a couple of Lucky Dogs before an 8-hour flight!

TravelerMSY

There are some pretty good restaurants at MSY now. Mostly outside security.

Blumie

Which ones are you thinking of? In my experience -- although it's dated; after many disappointing experiences I gave up -- the airport would partner with quality New Orleans establishments and then dumb down the product so much that it bore no resemblance to the food sold at the New Orleans flagship. I have recently tried the offerings at the Zaterain's establishment in Terminal C, and wondered afterwards if the good folks at Zaterain's are aware of how licensing their name to this eatery may be damaging their reputation.

Note, by the way, that these places are all run by giant concession conglomerates -- HMS Host and Delaware North, I think -- and not by the establishments whose names they license. That will be the case in the new terminal as well.

TravelerMSY

There's a College Inn and an Acme oyster place. You're right in that none are as good as their namesake, but are decent for an airport. Outside security. The C gates restaurants inside are nothing to write home about.

I am somewhat devastated that the Popeyes chicken went away.

Blumie

The Acme is gone. It's been Dooky Chase (but in name only, of course) for a long time. I've never been to the College Inn -- it's in Concourse D; I generally fly AA out of C -- but I'm sure it's just another example of the folks at HMS Host/Delaware North destroying another great establishment.

All of this said, there is no reason, other than a delayed departure, someone should be eating anything when flying out of MSY. You just came from one of the great food cities in the world. Why would you leave the city early and arrive at the airport with enough time to dine rather than just eating before leaving?!?! In the case of the BA flight, which got us on this discussion, it's a 9:15pm flight; either have an early dinner or grab a muff or other to-go option before leaving NOLA. That's going to be so much better than anything you will eat at the airport or on the flight, or that you could have eaten had there been a lounge option. (For the same reason, I always refuse to eat on flights into MSY. In fact I think eating airplane food when flying into MSY ought to be outlawed. Why would you do that?!?!)

FLYMSY

Nope. College Inn is past security, not outside. Terminal D is the terminal I mostly fly out of. Just did it this weekend.

This! I don't eat the food at the airport and have no desire to do so. I'd rather bring a PB&J sandwich from home than eat at the airport places.

Here's a link to an Eater NOLA story:

http://nola.eater.com/2015/5/20/8627...tional-airport

(Edited to add link.)

swag

My mother flew out on this flight last week. The BA desk gave her the $28 voucher, and when I asked, discouraged her from the lounge. Still, she popped in to see it, and described it to me as "terrible". A few plastic chairs and some prepackaged cookies, and that's it.

Blumie

Have BA in fact opened the International Lounge in Terminal C? So you get a $28 credit and some plastic chairs on which to enjoy your purchases? Did you mom report to you how she spent her voucher? A couple dozen 12-hour-old donuts from Dunkin Donuts?